National Consumer Agency conducted market research on consumer switching behaviour. Some key findings include: - 32% of consumers switched at least one provider in the past year, most commonly for car insurance, broadband, or fixed landline. - Those who switched car insurance reported average annual savings of €125. - 83% of consumers found the switching process easy. 59% found their new service better than the previous provider. - The main reasons for not switching included satisfaction with their current provider's service or the provider offering the best value. Over 50% had not checked for better deals in over a year.

1. National Consumer Agency
Market Research Findings:
Consumer Switching Behaviour
August 2012
Research Conducted by

2. Table of Contents
2
 Key Findings
 Consumer Switching Behaviour
Making Complaints
 Research Background and Methodology
 Profile of Sample
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3. 3
Key Findings
Making Complaints
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4. Key Findings - I
4
• Overall 32% of consumers have switched at least one product or service
provider in the past year, most likely to have been
• Car insurance (16%)
• Broadband Internet provider (14%)
• Fixed Landline Provider (13%)
• Making Complaints
Savings from Switching
• 96% of those who switched car insurance stated that they saved
money by doing so with the average annual amount saved reported as
€125
• The highest incidence of multiple switching is found in the grocery sector
and car insurance
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5. Key Findings - II
5
• 83% of consumers stated that they found the switching process easy
• 59% of consumers who have switched in the past year have found the new
service they receive to be better. Just 1% stated that the service they
receive is worse
Not Switching?
Making Complaints
• The main reason cited for not switching is due to “satisfaction with the
quality/level of service of current provider” with the next highest response
being “current supplier offers the best value for money”
• Of those who have not switched, over 50% across most sectors rising to 2 in
3 in some sectors have not checked if there is a better package/deal
available to them since signing up with current provider
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6. 6
Consumer Switching Behaviour
Making Complaints
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7. Extent of Switching Providers within
the Past 12 Months
Jun 2012
7
(Base: All holders/purchasers of
Nov 2011
May/June 2011
products/services)
Primary Secondary Tertiary
Yes Yes Yes
16 13 11
Fixed line telephone
Car Insurance 17 provider
10 Gym membership 7
22 12 7
11 8 3
Electricity supply Home insurance Savings/investment
service
11 provider
7 provider
1
17 15 2
Mobile telephone
10 Making Complaints
7
Health insurance
1
provider 12 provider 6 Credit card provider 1
12 9 2
11 7 Provider of credit 2
Main grocery shop 12 Gas supply service 5 (more than 1 year but 1
17 7 excluding mortgage) 1
9 Bank financial 2 1
Mortgage credit
Top up grocery shop 10 institution with 2 –
Provider
12 current A/C service 3 1
14 4 2
Broadband/internet Life Insurance/
access provider 12 TV service provider 5 Mortgage Protection
N/A
16 5 N/A
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8. Switching Trends – Primary
8
Stated that they saved money as a
Incidence of switching result of switching within the past
in the Past Year 12 months
(Base: All holders/purchasers) (Base: All who have switched in the past year)
% %
Car insurance provider 16 96
Electricity supply service 11 76
Making Complaints
Mobile telephone provider 10 80
Main grocery shop 11 62
Top up grocery shop 9 55
Broadband internet provider 14 68
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9. Switching Trends – Secondary
9
Stated that they saved money as a result
Incidence of switching of switching within the past 12 months
in the Past Year
(Base: All holders/purchasers) (Base: All who have switched in the past year)
% %
Fixed/landline telephone 13 72 *
Home insurance provider 8 93*
Making Complaints *
Health insurance provider 7 89
*
Gas supply service 7 78
*
Bank/financial institution 2 61
TV service provider 4 53 *
* Caution small base
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10. Switching Trends – Tertiary
10
Stated that they saved money as a result
Incidence of switching of switching within the past 12 months
in the Past Year
(Base: All holders/purchasers) (Base: All who have switched in the past year)
% %
*
Gym membership 11 81
Savings/investments provider 3 66 *
Making Complaints *
Credit card provider 1 29
Provider of credit longer than one
year excluding mortgage loans
2 72 *
Mortgage credit provider 1 30 *
**Life insurance/Mortgage
Protection 2 82 *
* Caution small base
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11. Average Savings X Typical Billing Periods
(Base: All who have saved by switching in the past 12 months)
11
Average Annual Saving Average Monthly Saving
Car Electricity Home Mobile Broadband Fixed
Insurance Supply Insurance Phone Line
(102)
Making Complaints
(64)* (36)* (70)* (57)* (57)*
€125.12 €168.60 €105.55 €22.42 €17.70 €21.86
* Caution small base size
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12. Experience of the Switching Process
(Base: All who have switched providers in the past 12 months)
12
32%
Nov/Dec ‘10 May/Jun ‘11 Nov ’11 June ’12
% % % %
52 51
Very easy 56 59
Making Complaints
88% 92% 84%
83%
32 32
Somewhat easy 32
33
6
Neither/Nor 7 12
3 10
Somewhat difficult 5 4 4
– 1 – 1
Very difficult
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13. Quality of Service Received with New Provider
(Base: All who have switched service provider - 325)
13
32%
Much worse Much better The same/ Mean
(1) (2) (4) (5) Don’t know Score
June 2012
* 1 38 21 59% 39 3.8
November 2011 1
1 29 21 50% 48 3.8
June 2011 Making Complaints
12 29 26 55% 42 3.8
– 2 33 26 59% 39 3.9
November/December 2010
12 31 30 61% 36 4.0
June 2010
November/December 2009 –4 31 25 56% 40 3.9
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14. Switching Behaviour Past 5 Years – I
14
Switched Past 5 Switched more
Years than once
(Base: All holders/purchasers) (Base: All switchers past 5 years)
% %
Car Insurance 34 47
Broadband Provider 28 30
Fixed Line Provider
Making Complaints 26 28
Mobile Provider 23 27
Electricity Provider 22 29
Main Grocery Shop 19 60
Top Up Grocery Shop 17 57
Home Insurance 17 31
Gym Membership 16 31 *
* Caution small base
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15. Switching Behaviour Past 5 Years – II
15
Switched Past Switched more
5 Years than once
(Base: All holders/purchasers) (Base: All switchers past 5 years)
% %
Health Insurance 15 19 *
Gas Supply 13 16 *
TV Provider 10 22 *
Making7 Complaints
Savings/Investments 12 *
Life Insurance/mortgage protection 7 12 *
Credit card 7 25 *
Provider of Credit 7 17 *
Bank 6 14 *
Mortgage Provider 3 24 *
* Caution small base
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16. Reasons for Remaining with Current
Provider – I
(Base: All that have not switched provider within the past 12 months)
16
Mortgage Credit Savings/
June’12 Provider
November ‘11 Bank Credit Card Investment
of Credit
Provider Provider Provider
% % % % %
Current supplier offers the best 22 21 21 18 18
value for money 14 16 17 17 18
Time and money needed to switch 8 3 6 4 3
outweigh the benefits 7 8 5 4 4
Happy with the quality/level of
service currently provided
Too difficult to determine who
Making Complaints
49
56
51
43
57
54
58
49
52
49
10 10 8 12 14
provides the best value for money 10 6 7 7 7
Cannot switch due to limitations 1 8 1 1 5
3 12 2 6 6
No convenient alternative provider 3 1 1 1 1
2 – – 1 1
Other 1 1 1 2 2
2 3 2 2 2
Don’t know 6 5 4 4 4
7 12 13 13 13
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17. Reasons for Remaining with Current
Provider – II
(Base: All that have not switched provider within the past 12 months)
17
Main Top Up
June’12 Fixed Broad- Mobile TV
Grocery Grocery
November ‘11 Landline Band Phone Service
Shop Shop
% % % % % %
Current supplier offers the best 25 27 29 27 34 32
value for money 20 21 23 18 24 22
Time and money needed to 7 8 6 8 5 5
switch outweigh the benefits 5 4 4 3 4 5
Happy with the quality/level of 53 48 51 51 47 48
service currently provided
Too difficult to determine who
Making Complaints
9
55 56 61 58
5
58 57
8 6 7 5
provides the best value for money 7 6 5 5 5 5
Cannot switch due to limitations 2 3 2 2 * *
1 2 1 2 – –
No convenient alternative 1 2 1 1 3 4
provider 1 1 – 3 2 4
Other – 1 1 1 1 *
2 1 1 1 1 1
Don’t know 4 4 5 4 4 5
9 10 6 8 7 7
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18. Reasons for Remaining with Current
Provider – III
(Base: All that have not switched provider within the past 12 months)
18
Life
June’12 Electricity Gas
Health Car Home Gym insurance/
November ‘11 Supply Supply
Insurance Insurance Insurance Membership mortgage
Service Service
protection
% % % % % % %
Current supplier offers the best 21 33 27 27 22
value for money
31 23
17 24 20 20 25 17
Time and money needed to switch 6 10
outweigh the benefits
7 6 7 5 6
5 4 5 5 5 4
Happy with the quality/level of
service currently provided Making55Complaints
57
52
48 54
56
47
55
45
46
59
52 54
Too difficult to determine who 8 7 8 8 8 3
provides the best value for money 9 5 7 6 3 9
8
Cannot switch due to limitations 2 2 1 1 2 2
3 2 1 1 2 1 4
No convenient alternative provider – – * 1 1 4 1
1 – – – 2 3
Other
* 1 1 1 2 2
3 1 2 2 2 4 1
Don’t know 4 4 4 4 6 3 3
11 10 9 9 12 16
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19. Latest Occurrence of Checking Better Deals/Packages
Available – I
(Base: All that have not switched provider within the past 12 months
19
and not contract bound to provider)
Mortgage Credit Savings/
Provider
Bank Credit Card Investment
of Credit
Provider Provider Provider
% % % % %
Past three months 3 1
3 2 1
3 1
4
Past six months 5 7
Past 12 months 7 10
16 10 15
Longer than 12 months 18
Making Complaints
17 19
18
19
Haven't checked 67 63 67
61 61
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20. Latest Occurrence of Checking Better Deals/Packages
Available – II
(Base: All that have not switched provider within the past 12 months
20 and not contract bound to provider)
Fixed Broad- Mobile TV
Landline Band Phone Service
% % % %
Past three months 4 5 4 3
Past six months 5 7 6
8
Past 12 months 11 12 12
15
Longer than 12 months Making Complaints
20
21
17
27
Haven't checked 59 62
56
48
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21. Latest Occurrence of Checking Better Deals/Packages
Available – III
(Base: All that have not switched provider within the past 12 months
21 and not contract bound to provider)
Life
Electricity Gas
Health Car Home Gym insurance/
Supply Supply
Insurance Insurance Insurance Membership mortgage
Service Service
protection
% % % % % % %
Past three months 3 5 2 3 5 5 2
Past six months 6 7 6 5
10 7 11
13 14
Past 12 months 20 12
24
Making Complaints
27
19 14
17
15
Longer than 12 months 18
18 15
17
62 63
58
Haven't checked 53 49 52
41
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22. How Deals/Packages are Checked – I
(Base: All that have not switched provider within the past 12 months
22 & checked around)
Mortgage Credit Savings/
Provider
Bank Credit Card Investment
of Credit
Provider Provider Provider
% % % % %
Visiting Company Websites 29 30 27 27 29
Cost comparison sites 13 14 13 14 14
Phoned different suppliers
Making Complaints
26 35 30 30 29
Media – Newspapers, Radio, TV 33 20 29 27 24
Visited Store/branch 4 2 2 3 5
Provider called to door – – – – 1
Other 2 1 1 4 5
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23. How Deals/Packages are Checked – II
(Base: All that have not switched provider within the past 12 months
23 & checked around)
Fixed Broad- Mobile TV
Landline Band Phone Service
% % % %
Visiting Company Websites 26 31 23 24
Cost comparison sites 16 16 14 14
Phoned different suppliersMaking Complaints
32 29 30 32
Media – Newspapers, Radio, TV 24 26 30 30
Visited Store/branch – * 7 *
Provider called to door 3 2 – 1
Other 3 2 2 2
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24. How Deals/Packages are Checked – III
(Base: All that have not switched provider within the past 12 months
24 & checked around)
Life
Electricity Gas
Health Car Home Gym insurance/
Supply Supply
Insurance Insurance Insurance Membership mortgage
Service Service
protection
% % % % % % %
Visiting Company Websites 29 26 20 22 27 29 29
Cost comparison sites 22 13 13 11 9 15 16
Phoned different suppliers Making51Complaints
39 50 36 31 27 31
Media – Newspapers, Radio, TV 21 13 13 30 31 21 20
Visited Store/branch – – 1 * – – 5
Provider called to door – – – 2 1 – 1
**Broker – 3 3 – – – 3
Other 2 2 3 3 5 6 3
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25. 25
Research Background
Making Complaints
and Methodology
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26. A. Research Background and Methodology
26
Nov/Dec Nov/Dec May/June
Aug 2008
2007 2008 2009
Benchmark Wave 1 Wave 2 Wave 3
Nov/December
Nov/Dec 2009 June 2010 May/June 2011
2010
Wave 4 Making Complaints
Wave 5 Wave 6 Wave 7
Nov 2011 June 2012
Wave 8 Wave 9
• The research was conducted by way of face-to-face interviewing of 1,002 people
between the ages of 15-74.
• To ensure that the data is nationally representative, quotas were applied on the basis
of age, gender and social class.
• Interviewing was conducted over a four week period in June 2012.
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27. B. Profile of Sample
(Base: All aged 15-74 – 1,002)
27
Sex Age Region Social Class
% % % %
15-24 17
Dublin 28
Male ABC1 48
49 F50+
25-34 22
Making Complaints Rest of
Leinster 26
35-44 19
45-54 16 Munster 28
Female 51 C2DE 52
F50-
55+ 26 Conn/
Ulster 18
Quotas were set on age, gender, region and social class to ensure
that the sample was representative of the population.
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