Trade Me has partnered with TOWER Insurance to give Kiwi consumers more choice with the launch of Trade Me Insurance today.
Trade Me Insurance (trademeinsurance.co.nz) promises to provide New Zealand consumers with peace of mind around their home, contents, and car insurance, but without the painful process. It is a comprehensive, online insurance offer where people can get a quote, buy insurance, make a claim and manage their policy.
Trade Me chief executive officer Jon Macdonald, said Trade Me Insurance was an easy, simple, good value, and trusted new way for New Zealanders to buy insurance. “We’ve built a streamlined online insurance experience that is as useful and intuitive as possible, with a focus on the buyer. We’re also making sure that members of the Trade Me community get a particularly good deal so they’ll enjoy a 15 per cent discount on premiums from day one.”
TOWER Limited CEO, David Hancock, said Trade Me Insurance was an important new initiative. “Today’s launch is a real milestone for us. We’re focused on meeting changing customer expectations around insurance online, and investing heavily in the development of digital infrastructure. What’s most exciting about Trade Me Insurance is that it offers general insurance customers an end-to-end digital solution from quote to claim, and gives customers greater flexibility and choice.”
Macdonald said the new offering had been tailor-made with TOWER. “Trade Me Insurance has been built from scratch. It combines our knowledge of building useful online experiences with TOWER’s financial strength and 140 years of insurance experience. Everything’s new – the products, the website, the pricing and the customer service.”
He said TOWER was a natural fit. “They’re smart, and easy to deal with. And most importantly for this venture, consumers will have confidence that Trade Me Insurance is backed by a well-respected local insurer doing some interesting things online.”
Hancock said TOWER’s alliance with a much-loved brand like Trade Me strengthened the insurer’s partner network across NZ.
Trade Me Insurance is led by Conor Sligo and Tim von Dadelszen, the GMs of Trade Me’s current LifeDirect insurance comparison website.
Macdonald said Trade Me Insurance was part of Trade Me’s selective forays into financial services. “This seemed like a natural extension for us into an area where we could do something to change things up. We’ve made some investments in financial services already, having acquired LifeDirect in 2013 and buying a stake in peer-to-peer lender Harmoney in January this year.”
