USE OF WEBSITES FOR MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTIVE PURPOSES BY INSURANCE COMPANIES IN OUR COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD

Abstract

The development and commercialization of the Internet was followed by the birth of numerous web presentations of organizations involved in various business activities. After 1996, the use of Internet-connected applications has intensified in the field of insurance. Since then, an increasing number of insurance companies have used web sites, primarily for marketing purposes. This paper attempts to classify the basic types of web sites for insurance companies and give the specific examples. It provides a detailed analysis of the degree of use of electronic forms for marketing and distributive purposes, with special reference to practice in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Croatia. The research shows that many countries exhibit a progressive tendency toward the increased use of web presentations of insurance companies for the aforementioned purposes. The final part of the paper highlights the factors that have contributed to the introduction of web business model into insurance companies’ strategies in many countries throughout the world, including the growing number of domestic insurers as well.