Innovation at Tokio Marine and Nichido Fire Insurance Company

A Celent case study survey demonstrates how an insurer can apply learnings from successive digital product introductions to meet ever-widening customer needs.

Much has been written about the promise of digital technology to change insurance. But what does this mean in practical terms? How can digital technology reshape customer engagement patterns that have existed for decades? Can a technical platform create a new value proposition that benefits both insured and insurer? Does digital give insurance companies a tool to make their societal contributions more evident and transparent?

Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Company Co., Ltd (TMNF) has answered these questions through multiple introductions of products developed in partnership with the telecommunication firm NTT docomo. Their experience demonstrates how an insurer can apply learnings from successive digital product introductions and deliver increasing sophistication of features to meet ever-widening customer needs.

The product set extends from one-time, event type insurance to medical coverage that offers continuous interaction with the user. An algorithm consumes various data in order to develop suggestions concerning healthy lifestyle options on a daily basis.

“Compared with the customer experience offered by online retailers such as Amazon,” says Mike Fitzgerald, a senior analyst with Celent’s Insurance practice and author of the report. “The traditional insurance purchasing process presents insurers with a number of challenges. This case details the journey of TMNF through various product implementations to deliver increasing levels of benefit to insured, the company, and the Japanese public. Anyone charged with building digital capability in an insurer can learn from their experience.”