Quantifying search and switching costs in the US auto insurance industry.

I estimate demand for auto insurance in the presence of two types of market frictions: search and switching costs. I develop an integrated utility-maximizing model in which consumers decide over which and how many companies to search and from which company to purchase. My modelling approach rational...

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Publicado en:RAND Journal of Economics (Wiley-Blackwell) Vol. 45; no. 4; pp. 847 - 885
Autor principal: Honka, Elisabeth
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Wiley-Blackwell Winter2014
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: Quantifying search and switching costs in the US auto insurance industry.
      aug:
        au: Honka, Elisabeth
        affil: University of Texas at Dallas
      su:
        United States
        Customer retention
        Switching costs
        Insurance companies
        Automobile industry
      sug:
        subj:
          United States
          Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
          New and used automobile and light-duty truck merchant wholesalers
          Automobile Manufacturing
          Automobile and Other Motor Vehicle Merchant Wholesalers
          New Car Dealers
          Automobile and light-duty motor vehicle manufacturing
          Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
          Other Direct Insurance (except Life, Health, and Medical) Carriers
          Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers
          Direct group life, health and medical insurance carriers
          Customer retention
          Switching costs
          Insurance companies
          Automobile industry
      ab: I estimate demand for auto insurance in the presence of two types of market frictions: search and switching costs. I develop an integrated utility-maximizing model in which consumers decide over which and how many companies to search and from which company to purchase. My modelling approach rationalizes observed consideration sets as being the outcomes of consumers' search processes. I find search costs to range from $35 to $170 and average switching costs of $40. Search costs are the most important driver of customer retention and their elimination is the main lever to increase consumer welfare in the auto insurance industry.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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