Zurich expands SME proposition to online retailers
06/06/2025
Zurich has expanded its commercial combined offering to include coverage for SME online retailers.
The insurer exclusively told Post it has added 50 new online retailer trades to its online commercial combined insurance online platform for SMEs.
While the insurer’s commercial combined platform offers a full range of covers, the new proposition expansion provides cover for public and product liability alongside employer liability.
Through expansion, online retailers may need to add additional insurance cover such as stock, business interruption, buildings premises and goods in transit; which are now all covered in the commercial combined proposition, traded through brokers using the Zurich online platform.
Speaking to Insurance Post, Nikki Lidster, head of SME and trading at Zurich, said the expansion is a direct result of feedback the insurer had received from brokers, and that Zurich had spoken to brokers that were “struggling to find a home” for customers that ran small, online shops on platforms such as Etsy. She noted that business of that sort had increased since the pandemic, prompting Zurich to bring a fresh proposition to market.
She said: “The crux of it is that this has come directly from broker feedback. We analyse every piece of broker feedback we receive, and we want to make sure we’re listening and acting on those insights. The changes we’re making are a testament to that, helping our brokers place this type of business more easily. With the rise of online retailing, we want to ensure our proposition continues to support customers’ evolving needs.
“We’ve spoken about it with a couple of our key broker partners for some feedback to make sure that we’re coming to market with something tip top.” Lidster went on to say the offering is aimed at “businesses that are really just looking for liability-only cover,” as broker feedback highlighted that many start-ups were looking for a liability-only option.
She said: “As those businesses grow, our commercial combined product gives them the flexibility to add additional covers as and when they need them – stock, business interruption, premises and, of course, goods in transit.”
According to Lidster, functionality for the products are already live, with Zurich’s wider broker partners being informed of the new proposition today (3 June).
Improvements
This follows Lidster telling Post at the British Insurance Brokers’ Conference that Zurich is targeting 30% growth for its SME division this year.
Lidster said the insurer has “aggressive targets” when it came to its SME growth, which the insurer later confirmed were 30% in new business in 2025, following the firm’s equal level growth in 2024. Lidster also spoke of Zurich’s commercial combined offering at Biba, saying that the insurer made numerous improvements to the service following a new feedback initiative dubbed ‘The Voice’.
She said: “We had feedback last year from an industry survey that said the insurance market was taking too long to respond to commercial combined referrals, and that it was really a daunting experience. We took that feedback on and launched a dynamic referral document at the end of last year. So, if a broker is doing a quote with us that goes into referral and we need more information, rather than having to live chat with us, the questions that we need answers to will be right there in Acturis, and that’s dynamic based on the referral type.”
This article was published by Insurance Post. You can read the original article here.
