Amazon may enter the life insurance and annuities market due to its size, inefficiency, and reliance on manual processes, with annual written premiums projected to reach $18 trillion by 2034.
The global life insurance market is seen as a prime target for digital disruption, especially in distribution channels that are outdated and paperwork-heavy.
Amazon focuses on massive, inefficient industries, reshaping customer experiences with generative AI and emphasizing ease and customer obsession.
The traditional life insurance distribution model is described as manual, paperwork-heavy, and lacking in consistent product recommendations and customer experiences.
Startups like WealthSmyth AI are addressing the need for smarter selling platforms in the insurance industry to modernize how policies are recommended and serviced.
Boards are urged to rethink their distribution models as customer expectations evolve rapidly and legacy channels struggle to keep up.
Amazon's potential impact in the life insurance sector lies in controlling distribution, recommendation, and client experience rather than becoming an insurer.
Carriers must view distribution as a strategic asset and reshape their value chains to remain competitive in the evolving market dynamics driven by AI and digital transformation.
The future winners in the industry will proactively reshape their distribution strategies before being overtaken by more agile competitors, potentially AI-driven.
Amazon's likely approach would begin with optimizing distribution to capture market share, potentially expanding into platform-as-a-service models to influence pricing and product design.
This shift represents a reset for traditional insurance carriers, emphasizing the importance of controlling distribution to secure margins, data, and customer loyalty in the platform-driven future.