Insurance provider RSA is looking to achieve a double-digit growth in premiums in the UAE this year, following an overhaul of its online portal, a company official told Gulf News.

Chris Dooley, CEO of RSA Insurance UAE, said they have noticed more people buying travel, home and car insurance policies online after they have upgraded their digital services.

The company unveiled its revamped home and travel insurance platform last year, while its online car insurance offering was launched in March 2014, to make it easier for consumers to receive quotes and buy policies. With the recent upgrade, customers can now get a car insurance quote in just 30 seconds and purchase a policy within three minutes.

“In the period from November 2013 to March 2014, there was a 34 per cent growth in policies sold online compared to the same previous five-month period,” said Dooley.

“Although the new car insurance purchase journey only recently went live, we have already seen a 33 per cent growth in policies in the five-week period following its launch.”

In view of the strong response RSA has already seen to its insurance offerings, the company is aiming for a 30 per cent growth in premiums through its online platforms in the UAE this year.

“Driving this growth in our personal insurance business will be our investments in product innovation, better understanding our customer profiles and their risk assessment habits, and ensuring that we are constantly making it easier to do business with RSA,” said Dooley.

The growing uptake of smartphones, tablet and other mobile devices, and the high internet penetration rate in the Middle East are changing the business models of companies. Out of the 450 million people in the region, 390 million are expected to be internet users by 2020.

“Our research has shown that consumers are increasingly eager to buy insurance online if companies can provide them with a safe, efficient and convenient channel of purchase,” Dooley said. “We have seen that this has become a trend, not just in the insurance industry, as growing number of people are going mobile.”

Insurance penetration in the UAE still lags behind mature markets like the United States (8 per cent) and the United Kingdom (11 per cent). However, with the economy rebounding and the workforce becoming increasingly affluent and educated, insurance uptake in the region is forecast to grow in the coming years.

“We are confident that 2014 will be a strong year for us, as well as the wider insurance industry,” said Dooley.