Managing the variety and innovation in a global distribution environment increasingly requires 'digital tools' and capabilities that allow insurers and distributors to deal with a variety of internal and external data sources. Distribution management is no longer simply signing a contract and setting up compensation, it is now also about solving data problems. Growth and retention, along with innovation, continue to be among the top business drivers, especially impacting insurer IT investments in distribution technologies. Increasing investments by technology providers and private equity (PE) investors are being directed toward the cloud-based distribution investments of insurers.

Managing distribution channels is a multifaceted activity that requires coordination between numerous stakeholders. This report provides an overview of the leading disribution management systems available globally for insurance carriers, and the digital capability trends being targeted.

“Leading insurers are now including more innovative, forward-looking measures into their agent segmentation schemes. They must have tools which allow them to manage these schemes in real-time,” says Mike Fitzgerald, Senior Analyst and coauthor of the report.

“Distribution management platforms must enable insurers to manage their distribution force with increasing sophistication. It is against this backdrop that Celent evaluated the solutions in the market,” says John Barr, Senior Analyst and coauthor of the report.