Creating Consumers� Acceptance of Electronic Risk Manager (Track 1, Session 4)
Author(s) :
Raija J�rvinen (National Consumer Research Centre, Finland)
Liisa Peura-Kapanen (National Consumer Research Centre, Finland)
Abstract : The purpose of this paper is to clarify how insurance companies can promote issues of consumer safety and risk management in electronic environment. The research questions are: 1) how consumers perceive safety, risk taking and risk management? 2) how electronic environment can serve as a media to diffuse risk information and risk management tool kits?3) what are the key factors attracting consumers to use electronic risk manager? The literature concerning consumers� risks and risk management is quite limited and research of consumers� risk scope and risk dimensions is scarce. The theoretical background of the paper relies on risk classifications and consumer perceived risk factors. The paper contributes theoretically by introducing widened framework of consumers� experienced risk classification. For practitioners this study offers new information how consumers perceive risks and what kind of attitudes they have towards various risks in their own life. It also reveals that systematic risk management among consumers is rather unfamiliar and random phenomenon. It provides useful tips how safety and risk management issues should be presented in order to gain consumers� acceptance. Thus, empirical findings contribute in the under-researched area of consumers� risks. On the basis of qualitative and quantitative studies the suggestions for developing eRisk Manager, i.e. tool kit for consumers to avoid and manage risks, are provided. eRisk Manager should be easy to use, allow access 24 hours a day, guide consumers to identify risks and provide preventive information of various hazards. Also, it should utilize both customer, insurance and claims registers, in order to be able to affect customer behaviour with suggestions and personal guidance to avoid most probable risks. Moreover, it should offer customer added value. In this in-time interactive customer service would of great importance.

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