CHICAGO, Aug. 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Auto insurance shopping in Q2 2025 increased 18% compared to the same period in 2024. Home insurance shopping was up 9% year over year, according to TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) research.

Looking at the first half of 2025, the year-over-year increase in auto insurance shopping activity appeared to achieve a near-term peak in March, which sustained until May. These findings and more are included in TransUnion’s latest quarterly Insurance Personal Lines Trends and Perspectives Report.

“It’s possible that we’ll see the growth in auto insurance shopping continue to decline as many consumers have already secured lower premiums,” said Patrick Foy, senior director of strategic planning for TransUnion’s insurance business. “However, property insurance premiums continue to rise, so consumers will likely shop for less expensive alternatives. That may also prompt many to shop for auto insurance because for many customers, bundled policies remain key to overall savings.”

TransUnion’s latest consumer survey revealed 42% of auto insurance shoppers switched insurers in the past year and a half. A quarter of those who switched in the past six months indicated they had stayed with their previous insurers for more than six years. Gen Xers and Baby Boomers represented the largest share of this loyal yet increasingly mobile segment.

The report urges insurance carriers to rethink retention strategies and employ data-driven, personalized approaches to help anticipate life events — such as moving, marriage or shopping for a new car — that naturally create opportunities for engagement. In addition, knowing when a customer obtains a competitor insurance quote or if they’re shopping for an auto loan or mortgage loan, can also help carriers create and deliver meaningful customer interactions.

Clean data and sophisticated targeting
The report found carriers recognize the need for more engagement, with a 23% year-over-year increase in marketing spend across multiple channels, and an emphasis on direct mail. Branding campaigns are increasingly focused on deepening customer relationships by highlighting specialty lines — such as motorcycle, pet insurance, identity theft protection and recreational vehicles — to differentiate their value.

Ensuring these campaigns effectively and efficiently reach their target audience is a key to maximizing returns. This begins with clean data, as illustrated by a recent TransUnion marketing client analysis.

The study worked with just two consumer characteristics (phone number and email) for 2.4 million individuals. After cleaning the data, the carrier realized an estimated $1 million per year in reduced direct mail costs and nearly $5 million in additional revenue.

In addition, a recent TransUnion study found marketing performance widens significantly when audiences are defined with multiple characteristics. For example, using just two characteristics
increased return on ad spend by up to 3.6x compared to less refined targeting. However, as audience segmentation becomes more precise, the potential for both risk and reward increases.

“Marketing campaigns require a solid foundation of clean data to be effective,” said Foy. “With that, marketers can then unlock tremendous value with sophisticated audience targeting that presents consumers with the exact right insurance products for their current life stage.”

Read the full Insurance Personal Lines Trends and Perspectives Report here.

Click here to learn more about TransUnion’s marketing solutions that help with identity resolution, audience building and measurement.

About TransUnion’s Insurance Personal Lines Trends and Perspectives Report
This quarterly publication examines trends in the personal lines insurance industry, including shopping, migration, violation, credit-based insurance stability and more. The Trends and Perspectives Report research is based almost entirely on TransUnion’s extensive internal data and analyses. It includes information on insurance shopping transactions from January 2024 to June 2025. However, the report excludes shopping data from insurance customers in California, Hawaii (auto), Massachusetts (auto), and Maryland (property), where credit-based insurance scoring information is not used for insurance rating or underwriting.

About TransUnion (NYSE: TRU)
TransUnion is a global information and insights company with over 13,000 associates operating in more than 30 countries. We make trust possible by ensuring each person is reliably represented in the marketplace. We do this with a Tru™ picture of each person: an actionable view of consumers, stewarded with care. Through our acquisitions and technology investments we have developed innovative solutions that extend beyond our strong foundation in core credit into areas such as marketing, fraud, risk and advanced analytics. As a result, consumers and businesses can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good^® — and it leads to economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for millions of people around the world. http://www.transunion.com/business