Ecommerce insurance - Protect your business today

Online business insurance is important because it helps protect your business from potential financial losses due to risks such as cyber-attacks, data breaches, product liability claims, business interruption, and more. It provides peace of mind and financial protection for your online business.

E-commerce insurance typically covers a range of risks, including but not limited to:

• Product liability:  Cover for legal and compensation costs for third party property damage and/or bodily injury from products you have sold.
• Public liability: Cover for legal and compensation costs for third party property damage and/or bodily injury attained whilst you are carrying out your business activities.
• Business interruption: Compensation for lost income and increased costs of working due to unexpected events.
• Employers liability: Cover for employee-related risks and injuries.
• Business equipment: Protection for essential equipment and technology used in your e-commerce operations.
• Stock cover: Protection against damage to business stock in your possession.

Any business that has employees, whether full-time, part-time, or temporary, is required to have employers' liability insurance. It provides coverage for claims made by employees who suffer injury or illness as a result of their work.

In the UK, it is a legal requirement and mandated by the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969.

While self-employed individuals without employees do not need this insurance, those who hire subcontractors or have staff must obtain it.

If a business has volunteers or family members helping out without formal employment, they may not be covered under the employers liability insurance, but it could be wise to consider coverage for them as well.

E-commerce insurance is beneficial for various individuals and businesses involved in online selling. For example, if you operate an online store or sell products through an e-commerce platform, ecommerce insurance can help protect your business from risks such as product liability claims, cyber-attacks, data breaches, business interruption, and more.

Drop shipping businesses that rely on third-party suppliers to fulfil orders can benefit from e-commerce insurance. As you are part of the supply chain adequate coverage is required to protect against issues such as product defects, shipping errors, or supplier/manufacturer-related liabilities.

If you own or operate a fulfilment centre that handles inventory storage, packaging, and shipping for e-commerce businesses, having ecommerce insurance can help protect against risks such as theft, damage to goods, or errors in fulfilment.

Online marketplaces that connect buyers and sellers, such as Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Wayfair or Etsy, may require sellers to have ecommerce insurance as part of their seller requirements. This helps protect the marketplace and its customers from potential liabilities.

Yes, even small online businesses can benefit from having ecommerce insurance. While the specific coverage needs may vary depending on the size and nature of your business, having insurance can help protect your assets, reputation, and financial stability in case of unforeseen events or legal claims.

If you run an online retail business and are involved in shipping products to customers, goods in transit insurance can be a useful add on to your policy. This is particularly important if you are arranging shipping internationally, as the risk of loss, damage, or theft may be higher.

Yes, it is generally recommended to have business insurance when selling items on a third-party platform. While the platform itself may provide some level of protection, it is important to understand that their coverage may be limited and may not fully protect your business in case of certain risks or liabilities to the full amount pursued by the claim source.

Online retailer insurance, such as product liability insurance, can provide coverage for faulty goods sold by your online business. Product liability insurance is designed to protect businesses from claims arising from injuries or property damage caused by products they sell.

If a customer purchases a faulty product from your online store and experiences harm or damage as a result, they may file a claim against your business. Product liability insurance can help cover the costs associated with defending against such claims, including legal fees, settlements, or judgments.

Product liability will not cover the costs if you have knowingly supplied a faulty product, nor will it cover the recall or replacement costs of supplied products. Product liability insurance does not typically provide cover for products that fail to perform the intended function (efficacy).

However, it's important to note that the specific coverage and terms of your insurance policy may vary. Some policies may have exclusions or limitations on certain types of faulty goods or may require adherence to specific quality control measures. It's crucial to review your policy carefully and consult with your insurance provider to understand the extent of coverage for faulty goods.

In most cases, standard home insurance policies do not provide insurance cover for business-related activities, including running an online business from home. Home insurance policies are typically designed to cover personal property and liabilities associated with residential use.

If you run an online business from your home, it is important to review your home insurance policy and understand its limitations and exclusions regarding business activities. 

Yes, changing your business structure from a sole trader to a limited company can have an impact on your insurance policy. Please discuss any changes with your insurance broker.

Your Sum Insured will normally be the gross amount covered under a particular section of cover such as Contents. Where the cover is Liability, you will find the Sum Insured is replaced with an Indemnity Limit. The indemnity limit is the maximum amount you can claim under the insurance during the annual period of cover. It is important to understand that Insurers will cover you either for Any Claims Made or on Aggregate. Any Claims Made will mean that you are insured up to the indemnity limit and you can make as many claims as long as they do not exceed that limit. Aggregate on the other hand is where this limit is reduced each time a claim is made.

For example you if you hold £1,000,000 cover and have it on Any Claims Made basis, you can claim as many times as you need as long as the claim does not exceed £1,000,000. If you were to have it on an Aggregate basis and were to make a  £750,000 claim, you would only have £250,000 cover left.

Should you wish to discuss this in more detail or to check if any of the above applies to your policy, please contact us on 0333 3056 225.

To access your documents, simply log into your Account, click on "Your Policies" and then select the "View" button  on the policy. From here you can download the document if needed.

Please note that under your account, there is a button titled "Documents". This button is for uploading documents and not for accessing your policy documents.

Log-in to portal

The portal enables us to be more environmentally friendly as we reduce the amount of printed policies and adopt a digital approach. 

Yes. All new policies sold online and renewals can be paid for by Debit and Credit Card. Some policies have an option to pay by finance which is offered via Close Brothers Premium Finance. 

Whilst not offered online, some Insurers may also offer a direct debit. Please contact us if you wish to learn of different methods of payment and whether Direct Debit is offered or if you wish to pay via finance.

We make individual client administration charges per policy (up to a maximum of 3 policies, per policy period) to cover the costs associated with administering your insurances e.g. arranging a new policy, carrying out short-period or mid-term cancellations, mid-term changes, providing replacement or duplicate documents and for other administrative tasks. We will advise you of the amount of fee before you become liable to pay it. Individual charges will not be made in relation to employee benefit related products.

Yes. You can manage your policy renewal online. We will inform you by email within 28 days before your renewal date and upload all your renewal documentation onto the portal for you to review.

If you have not heard from us prior to the renewal, please check your documentation carefully in case there has been a change to your circumstances to prevent accidental underinsurance or a gap in cover.  

You can also make payment online for your renewal by card and where applicable by Premium Finance or Direct Debit. If you had paid your previous years policy by Direct Debit, please contact us as it is not uncommon for renewals on Direct Debits to renew automatically.

Please don't assume your policy has been renewed until you have received confirmation from us. 

If you are concerned about your policy, please call us prior to the date of renewal and one of our Team will be happy assist you.

Unfortunately you can not make changes online. If you need to make any changes to your policy please contact us on 0333 3056 225.

Any cancellation will also need to be handled offline. Please note that all policies are contracts and there may be stipulations that could affect any refund amount due. Such examples include:

• Any claims made within the period of insurance (excluding claims made in previous years unless made under Professional Indemnity or claims that have been settled as non fault or where the claim has been settled with no payment being made).
• The Insurers terms and conditions stated within the Policy Wording states that any cancellation in cover are non refundable.
• Some Insurers may place a condition that if a refund is below a set amount, there will be no refund due to processing fees.

Should you wish to discuss this in more detail or to check if any of the above applies to your policy, please contact us and one of our Team will advise you accordingly.

The knowledge that experienced claims professionals will support you is just as important as the policy cover.

Our dedicated in-house claims team will be by your side, fighting your corner from start to finish. We promise to be there when it matters most.

Make a claim

Alternatively you can call us on 0330 818 7677, and speak to our team of experts who will be on hand to provide the best solution and guide you through the next steps.

Should you have any further enquiries, call an one of our dedicated team experts now on 0333 3056 225.