There's a great article in The Economist (link below) about conscious decoupling, which is the subject of a recent book by Thales Teixeira of Harvard Business School. 

In (my own!) simplified terms, the idea is that, by removing steps in the process required to consume a product or service, companies can drive up usage. A classic example is how Uber removes the need to hunt for a cab.

The significance of all this for financial services is that surely there's a big, largely untested opportunity to decouple the process of researching and buying financial products, which consumers tend not to like, from consumption. 

For example, when flat-sharers advertise or find a place on a website, why can't insurance for their high-value or special possessions be included in the booking process? Today few renters go to the trouble of finding a renters policy, so many have no cover at all. Or, in the process of taking out a mortgage, why can't buying life cover be included. 

I accept that customers should shop around to get a good deal, but provided the deal is in line with the market, which could be achieved if the so-called decoupling is impartial, then surely some cover is better than no cover.