From gateway to value ladder—The curious case of online mutual aid in China

This study examines how InsurTech‐enabled information provision, specifically the disclosure of claimant information previously unavailable in conventional insurance, influences individuals' insurance uptake. We leverage Mutual Aid (MA) platforms as a natural context to examine how socially framed loss information, peer influence, and salience shape insurance decisions, offering broader insights into the role of InsurTech within traditional insurance markets. Using unique user‐level data from a leading MA platform in China and a dynamic discrete choice framework, we show that engagement with MA activities significantly increases the likelihood of subsequent private insurance uptake. Our counterfactual simulations highlight the critical role of strategically structured information in promoting insurance adoption. Overall, the study demonstrates how a digitally mediated and publicly observable risk‐sharing environment can shape consumer behavior and provides new perspectives on the evolving intersection between InsurTech and traditional insurance markets.