It is indicated by the III Estudio Patient Digital Touchpoints from 2023 A study by Elogia, a digital agency specializing in “Full Digital Commerce” with more than 20 years of experience: Consumers spend an average of 64 euros per month on online purchases of medicines in the health sector.
Mercado Consumer Health
Currently the market is Consumer Health in Spain, which accounts for about 30% of the pharmaceutical industry’s business, includes OTC, nutritional (NUT), patient care (PAC) and personal care (PEC) products and represents the physical pharmacy as the main sales channel. buys. Although the pharmacy has gained traction as a purchasing facility, respondents indicate that it is largely hybrid, combining both online and offline channels for purchasing, with the exception of the OTC category where the coexistence of both channels is lower (53%). more exclusive to the offline channel. In the online channel, however, the purchase of dermocosmetics stands out (27%). Anna Serrano Director of Elogia Pharma, States that “Understanding the patient journey when purchasing pharmaceutical products not only impacts patient satisfaction itself, but also facilitates strategic decision-making for pharmaceutical laboratories while helping them adapt to this environment. The ever-changing world we live in.”
Why online?
The existence of online shopping platforms in the healthcare sector also brings advantages that patients value when purchasing products. In fact, prices (43%), practicality (36%) and speed (31%) are the top reasons for buying online. However, the trust (17%) and customer service (14%) that shopping websites can offer are no longer as relevant for respondents. Thanks to the multiple benefits that users find on online shopping sites, the frequency of purchases per month is 2 times higher and the spending averages €64, especially in the dermocosmetics (1.5 times per month) and nutrition (twice a month) categories ). The latter is the category where the ticket is the highest, with an average spend of €92. The influence and presence of social networks in pharmaceutical products is very present in new generations. In fact, it is the nutrition (27%) and dermocosmetics (24%) categories that most users research on social networks before purchasing a product from this category. Nevertheless, Instagram is the most popular social network for obtaining information in all categories, followed by Facebook and YouTube.
