Written by Emma Brownell and originally published on imediaconnection.com on April 11, 2005.
Online pharmacies are experiencing an increase in site traffic. comScore Networks has released a study indicating that affordability, convenience and selection are major factors in the ever-increasing popularity of online pharmacies.
comScore’s study shows that between Q3 and Q4 2004 the number of Americans who visited online pharmacy websites increased 14 percent, to 17.4 million.
Price incentives for online shopping are great. Sixty-six percent of those who took an online survey reported internet pharmacies as “providing healthy competition” to regular pharmacies; 45 percent of respondents said they visited online pharmacies to research prices; and 64 percent of those who made online purchases did so primarily because they were cheaper than in stores.
Another major incentive to shop online is time. Fifty-seven percent of online shoppers saw saving time as a reason to purchase pharmaceuticals online.
Despite the popularity of online pharmacies, the legitimacy of online drugs is a concern. Fifty-four percent of respondents to the online survey were “very concerned about the safety of drugs available online.”
But even so, many respondents to the survey felt that restrictions on certain drugs should be eased. Fifty percent of those surveyed did not agree with the statement that “The FDA should regulate all drugs that are consumed in the United States.”
Bridget O’Toole, senior vice president, comScore Networks, notes, “62 percent of respondents feel some prescription drugs that have been proven effective should be available to the public despite possible secondary effects — even in light of the recent controversy surrounding COX-II drugs.”
Sixty-three percent of online pharmacy visits in Q4 2004 were to sites that don’t require a prescription to buy pharmaceuticals. These non-traditional websites saw a 36 percent gain in visits between Q3 and Q4 2004, more than double the 14 percent industry average.
So while safety is a concern for those visiting online pharmacies, the offer of greater choice and less restriction on purchases is also an incentive to shop online.
What are the implications of these findings for online pharmaceutical marketing?
While online shoppers favor online pharmacies for their prices, accessibility and selection, convincing shoppers that their purchase is safe, and worth repeating, is the major task of marketers.
One online Canadian pharmacy, DoctorSolve.com, partnered with a web development and marketing company in northeast Ohio to deliver regularly released news articles, optimizing hits as well as credibility with the online market.
Melanie Broemsen, an SEO and public relations specialist in Canton, Ohio, says, “The biggest challenge for DoctorSolve was convincing consumers that purchasing prescription medications from their pharmacy was safe because the U.S. government, via the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), was disseminating a contrary message to the general public. We felt that when presented with objective information about the safety of these drugs, U.S. consumers would realize that not only were the drugs safe, but that DoctorSolve offered a valuable service to Americans that otherwise could not afford necessary, life-sustaining medication.”