The Influence Of E-commerce In The Healthcare Industry

1. The Influence Of E The Influence Of E- -commerce In The Healthcare Industry Healthcare Industry commerce In The The fast growing pace of the internet is changing the face of business today. Nowadays, e-commerce has become the new normal. Be it products, or the services, people are more and more inclined towards the online purchase. The dependence on e-commerce is growing everyday and the healthcare sector is not untouched by it. It’s a contribution to the economy through e-commerce is commendable. The tremendous growth of the healthcare sector due to its collaboration with the e-commerce industry is clearly evident. This effect of e- commerce on the health sector can be easily analyzed through this article. Online Purchase Nowadays, the purchase of medical supply is totally a different scenario than ever and e-commerce is the tool behind this revolution. No hassle of going to physical stores for that essential stock of your medicines, e-commerce has made this process convenient by allowing you to buy online medical products. You have the facility to get your order delivered at your doorstep, according to your convenient timings. Different brands plan their business models such as to attract more customers. You can access these online pharmacies and avail the fascinating benefits provided by them, which include door-to-door delivery, online chat and call facility with certified doctors, etc. The capsule is a brand that allows doctors to order products directly. The online business model fascinates the investors as this pitch of healthcare is a promising sector of the economy. This is evident by the fact that the Capsule was able to raise $20 million in this sector from its investors in the year 2017 alone. This was done despite the fact that other competitors of the company like Pill Pack, Script Assist and DivvyDOSE, etc were already ruling the market. The promising growth of this sector can be inferred from Amazon's deal to take over Pill Pack in 2018 for only $1 billion. Vesalius Health

2. Care Telemedicine is a revolutionary form of healthcare e-commerce business model where you can contact the doctors via text or call to seek advice; ultimately breaking barriers of time and travel in availing health services. The pioneers in this field are the apps like Practo and First Opinion, along with websites like Doctor2U, YourDoctors.Online etc. They help you determine whether you essentially need a physical examination by a doctor or not. Enhancing the Patient’s Experience The collaboration of online pharmacies with telemedicine has enhanced the experience of patients as one can contact a doctor and tell the existing symptoms and the doctors can prescribe tests or medication as required and patients can get their medical supply delivered at their doorsteps. Several platforms like Walgreens and NowRX deliver prescriptions that can be swiftly ordered online. What can be more comfortable than getting your healthcare services delivered to your home without any hassle? Online involvement Now, the internet is not an alien thing for even the remote areas, and with the increasing involvement of people in purchasing online medical products, the healthcare e-commerce sites focus more on the quality of their online presence. One of the online medical providers signalled that more than 50% of their customers are referred by either the offline medical staff or their primary health providers, and additionally around 20% of them are referred by friends or family. As a part of habit and due to awareness, people crosscheck about the recommended health websites even if a close family member has referred it to them. This is just like rechecking whether a restaurant recommended by someone actually offers the food as per your taste or a book referred by your best friend suits your liking. This makes online healthcare providers maintain their standards in order to preserve their reputation if they want loyal customers. Vesalius Health

3. There are websites like Yelp which take this burden from doctors with a good reputation, by allowing the customers to get an idea of the physician’s “bedside manner” and the kind of service and care offered. Patients can review the kind of healthcare services provided if they are satisfied in order to enhance the positive experiences. This service can prove to be a boon for doctors who believe in maintaining a positive reputation and they must essentially consider the importance of such services and work in this direction. Accessibility In order to make healthcare grow online, it must be designed to make it accessible to more possible patients. These web portals must be strategically designed to make them readily available on mobile devices to make possible more people connected to them. Data regarding the use of the internet shows that 52% of the world’s web traffic in 2018 consisted of mobile device users who accessed the internet on tablets and mobile phones. However, this aspect of web designing is often treated as unimportant. Accessibility of websites is often questioned of their use on mobiles as around 84% of users report difficulty in using these websites on mobile. Statistically, 40% of consumers would try an alternative website when they face accessibility issues on one site. This shows that the accessibility of healthcare websites on mobile devices must be an essential consideration while designing them as this can be a deciding factor in the number of customers approaching a certain site for availing services and in turn affecting the growth of any particular website. The website must also be appealing to the customers and this can be done if the care is taken that the content loading is quick, navigation is easy, etc. Streamlined Shopping Experience The e-commerce healthcare websites offer great opportunity for doctors and hospitals to ease their purchase of medical equipment and supplies. With the increasing popularity of online shopping culture, the manufacturers of medical devices are diverting their focus to online business for direct delivery of their products. Vesalius Health

4. However, the online business is challenging for the healthcare providers as they have to ensure that the suppliers aren’t providing faulty products to customers, the products and services must follow medical regulations and also delivery of services on time. This in turn, ensures better quality services to customers. Medical Expo is a fine example in this regard. It is an exhibition of medical products, conducted online, which makes buyers and suppliers to directly contact each other. E-commerce is expanding its wings in the medical sector and healthcare providers must recognize its power in order to make their business successful. This technological advancement comes with the caution, “handle with care”, as any fault may risk the lives of people, although it is a great innovation and a positive development in the healthcare sector. This content was published at: https://www.pr4-articles.com/Articles-of- 2020/influence-e-commerce-healthcare-industry Vesalius Health