Consumers have been buying more every-day products via e-commerce sites for years – and the pandemic accelerated that trend. IQVIA Consumer Health’s e-Pharmacy data shows that around a fifth of consumer health sales in the US, Germany, and China now goes through e-pharmacies and other e-commerce channels.

This doesn’t mean brick-and-mortar buying will end. But to support consumers and improve their health outcomes, marketing teams need to bring together the physical products and the multiple combinations of digital touchpoints consumers hit on the path to purchase.

Understanding these digital buying channels in the shopper journey offers new opportunities to get ahead of the competition by leveraging technology and communication trends to delight and engage shoppers. But the rapid pace of change and variety of available technologies make prioritization and resource allocation challenging. Marketers can no longer rely on past brand strategies to inform future go-to market decisions.

They need fresh data to help them test ideas, and quickly pivot to the campaigns and messages that resonate.

Parallel evolution across physical and digital

On the physical side, brands need to evolve their in-store messaging and product designs to align with emerging health and wellness trends - including gut health, immune health, and mental health - using evidence-based claims, line extensions or new products under existing brands names. Such messaging – driven by real-world and/or clinical evidence - can be especially beneficial for prescription-to- over-the-counter switches (Rx to OTC) where clear messaging around product benefits and safe use are crucial to not only marketing products to consumers, but also in driving recommendation from HCPs and gaining regulatory approvals.

At the same time, these messages must also be conveyed in the digital world using channels, technology, and influencer strategies that align with the e-commerce shopping experience. In these digital environments, brands can’t just post banner ads and expect consumers to engage. Across multiple touchpoints, consumers expect more sophisticated interactions with brands, and they are open to new types of digital engagement.

IQVIA Consumer Health’s Under the Skin dermocosmetics survey found consumers are comfortable taking advice from online sources, including reviewers, social media influencers and smart AI Bots. Brand owners can leverage these trends to provide compelling product interactions that delight and inform customers. In one example, the survey found 53% of US consumers and 65% of consumers in China had purchased a dermocosmetic product after seeing a social media influencer use and recommend it (see Exhibit 1).

Exhibit 1 - Percentage of Respondents Across 10 Markets that Purchased a Dermocosmetic Product After Seeing a Social Media Influencer Use and Recommend It (Source – IQVIA Consumer Health – Under the Skin – Dermocosmetics 2022 Consumer Survey)

Tracking these consumer journeys and understanding the crucial differences between how people buy different types of consumer health products – for example how do people in Germany and Brazil buy pain products online (see Exhibit 2) – can give your team a key advantage in the battle for online attention.

Exhibit 2 – Differences in how shoppers in Germany and Brazil browse the pain category online (Source: IQVIA Consumer Health Consumer Shopper Journey)

Shoppers are also interested in new value propositions with evidence that aligns with their personal needs. Brands that can communicate these messages can transform their market appeal. GSK’s Sensodyne brand, for example, has consistently innovated around its core message of ‘sensitivity’. The brand team’s laser focus on sensitivity as a value add, supported with a constant stream of science-backed innovation, has seen the brand go from a niche pharmacy-only product to a mass-market staple with sales increasing ten-fold.

Communicating these kinds of value propositions in a multi-channel world can be complicated. But when brand owners leverage data and consumers insights as part of their market strategy, they can adapt to the fickle needs of today’s consumers.

Fail fast and adapt in consumer health

To optimize a marketing strategy in this environment, marketing teams can benefit from data that updates them on the impact of their market strategy, and how it varies across channels, geographies, and customers. These real-time insights can help them to understand whether they have the appropriate balance of investments across different media channels, what returns they are capturing on these investments, and where they can do better.

Such data-driven agility can be especially helpful in understanding how consumers learn about and shop for their products, and when they opt for e-commerce versus in person purchases. For many consumer groups this is still an evolving process, and they have yet to develop loyalty to a single channel. Understanding that journey can help brand owners create compelling messages for every touchpoint that shepherd buyers to the final sale.

In an environment where novel communication strategies can deliver some of the biggest results, brand teams can’t afford to rely on outdated methods. They need to be able to pilot new projects, and quickly determine which ones deliver the biggest impact. IQVIA Consumer Health’s data can help them make that happen.

IQVIA Consumer Health provides real time insights to help brand owners optimize their market strategy and adapt to evolving trends as the data flows in. These insights help decision makers maintain a neutral perspective on their brand performance, and to validate which changes are required to generate better sales.

To stay competitive in this evolving sales environment, brand owners must be willing to try new ideas, and to quickly adapt based on how consumers respond. Having data to inform those decisions can help companies make the best choices for their brands while meeting the demands of customers who expect their needs to be catered to.

To learn more about the latest Consumer Health market trends check out our June 15, 2022 Webinar The Consumer Health Brand Strategy Evolution.