Transformative consumer health HCP go-to-market model shifts the paradigm for over-the-counter product launches

Omnichannel marketing in the pharmaceutical industry has largely focused on targeting healthcare providers (HCPs) to drive prescriptions. Although the consumer health market does not require a prescription, patients purchasing over-the-counter products are often motivated by interactions with HCPs. Omnichannel strategies provide the perfect opportunity to inform HCPs and drive patient recommendations.

Given that HCPs are an essential part of the customer journey in the consumer health industry, it is essential to optimize HCP interactions in an efficient, cost-effective way. Creating data-driven omnichannel strategies that are specifically designed to drive HCP recommendations for consumer health products can be a powerful tool in maximizing a product’s go-to-market strategy.

HCPs are actively looking for a more hybrid sales model

Over the last decade, HCPs have been changing their preferences for how they interact with a sales force. The Digitally-Savvy HCP Survey 2022 revealed that 54% of HCPs are now refusing to engage with reps in their office, and those that do engage with reps in-person spend on average only 62 seconds per interaction¹. 75% of HCPs want to increase their digital interactions².

Given that consumer health marketing budgets are split between consumers and HCPs, changes in the behaviors of HCPs will require a new model for engaging with HCPs to make the most of a limited HCP engagement budget.

Patient Behavior Models

Understanding patient behavior is crucial in the consumer health industry as it helps companies tailor their products and services to meet the specific needs and preferences of different patient groups. By analyzing patterns in patient behavior, companies can enhance patient engagement, improve adherence to treatments, and ultimately achieve better health outcomes.

Patient behavior in the consumer health industry is rapidly changing

In this post-Covid era, consumers are also increasingly taking a more active role in their own healthcare. Patients are using more technology to monitor their health and engage with their doctors, and they are more engaged in making choices about their own care.

Although consumers are increasingly proactive, they still maintain close relationships with their HCPs and value their input. This confluence of actively engaged consumers who rely heavily on HCP’s interactions to inform their healthcare choices has created a unique opportunity for the consumer health industry, which is currently valued at over 300 billion worldwide and is projected to be over 600 billion by 2028.

The consumer health market stands to benefit from untapped HCP omnichannel opportunities

Omnichannel activation is a proven method and incredible opportunity for optimizing investments and maximizing ROI. As a global, technology-first solutions provider, Indegene has a proven track record of activating highly effective omnichannel strategies using our proprietary IP for pharmaceutical companies of all sizes. Knowing, however, that both pharma and consumer health industries are rapidly changing, and empowered consumers regularly seek out advice and recommendations from HCPs, we realized that the consumer health industry could benefit from specialized HCP consumer health models to capitalize on omnichannel activation strategies.

In response to this need, we have developed two models to leverage the power of omnichannel strategies specifically for consumer health.

Our first model, the advocate model, is designed to better understand the role that HCP recommendations have in driving product sales. The advocate model tracks the share of HCP recommendations by measuring the increase of purchases in a cluster determined by an HCP’s zip code.

Our second consumer health HCP model is the impact model. This model seeks to capture the impact of HCP recommendations based on the demand for samples which could be linked to increased sampling requests for targeted HCPs. This model provides data at the individual prescriber level.

While omnichannel strategies have great potential to drive revenue, having models that clearly highlight the unique characteristics of the consumer health HCP model are key. Activating these consumer health models will make it possible to design and deploy omnichannel strategies and measure the impact of HCP recommendations. As field force budgets in the consumer health market continue to navigate cuts and in-person interactions with reps are increasingly reduced, it is important to foster the conversation around the role of HCPs in consumer health.

As we move into the future, it will be important to continue to observe the ways that consumer behaviors are changing and what role HCP recommendations play in consumer health. With these actionable models, however, we can now create omnichannel strategies that are specifically designed to target HCPs during consumer health product launches and beyond.

Explore how Indegene enabled a leading consumer brand to expand covered HCP base for prescriptions.