E-commerce and the Health Care Market – The Marketing Highlights Podcast (Episode 11)

E-commerce is changing how consumers shop online for prescription drugs and healthcare equipment and supplies — and what they expect in the way of a superior user experience from web merchants.

Hello fellow marketers and welcome to the Marketing Highlights Podcast, Episode #11, “E-commerce and the Health Care Market.”

According to a Digital Commerce 360 article, consumers shift more healthcare shopping online.

Citing analysis in the newly published Healthcare E-Commerce Report, the nearly $4 trillion U.S. healthcare system is set to get even bigger and already costing consumers a lot more out-of-pocket to pay for doctor visits, hospital stays, prescription drugs and a wide range of other related healthcare products and services.

But even as consumers pay more for healthcare, they also are shifting more of their shopping and spending online. In 2017, the 200 largest online retailers of prescription drugs and healthcare supplies and equipment Internet Health Management ranked in its latest Healthcare E-Commerce Report collectively generated online sales of $11.47 billion, up 16.2% from combined web sales of $9.87 billion in 2016.

That growth rate is 8.1 times faster than total retail sales of prescription drugs, healthcare equipment and supplies, and related products, which in 2017 grew about 2% to $610.3 billion from $598.33 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The growth in healthcare e-commerce sales also is right in line with the 16% increase in all U.S. e-commerce sales to $453.5 billion in 2017 from $391.0 billion in 2016.

Digital technology also is changing how consumers shop online for prescription drugs and healthcare equipment and supplies — and what they expect in the way of a superior user experience from web merchants.

* The report is available online for $299.

To learn more on this story, including links and resources, visit jimperson.com/11.

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