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hospitals too. Companies like Groupon and SnapDeal are now offering healthcare services among other things. “Around 7 -10 per cent of our merchants are healthcare providers,” reveals Ankur Warikoo, CEO, Groupon India. “Some of the bigger brands who have associated with us are Fortis Hospitals, GenX Diagnostics, Oncquest, Vasan Eye Care, Visual Aids Center, Thyrocare, Manipal Hospital, Medinova Laboratories and more,” he adds.
further adds that e-commerce may benefit preventive service providers but again the industry does not have uniform costs of services. In addition, costs of tests or services are not exhibited online for patients to compare therefore it’s difficult to make an immediate buying decision.” Contrary to this, Madhavan says that the more complicated an ailment the
Healthcare e-commerce is very different from retail but holds much promise and is set to grow rapidly
more information is sought by the patients. If there is stigma related to a disease patients like the anonymity that the Internet provides and thus prefer online information search and consultation. “Patients who seek tertiary care may combine chat and buying activities but in wellness - all categories - people are willing to buy online,” informs Madhavan. “Groupon thought it
Customer behaviour There is a lot of scepticism among marketing managers on how patients behave online. While some experts feel that patients are not interested in buying services online others believe that it will be a better revenue generator in future. “As of today, e-commerce does not have much significant impact on the business of the hospitals,” says Shrikant Soman, CEO, Bhatia Hospital, Mumbai. “It has major impact on the areas of medical tourism. However this is only the beginning. Going forward to the next three years, we expect e-commerce to come into prominence,” he adds. Bourn Hall India’s MD and CEO, Gaurav Malhotra says, “E-commerce may work for a limited number of speciality.” “It is a short-term marketing tool to bring in footfalls but may not guarantee repeat business,” he adds. According to Malhotra only health check-ups, dental services and skin and beauty services can benefit from e-commerce. Concurring to his thoughts Katoch says, “Treatment decisions are not impulsive they are very emotional in nature and include all stakeholders, therefore patient may not be willing to buy it online.” He
THE OBJECTIVE OF E-COMMERCE IN HEALTHCARE IS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION AND GENERATE REVENUES THROUGH SALES OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES OCTOBER 2013
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