The pandemic transformed the healthcare industry in many ways, including how patients can receive care. In a world of lockdowns and quarantines, telehealth received a trial by fire.
Now that we’re entering tough economic times, health systems are diversifying their services to unlock growth and support hospital operations. According to a survey by McKinsey, telehealth and remote patient monitoring is the opportunity with the highest area of focus for health systems, with 56% of respondents ranking it among their top five choices.
But they’re not the only ones breaking into the digital health space. Retail giant, Amazon, has been trying to enter the world of healthcare since 2018—and they recently announced the launch of Amazon Clinic, a virtual health service that delivers convenient, affordable care for common conditions.
The question is would Amazon shoppers buy into Amazon Clinic for primary care services? If so, who are they, and what do they care about?
Who are the Amazon shoppers that would use telehealth for primary care services?
Resonate models identified 11.2 million recent Amazon shoppers (who made a purchase 3-6 months ago) that would currently consider telehealth for primary care services. According to the website, Amazon Clinic offers care for various conditions, including seasonal allergies (42% of this segment suffers from allergies) and heartburn (nearly 1 in 10 of this segment suffers from heartburn).
At the time of writing this article, Wave 33 of our Recent Events Consumer Flash Study was just published. Resonate data showed that consumers’ financial outlook was on the decline due to inflation, with over 37% stating they were worse off financially. Prescription prices will matter.
Our health and wellness data also revealed their cost-related perspectives towards telehealth services and found that when compared to the average US Consumer:
- They are 80% more likely to believe telehealth reduces out-of-pocket costs
- 27% specifically ask for generic and/or lower-cost options to treat health concerns
- Less than 10% did not refill a prescription due to the cost
Notably, most of this audience best identifies with the Boomer (27%) and Gen X (32%) generations. Nearly half of the audience is employed full-time, making telehealth a convenient option.
(Source: Resonate Ignite Platform, November 2022)
Perspectives on Consumer Privacy Online
We also found that they are nearly 20% less likely to think telehealth is not private or secure. As a segment that supports protecting online consumer privacy as much as the next American consumer, it’s important to note that 10% of telehealth-inclined Amazon shoppers are willing to sacrifice some level of privacy for personalization—valuable information as we head into a privacy-focused 2023.
(Source: Resonate Ignite Platform, November 2022)
Who are the Amazon shoppers already using Amazon for prescriptions?
In November 2020, when many states still had strict COVID measures, Amazon launched its online and mobile prescription medication ordering and fulfillment service, Amazon Pharmacy. The service is now one of the convenient ways consumers can fulfill their prescriptions through Amazon Clinic.
Resonate’s AI-powered consumer intelligence identified 9.3 million consumers who made at least one purchase at Amazon Pharmacy in the past 3 months. According to our data, 22% say they struggle to pay for prescription medications. Access to upfront pricing and low-cost medication options are increasingly valuable to this segment in our current economy. Both are available through Amazon Pharmacy (the website mentions meds are as low as $1/month).
While only 13% state they do not have access to health insurance, 1 in 4 has a healthcare FSA account they can use to pay for prescriptions.
(Source: Resonate Ignite Platform, November 2022)
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63% of this segment also has a paid subscription to Amazon Prime, which saves them even more money—and helps Amazon become even more sticky with this audience.
What do telehealth providers need to compete with the likes of Amazon?
It’s no secret that Amazon knows its customer base. The retail giant has a long track record of successful personalization strategies. Telehealth providers looking to compete with a Goliath-like retailer in the health and wellness space will need data beyond their walled gardens to truly understand who consumers are as humans. They need to know the people behind the health conditions, what they value, and their motivations, behavior, and intent.
That’s why we developed Resonate Health, a solution for best-in-class, privacy, and HIPAA-compliant healthcare data that powers segmentation and targeting. Resonate uses AI to power the Resonate Health Elements data set to learn about the humans behind the health conditions, all using data that is developed in a privacy-safe, HIPAA-compliant manner. Our data dives into insights that traditional surveys can’t touch. From diabetes to mental wellness, we provide privacy-safe data that helps healthcare marketers understand the intent and sentiment informing patients’ healthcare decision-making. These are available within the Resonate Ignite Platform.
Contact us today to discover a best-in-class, privacy-compliant understanding to upgrade your consumer insights, segmentation, and targeting needs.
