The most in-demand product since the arrival of COVID-19, even before the start of the state of emergency, users were buying medicines or protective supplies as preventive measures. We used Quantico's social media listening to find out how these changes impacted the pharmaceutical industry's digital conversations in the context of its digital transformation.
What will we see today?
Pharmaceutical industry before the arrival of COVID-19
The new consumer after the pandemic
Overview:
Mentions, Sentiment, Platforms and Fans
Mention milestones
Topics of mentions
Districts and regions with mexico whatsapp number most needs and requests
Posts with the most positive comments
Actions and measures in the industry: timeline and impact
Conclusions and Suggestions
Pharmaceutical industry before the arrival of COVID-19
Let's see how the sector was before the arrival of the pandemic:
The sector generated an average of $400 million annually.
The distribution chain is made up as follows: pharmacies, national and transnational laboratories that produce medicines and pharmaceutical distributors.
Some pharmacy chains already had experience in e-commerce through their websites and even apps. In fact, 5% of sales of a well-known pharmacy are made through its digital channels.
Some laboratories were already investing in digital advertising and even influencers to promote their products.
Digitalisation has also reached pharmaceutical laboratories and distributors, some brands already have applications or online systems to check product availability or place orders between these actors.
Finally, the arrival of messaging apps like Glovo or Rappi represented opportunities for pharmacies. Two months after having formed an alliance with Rappi, a well-known pharmacy was charging the same as one of its best stores, but without incurring the costs of a physical space.
The new consumer after the pandemic
Just as the sector has undergone some changes, which we will see throughout the study, the consumer has also changed their habits with the arrival of COVID. Here are some inputs that Mercado Libre highlights in a recent study:
Between February and March, more than 1.7 million new buyers were registered on the digital platform. The online channel has definitely displaced the physical channel and the trend is expected to continue.
In just 5 days, the “health” category accounted for the largest number of sales.
More than 11,000 health care-related products are among the best-sellers.
5 out of 10 of the most searched terms were related to safety implements: 10 million searches for masks , 8.5 million searches for alcohol gel , 3.5 million searches for antibacterials and 1 million searches for thermometers .
Overview:
Mentions, Sentiment, Platforms and Fans
As in other industries, an increase in mentions was also observed in conversations about pharmacies, however, it happened since the beginning of 2020: users began to inquire about stock and prices of masks and alcohol gel. When comparing the first and second two months, there was a growth of 230%.
While for the month of May (first 15 days), it was observed that mentions began to decrease, however, it is key to stay alert day by day to see how the line of evolution moves.