Why do people choose certain healthcare providers or wellness products?

People are not just taking healthcare as a priority but also as an obsession, so much so that they would only try certain healthcare providers and wellness products. But is it so? Do these healthcare providers and products offer something unique that others are not able to? Let us explore!

First comes trust. It is built through years of providing credible services and assistance that does not miss out on continuity and efficiency. It is probably the most important factor since consumers are generally not aware of the specific treatments, doctors or wellness products that are actually good. For a healthcare provider, trust can come from their qualifications and experience, a hospital or clinic’s reputation, in addition to patient reviews and testimonials.

But for wellness products, trust can come from becoming a recognised brand, clear ingredient information, scientific evidence or credible research behind the product, transparent manufacturing processes, and authentic customer reviews and recommendations.

The important consumer behaviour insight here is that healthcare involves a lot of uncertainty. Consumers should therefore use reputation, credentials, reviews and brand familiarity as signals of quality. In healthcare, consumers often buy trust before they buy a product or service.

Consumer Influence

People rarely make decisions about their health completely independently. Rather, they are influenced by the choices of people around them and the information available to them. They are influenced by family members, friends, pharmacists, doctors, social media creators, online reviews and even health websites. For instance, if a buyer suddenly notices a product while scrolling through their Instagram feed, they might research it thoroughly on Google, read its reviews, ask a friend about it and even consult a doctor before purchasing it. This creates a multi-stage decision-making journey.

Healthcare brands are no longer communicating only through doctors, hospitals and traditional advertising. Consumers are encountering health information through many different channels, such as celebrity endorsements. A celebrity recommending a product may create awareness, but a doctor, scientific study or detailed product information can build people’s trust, which is of foremost importance.

Health-Tech Adoption

Technology is also a main factor in how consumers interact with healthcare. People can now book doctor appointments online, consult doctors remotely, order medicines through digital platforms, and track steps, sleep and exercise through wearables. They can also monitor heart rate and other health indicators while using health and fitness apps.

But consumers simply do not adopt technology because it is “new”. They usually want some combination of convenience, reliability, ease of use and perceived benefit.

A person can use a smartwatch because it makes their fitness tracking easier, but someone else might use it simply because visiting a far-away hospital is too inconvenient. Technology is gradually becoming an important part of the consumer experience and is not just a tool used by healthcare professionals.

Wellness Motivations

People buy wellness products and services for different reasons, and understanding the motivation behind the purchase decision is important. Someone might want to visit a nutritionist simply because they want better fitness, while someone might hit the gym simply because they want to manage their weight. Someone would go to a general physician simply because they want better sleep quality or more energy, or just for general wellbeing.

This is where healthcare consumers become an interesting subject because they might not think, “I want to buy this product”, but rather, “I want to sleep better” or just, “I want to be fit”. The product becomes the means to achieve the desired outcome.

For example, a person purchasing protein powder isn’t necessarily interested in protein powder itself. Their underlying motivation could be muscle building, fitness or achieving a particular body-composition goal. Therefore, buyers are not focusing on product-based wellness but rather on goal-based wellness.

What Makes Consumers Believe a Product Works?

Consumers may ask, “Does that product actually work?” The answer can be influenced by several factors, such as evidence. Are there any credible studies or supporting scientific claims for the product or service? Ingredients: does the consumer actually know what the product contains?

Moreover, a purchase decision can also be influenced by an expert opinion, such as that of a qualified healthcare or nutrition professional. Lastly, it also depends on reviews, brand reputation and the amount of transparency in the ingredients of the products.

There is also an important factor to note here, which is that perceived effectiveness isn’t always the same as proven effectiveness. A product can appeal to consumers without sufficient evidence that it produces the claimed medical or health outcomes.

How Consumers Make Purchasing Decisions

Finally, all of these factors come together in the purchasing behaviour, from need and awareness to simply experiencing and repurchasing the product or service.

When someone is looking for a healthcare provider, they realise that they need treatment and then search online, compare hospitals or doctors, or even ask for a recommendation from a family member. After the appointment, their actual experience determines whether they return or recommend the provider.

Wellness products follow a similar process, from someone identifying their desired outcome to evaluating whether the product or service worked or not.