One common challenge faced by businesses of all hues : unless you can convince people about why they need the benefit a product offers, they will not want it and will not buy it, be it a brand of soap, a pressure cooker, a water purifier or a cosmetic product. In its simplest form, ‘No conviction about need = No desire to buy = No sales’, a scary prospect for any business.

For businesses in the wellness domain in India, this challenge often has an added degree of frustration. There may be a strong physiological need for the product and a long-term quality – of – life benefit to the consumer, yet those that need it most will buy it irregularly or not at all. Examples of such products range from vitamin and mineral supplements to healthy foods and beverages such as low calorie snacks, juices with high fruit content, probiotic curd, etc.

A slightly different form of this scenario plays out in the Healthcare space too. In cases where the impact of an ailment or problem is not immediately felt – for instance, diabetes, high cholesterol or high BP, patients are less likely to spend on medication to keep it under control.

 In comparison to other chronic diseases, diabetes is relatively well understood and there is broad-based agreement in the medical profession about how to manage the disease. Despite this professional knowledge and consensus, diabetes is often poorly managed in practice. Even some patients that have been diagnosed may not want to start using the medication, or may not use it for the required duration, or may consume less than the dose recommended by their doctor. If you don’t believe this, just speak to a few diabetics and check how many of them take all their medication regularly. Or how many check their blood sugar often enough to suit their doctor. And remember that these are patients that have been diagnosed, and are aware of the ailment !

 To find the solution to this problem, we first need to understand the underlying reasons in a bit more detail, but that shall be the subject of the next post on this topic.

By,

Zenobia D. Driver