Abstract:

Vividence studies reveal that exposure to effective pharmaceutical websites increases consumers' likelihood to request specific prescription drugs from their physicians. In December 2001 the research team conducted an independent study of five leading pharmaceutical corporations, examining both brand-name drug sites and general medical websites. Five hundred online consumers were sent to interact with these sites and their behavior, comments, and responses to follow-up questions were tracked. The study revealed which messages and features are most likely to improve the customer experience - and in turn make a real impact on prescription drug sales. Areas were also detected in which consumers are often disappointed or frustrated by pharmaceutical websites, which represents an opportunity for pharmaceutical companies to improve these sites to ensure that they successfully communicate the benefits of the drugs they represent.