Digital Marketing and Commerce - Pharmaceuticals and Clinical Settings in Dubai - Case Study Example

Digital Marketing and Commerce Name Course Instructor Date Digital Marketing and Commerce Abstract E marketing is emerging as an integral part of business strategies that most companies and institutions are using to create a competitive edge over their rivals. Pharmaceutical and clinical setting in Dubai is also embracing e marketing technology due to increased number of stakeholders setting up IT platforms in Dubai in recent decades. Many consumers have as well embraced technology contributing to popularity of e marketing concept in business. E marketing as well as traditional marketing are used in parallel in health sector. Nevertheless, with e marketing, the level of customer interaction has increased through various platforms such as emails, social media and companies’ websites as evidenced from Four Seasons Pharmacy. Consumers have gained more power and now participate in the decision-making through their comments and opinion. The discussion further deliberates on e marketing in healthcare industry in Dubai; it covers on trends, strategies, impacts and challenges of e marketing. It as well provides recommendations on the way forward in marketing as a strategy in doing business in pharmacy and clinical settings in Dubai. Outline 1. Introduction- Concept of e-marketing 2. Background information on Pharmaceuticals and Clinical Settings in Dubai 3. Customer interaction through internet in Dubai 4. Trends likely to shape the future of e marketing in pharmaceuticals and clinical setting 5. Impacts of e marketing on pharmaceuticals and clinical setting in Dubai 6. The challenges of e marketing of pharmaceutical products and services in Dubai 7. Different strategies used in e marketing in pharmaceutical and clinical setting in Dubai 8. Different strategies used in e-marketing 9. Recommendations 10. Conclusion 11. References Introduction- Concept of e marketing Advancement of technology has had a great impact on business transactions across the world. Technology especially digital technology has contributed to many changes on how people conduct business. Digital platforms such as internet have expanded the field of business contributing to globalization. Due to technological advancement, many businesses have moved from traditional marketing to e marketing by transforming their marketing strategies. Like all other parts of the world, business community in United Arab Emirates Dubai included is aligning their strategies in line with the numerous changes in technological world. Dubai is one of the most important business hubs in Middle East hence, a point of attention to IT industry because of its economic and geographical conditions as well as its first development rate. E marketing has gained a lot of approval in many businesses because of the value it created by increasing profitability. The paper focuses on use of traditional marketing as well as e marketing in pharmaceuticals and clinical settings in Dubai. It as well explores on many other strategies and aspects in e marketing in this geographical location. Background information on Pharmaceuticals and Clinical Settings in Dubai For many years, health industry has remained one of the most critical sectors in most countries. Health industry in Dubai has continued to revolve over the years with many players embracing technology as part of their marketing strategy as a way or remaining competitive in the market. Dubai is a thriving business hub in the Middle East as well IT target center hub. Many IT firms have already chosen the city as the Middle East regional headquarter for IT (Tasabehji, 2000). Many people are embracing technology in the city as more than 95 percent of the firms recognize and appreciate internet as one of the viable marketing tool (Darby, James & Ghada, 2003). Therefore, in this context it is essential to explore on the potential effects of e marketing trend on health industry, its use in conjunction with the traditional marketing as well as the changes and opportunities of e marketing business model. Firms in Dubai that embrace internet as a tool for marketing In the United Arab Emirates, Dubai takes a lead in the number of pharmaceutical industries in operation. The industry is doing well in business. Many firms are using technology to ensure that they reach many customers. There are many pharmaceutical companies in operations such as Moorfields Eye Hospital, Belhoul European Hospital, Neuro Spinal Hospital, Zulekha Hospital LLC, Dubai Health City, Medcare Hospital LLC, Johnson & Johnson Middle East, Saga pharmaceuticals, Merck UAE, Four Seasons Pharmacy, and Global Pharma among many others. Some of these companies are globally but have their branches in Dubai such as GlaxoSmithKline. Adoption of technology has played a critical role in making them get their products and services known to their target audience. Through e marketing, they have managed to make their products and services known to the target consumers. Customer interaction through internet in Dubai There have been considerable changes in customer behaviors since introduction of information technology platform. Many health entities in Dubai such as Four Seasons Pharmacy used traditional strategies in marketing their services. The level of customer interaction was also low because of lack of medium or channels to promote efficient communication. Most of the pharmacies used correspondences and traditional avenues such as media outlets, personal contacts among other promotional strategies to make their products and services known to the customers. Most of the communication originated from the sellers and the consumers had less power in the communication or business. However, advanced technology has made many people/consumers to embrace the same in their businesses Four Seasons Pharmacy included. For Four Seasons Pharmacy, internet has become one of the efficient medium to access, communicate, organize and share communication (Levy, 1996). Therefore, marketing strategies of various health firms, Four Seasons Pharmacy in Dubai, included have been inspired by emergence of information technology. Interaction between consumers and producers or companies has revolutionized through e marketing concept. With technology, it has become easier for Four Seasons Pharmacy consumers to interact with the company or sellers of these products and services. Consumers have attained more powers in the selling process as they make the decisions on the products or services to use. They have an opportunity to ask questions, provide their comments and as well contribute in the decision making process of the company about the products or commodities they buy. Communication has become two-way as both consumers and sellers participate in the communication through exchange of ideas/messages. Four Seasons Pharmacy for instance has a web portal whereby clients or consumers can submit their questions and as well make a search on the various products they want at the comfort of their houses. The company has information about the time of the day they can be reached through a message online. The working hours are from Saturday to Thursday from 9 am to 11 pm while on Friday the platform opens from 1 pm to 11 pm. This strategy has facilitated interaction between the company and its consumers contributing to their marketing initiatives. Another example of a health facility that has embraced the idea of e marketing is Life Healthcare Group. It has established a website whereby it markets its services and products. The website has vast information pertaining to its services, as well as links for customers to ask questions and enquire about their products and services. Furthermore, it has blogs and social media platforms that allow consumers to share their views and opinions about the products and services it provides (Life Healthcare Group, 2014). Four Seasons Pharmacy, use its website platform as its e marketing tool in many ways. The platform has information about the pharmacy; its locations, their values, the products they deals with among many other aspects. For instance, the company provides information on what products or activities they deal in such as medicines, vaccines, minerals, and vitamins, walking support, skin care and baby care. It also provides various options that clients can select to get help from them such as on retail service, online queries, shop online, store location, disease education, supplier registration , staff blog and medical insurance. The company has also provided information on some of its pharmaceutical brands that they purchase their products from companies such as Ranbaxy, Pfizer, Novartis, MSD and GlaxoSmithKline (Four Seasons Pharmacy, 2014). These are well known pharmacies that have established their image and therefore using them in its website project the company in good limelight. Many customers will have confidence in the companies’ products and this will facilitate or motivate them to buy and use services and products from Four Seasons Pharmacy. Another e marketing strategy that Four Seasons Pharmacy uses in its quest to market its products and services is through social media. The company has various social media platforms that it connects with its customers. This includes facebook, twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and blogs among others (Four Seasons Pharmacy, 2014). Through these platforms, customers can easily connect with the company and share their views, opinions and idea. Four Seasons Pharmacy e-marketing strategies Trends likely to shape the future of e marketing in pharmaceuticals and clinical setting Various trends in today’s business environment are likely to shape the future of e marketing in pharmaceuticals and clinical setting. Most of the traditional marketing strategy that required adoption of eight steps including carrying out market research to understand customer perceptions and need, developing of products in line with customer needs, product delivery and customer feedback among others are not relevant in the internet marketing. Nowadays, greater information richness provided through the internet for both consumers and businesses requires business managers to satisfy the continuing demands of consumers. Continued advancement of technology is one of the factors likely to shape the future of e marketing. Pharmaceuticals and clinical setting in Dubai is not left behind in this area as they adopt marketing strategies to ensure that they impact positively on the industry. There is increased digitalization of content online, as well as increased internet distribution through various tools such as satellite, modems, telephone, and cable modems and wifi among many others as exhibited by the Four Seasons Pharmacy (Dave, 2007). Many people in Dubai are as well embracing technology that is transforming their lifestyle. This change in lifestyle, especially in the consumption behaviors of consumers will require players in health industry to use e marketing to promote their services and products. People prefer sitting in the comfort of their living rooms and transacting business without necessarily having to walk to a store. So far, Four Seasons Pharmacy is a good example of pharmaceutical and clinical company that allows its customers to shop online. The customers have an option to share their views and ideas with the company staffs through various platforms such as emails and social media. Therefore, health industry will have to make these adjustments to meet consumer needs and wants. Competition is also fundamental factor when it comes to trends in e marketing in future. Many players will adapt to e marketing to remain competitive in the markets. The aspect of cost will also be fundamental in the future of e marketing. There is perception that e marketing is cost effective compared to traditional marketing something that will impact greatly on e marketing in future as many health industries adopt technology in their marketing. Impacts of e marketing on pharmaceuticals and clinical setting in Dubai Rapid expansion and usage of internet across the world has necessitated diversity in marketing of services and products via internet. E marketing has both positive and negative impacts on health industry in Dubai, specifically Four Seasons Pharmacy. One of the advantages of e marketing on the pharmacy is that it is less costly when marketing tools such as email and social media are used. There is also immediate response from the consumers or target audience through click of a link (Komenar, 1997). This enhances communication and interaction between the company and a larger number of people in short period and at lower cost. Immediate responses from the customers enhance decision making as well increases efficiency level and profitability of the Four Seasons Pharmacy (Dave, 2007). E marketing has become a power tool for entities as it allows customers to shop and to make enquiries for 24 hrs. At Four Seasons Pharmacy, consumers have an opportunity to make their shopping online as well, ask various questions about the products and services offered. Visitors are also able to leave their queries and comments through feedback from or company emails that are answered within short period by the representatives. This avenue therefore, creates close relations between companies and consumers contributing to customer loyalty that increases the profitability of an entity. With e marketing, the target audience easily accesses marketing information. This has triggered competition as many organizations use e marketing as a form of advertising their products and services to the consumers, Four Seasons Pharmacy included. This influx of information on the internet has contributed to selective accessibility to various sites something that requires these companies to change their strategies to win over the consumers. Consumers have attained more power when it comes to purchasing decision making. Many consumers make comparisons before making a decision to purchases a certain products or service. This has contributed to increased competition and innovation something that has as well affected the quality of products and services at Four Seasons Pharmacy. E marketing has as well negative impacts in the sense that not all households have an access to internet and not all of them purchase their products and services through internet. Therefore, by Four Seasons Pharmacy using this platform or strategy, it does not have a guarantee of accessing all targeted audience. Furthermore, many consumers in Dubai continue to use traditional media such as television, and radio hence may not be able to use e marketing. Furthermore, a number of customers may prefer live interaction with the seller during buying process and therefore, they will still prefer to visit a health facility. This therefore renders e marketing futile. The challenges of e marketing of pharmaceutical products and services in Dubai Even though, many health entities including Four Seasons Pharmacy have embraced the concept of e marketing, it still faces a myriad of challenges that require immediate address. Even though many people in Dubai have embraced technology, it has not gained a lot of followership in healthcare due to various challenges. Adoption of internet in health industry has not matured enough. Research indicates that small percentage of retail sales of about 4 percent occurs through online. This very small volume does not have greater impact on the profitability of the health industry. E marketing as well requires enough resources including technical and skilled manpower to man the system to impact on the business (Smith, 2005). Generation of content is also involving as this is one way of attracting larger consumers; this therefore means that Four Seasons Pharmacy incurs huge sums of money in generating content. Therefore, an entity must invest adequate resources in this area to ensure that it remains active to continue attracting consumers. Some of the intellectual capital rules continue to change and this becomes a bit complex and a tussle for entities to meet them. This therefore interferes with Four Seasons Pharmacy e marketing initiatives because of legal tussles and conflicts of interests. Nevertheless, overcome these challenges is possible through setting up of appropriate policies and strategies. Heath industry is very critical and can adopt both traditional marketing strategies to boast e marketing. Different strategies used in e marketing in pharmaceutical and clinical setting in Dubai With rapid spread of internet as a reliable tool of marketing, it has become essential for business people to adopt suitable strategies to ensure success in their e marketing initiatives (Smith, 2005). One of the strategies Four Seasons Pharmacy uses is the pricing policy as it helps to determine the prices of the services and products offered. Price as well influences customer response concerning the products or services provided. Therefore, it is important that the price is formulated in a way that satisfies the customers as well benefits the organization. Health entities in Dubai such as Four Seasons Pharmacy therefore, consider their services and products prices in their e marketing strategy to remain competitive. Other 3 P’s of marketing including place, product and promotion are also considered as strategies Four Seasons Pharmacy in their e marketing. Their products and services are innovative and unique compared to others hence increase their sale volume. Customers have the opportunity to search for their preferred products at no cost to access to those that satisfies them. Promotion activities are also critical in ensuring that e marketing succeeds (Lindgreen, Hingley & Antioco, 2011). Appropriate promotional strategies such as rewards for purchasing certain products, free samples among many others help to woo customers in various localities in the city. With e marketing, it is easier to reach many audiences widely spread, something that many companies in health industry such as Four Seasons Pharmacy in Dubai are relying on (Lindgreen, Hingley & Antioco, 2011). Other strategies employed include, emphasis on the customer value of the services and products offered, sustainability, quality guarantees, among many others. For instance, on the aspect of quality and value, these health organizations present their information to target audience in a persuasive way that portrays their services and products as of higher value in comparison to what their competitors’ offers. Recommendation E marketing is opening many avenues for many businesses, health industry such as Four Seasons Pharmacy in Dubai. Through e marketing, companies can easily interact with their customers at low cost. Despite the strides and the tangible benefits inherent in e marketing, there are a number of aspects recommended to enhance e marketing at Four Seasons Pharmacy. One of the recommendations is for Four Seasons Pharmacy to carry out an intensive survey to determine the needs and wants of their target audience. This will ensure adoption of appropriate e marketing strategies to help achieve the objectives of an entity. Selecting an appropriate strategy is critical for an entity that uses e marketing as it helps to increase profitability and sales revenue. It is also important for Four Seasons Pharmacy to incorporate both traditional and e marketing strategies to bolster their business. This is important, as some of the consumers have not embraced technology. Such consumers still value one-on-one buying process, as they do not have confident in online marketing. This is important for an entity that is determined to access to both the online consumers as well as those that have not embraced technology. Statistics indicates that fewer consumers use online avenues to access to information as well as make purchases. Therefore, by adopting this strategy, the company expands its audience and this contributes to increased profitability. Conclusion E marketing is gaining a lot of approval in the health industry in Dubai as exemplified by Four Seasons Pharmacy facilitated by the increasing interest by many IT firms to set up their business in the region in the recent decades. E marketing has as well helped to enhance customers’ interactions enabling consumers to have more powers in the decision-making process on an entity. Four Seasons Pharmacy uses various strategies to enhance marketing such as price policy, promotion, product and place among others. E marketing has as well impacted greatly on the business through increased profitability and sales revenue. It is also important and recommended that health industry intensifies their level of campaign by first carrying out a market survey to understand the needs of the customers. Marketing survey allows the company to understand the target market in depth hence adopting suitable strategies that impacts positively on their marketing initiatives. It is therefore important that all pharmaceutical and clinics in Dubai consider adopting e marketing like Four Seasons Pharmacy did but as well have other strategies to remain competitive. References Darby, R., Jones, J. & Al Madani, G. (2003). E-commerce marketing: fad or fiction? Management competency in mastering emerging technology, An international case analysis in the UAE. 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