MxMIndia

Tag: Netmeds

  • Technology was supposed to turn brands into your partners in need, but does it really do that, asks Vikas Mehta

    Can technology be a foe for your brand?

     

     

    With apologies to none at all

    By Vikas Mehta

     

    Vikas MehtaThe omnipresence of digital has its drawbacks. Not only are we inundated with messages galore but there is also the temptation to use technology and data in a half=hearted way. One which leaves the consumer frustrated and many a times move away from the brand. Sometimes, even category. In the rush to go digital or for everything to be online, some categories are actually doing a great disservice to customers.

     

    And my favourite whipping boy for this is online pharmacy brands. I have been inundated with messages, offers and marketing efforts trying to persuade me to try these brands. I have tried a few times. I have tried not just Netmeds but also 1mg and PharmEasy. But I have always ended up in frustration.

     

    Let’s look at this category from a consumer behaviour viewpoint. More often than not, one needs medicines in a rush. If I am unwell and the doctor prescribes some medicines, I need them immediately. But none of the online portals/apps can deliver the medicines to me in a jiffy. Not at least in Tier 1-2 towns like Dehradun. Whenever I have tried to buy prescribed medicines the minimum time required has been at least 48 hours. So, all you online pharmacies kindly tell me can I wait that long for the medicines?

     

    And clearly there is an over-promise and miscommunication. Netmed says same day delivery. PharmEasy says family ki healthwali sab zaroorat Pharmeasy deliver karta hai woh bhi same day. The communication left me confused. Digging a bit deeper you realise that what they mean is all health-related needs except medicines!

     

    Seriously, you want me to use your portal/app because I can get a blood pressure meter the same day or get a vitamin supplement the same day? And there is an asterix there also. In selected cities only. Isn’t it a case of miscommunication?

     

    I spoke to some friends and they advised me to get only long-term medicines or medicines that have been prescribed as precaution for illness like diabetes or BP which one takes daily. For all other illness, which could be small illness or an emergency, you cannot depend on these portals.

     

    So, what’s the point in sending me mail or messages asking me to buy online at 20% discount or limited time period offer. The category has to realise that limited time is about delivery in a limited time not about discounts for a limited time.

     

    Yes, associated categories like wellness or medical check-ups are a good revenue spinner but shouldn’t the players first focus on medicines?

     

    Quick delivery is the need of the hour for medicines. So, the ecommerce model has to be closer to that of Blinkit and Dunzo. Not like Amazon or Meesho. There are some category challenges like storage under controlled temperature but isn’t disruption the name of the game and shouldn’t the category be finding its disruption rather than depending upon adjacent categories?

     

    When my neighbourhood Reliance Smart offline shop opened an in-shop Netmed counter with white lab coat assistants manning it (that definitely is a nice touch. Lab coat cueing medicine) I thought that the quick delivery problem will now be sorted out. But, no, they were worse than chemist shops. Hardly any stock. They check online availability and then call you back to say that the delivery will take 1-2 days. And the situation has not changed for over a year. Frankly, It’s a waste of retail space. Reliance Retail can generate more revenue by stocking more groceries than having two chemists twiddling their thumbs.

     

    The only good thing that has happened out of this situation is that the local chemists have started giving discounts of 10-12%. So, the whole rationale of buying online cheap stands defeated. It will be interesting to see how developments unfold in this space.

     

    The problem of using technology half-heartedly manifests itself in many ways. For last six months, I have been getting mails and messages from HDFC telling me that I have qualified for an upgrade of my account to a higher category. I am given a link to upgrade which says enjoy your exclusive benefits. The problem is that the link takes me to the home page of the bank. Now, am I supposed to navigate and find my benefits? Or am I supposed to login to my netbanking and find where are the benefits? Why should I struggle to find these out? The result is that I haven’t upgraded and am still not aware of the benefits.

     

    I have a personal banker assigned by the bank. He keeps on calling me anytime during the day. And if I am in meetings or am busy and do not take his calls, I get a message that he tried to call me and if I need any help, I can call him back. When I do that to ask him about the benefits of the upgrade, I can’t get through to him as he has moved on calling another customer. The result is that on paper the bank is providing me an omnichannel experience but I am not getting it. Vague and general link, no messaging from the personal banker asking me when can he call or even returning a missed call. All of this actually leads to a situation where the bank may have been better off not telling me that I have an upgrade!

     

    There are many such peeves. Some ecommerce sites orders cannot be cancelled. On Jiomart, if the seller is anybody besides Reliance Retail, then the only way to cancel an order is to refuse to take delivery (yes, that’s what I was advised by customer service). BigBasket keeps on sending messages about BBnow which is all about quick delivery. But when I downloaded the app and try it, I get a message that it’s not operational in my area.

     

    Omnichannel, customer experience, customer satisfaction are all jargon which will remain on paper if technology is misused or used in a half-baked way. Brands and companies must start addressing these issues. Not to forget that the same brands must realise that just by being present in a few cities do not give them the liberty to publicise and talk about their services on a national level. Because when you are actually available nationally, many would have switched off from you.

     

    Technology was supposed to turn brands into your partners in need. But unfortunately, in many cases it’s turning into a foe.

     

  • Vikas Mehta reviews on the multiple ads of the medicine aggregators and the multiple benefits promised and over-promised

    Medicines: Quick delivery? Naah!

     

     

    By Vikas Mehta

     

    Vikas MehtaI have been constantly writing about this year’s IPL being unusual. In many ways. And now when we are reaching the business end of the league, it’s getting obvious that the three most unfancied teams are set to qualify for the playoffs. Paying an ode to the unusual season, this column is also going to be unusual. This time I am taking up one category campaign and talking about it extensively.

     

    In the midst of edutech, fintech, transport aggregators, there is also the medicine aggregators. And some brands like Pharmeasy and Pharmeasy have advertised heavily on IPL. Both have used celebrities. Both have done multiple ads. Both promise multiple benefits. And both, over-promise.

     

    When anyone needs a medicine, usually it’s because there is an urgent need. The delivery needs to be in minutes. But my experience with both the apps show that the usual delivery time is anything between one to four days. Maybe because I am in a small town therefore the medicine logistics is still to be sorted out. But isn’t that an irony. A small town should be able to deliver much faster. Netmeds, I have walked into Reliance Smart stores with prescription, which have a small Netmeds dedicated pharmacy area, and the standard answer is that they will check and call me back. And call back is after a few hours which confirms that the medicine will take another 12-24 hours. Both times that I tried Netmeds, by the time the call came, I had already bought the medicines from an offline pharmacy. And of course the app showed at least two to three days to deliver.

     

    Therefore, when I see the Kareena Kapoor ads which talk about quick delivery, the brand loses all credibility. Ditto with Pharmeasy as they clearly say same day delivery. Maybe they deliver cosmetics and other non-medicine products fast. But then are they just a Swiggy Instamart or Dunzo? They need to be Swiggy Instamart and Dunzo in medicines or else stop making these claims.

     

    The Kareena Kapoor train ads go on to show other benefits like quality or range. Again, I am not sure if one needs to highlight these benefits for medicines. The app claims to sell medicines against prescriptions. So, do we assume that quality of the prescribed medicines is a suspect? Range is more confusing. Yes, generic drugs can be available but how many of us actually know about it or are willing to even order a generic and ignore the doctor’s prescribed brand? I suspect they are pushing more of the cosmetics or supplements or tonics rather than the prescribed medicines.

     

    Pharmeasy with Aamir Khan on the other hand has chosen some relevant benefits. Ordering medical equipment like sugar meter or even organising for home medical tests. These definitely are relevant and benefits that matter to the category. And I quite liked the exaggeration execution of three Khans belabouring each point.

     

    Ultimately, both these brands cannot overcome the lure of discounts. Medicines, by Indian standards are definitely expensive. So double digit discounts work. And the lure of a minimum discount always is music to ears. Specially, when one is on long-term medication for ailments like diabetes, cholesterol, arthritis etc. These medicines are expensive, they are required on a regular basis and most importantly can be ordered in advance, keeping two-three days delivery time in mind. So discounts do play an important role in both the brand communication.

     

    As a marketer, I have always wondered at multi0benefit communication. Does it really help? Do the consumer remember all benefits? The classical theory says that let one benefit be emphasised so that it sticks. And can be owned. My thinking is that well executed multi benefits work if they are relevant. The target consumer picks out the benefit that he needs or that matters to him and that sticks. So, if we take Pharmeasy, someone who needs to buy a medical equipment or needs to do tests will remember the brand. But the irrelevancy of quality or range for medicines, makes me doubtful about Netmeds communication. And discount is almost like a must. It is a category given without which no brand will survive. In fact, discount is like a blind spot. Its presence is almost like a reassurance but its absence will be most glaring. As for speed of delivery, the brands need to either improve their delivery or not talk about it.

     

    Episodical ads, which seem to be like a continuing story narrative, always create interest. And using a celebrity to anchor it is a good idea if the celebrity becomes an integral part of the narrative. The Netmeds ads with Kareena Kapoor reprise her role in Jab We Met. So all the episodes have good empathy. Pharmeasy, on the other hand is not episodical but Aamir lends it a nice ethereal quality which again piques our interest.

     

    As I sign off this week’s column, I am aghast at seeing the new Budweiser ad. But in the spirit of being unusual, let me leave it at that. More about it, next week.