What do you think of when you consider e-commerce? Your first thought is probably of e-commerce giants like Amazon. However, e-commerce is an important business opportunity not only for sites like Amazon, Walmart.com, and Target.com, but also for hearing health professionals like you. In fact, e-commerce should not be regarded as simply a good opportunity for hearing health professionals—it should be seen as a MUST.
E-commerce provides endless opportunities to your hearing health practice that you cannot afford to miss out on. Here are only a few of the reasons you should invest in e-commerce:
- No need to refer elsewhere, which increases patient satisfaction.
Referrals are a normal part of healthcare. Dentists, medical doctors, and of course, hearing health professionals—all of them use referrals. But what if you could reduce the volume of referrals you give?
First, you would be keeping more business for yourself. By offering e-commerce products at your practice, you can increase your revenue by selling products you previously did not offer. Second, your patients will appreciate being able to meet more of their needs in one place, without the need to go elsewhere. Not only will this boost patient satisfaction, but it can also increase patient loyalty to your practice. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that customer loyalty is increasingly associated with online purchases—if you can make the experience personalized and streamlined.
- Your patients already trust you, so allow them to trust you for their purchases, too.
Your patients come to see you for their audiology needs because they trust you as a healthcare provider. You likely know from your own experiences that finding a healthcare provider you trust is not always easy. So, since your patients already trust you, they would prefer to be able to feel that same sense of trust when they make their hearing health-related purchases.
Because you, as their hearing health professional, already know their specific hearing health needs and preferences, you can also personalize the e-commerce experience to them. Enabling your patients to buy directly from you will increase their sense of trust and satisfaction.
- Prepare for over-the-counter hearing aids.
You are already aware that over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids will soon be available. This means that patients will not need to see a hearing health professional, like you, in order to purchase hearing aids. Do not wait until OTC hearing aids are available to begin reacting to this change—start preparing now!
Establishing yourself as a leader in your area in both hearing healthcare and e-commerce can set your practice apart when it comes to consumers’ options for purchasing hearing aids. To do this, you need to offer the products your patients need and demonstrate the value of your professional care. Show your patients that not only will you provide the products they want via e-commerce, but you will ensure the proper fitting and adjustment, which they will not receive with OTC devices.
To learn more about the importance of e-commerce in hearing healthcare and how you can get ahead in this essential field, we welcome you to contact us today at AudiologyPlus. We are eager to help your practice succeed.
