Residents of St. Petersburg have begun to search for medicines on the Internet more often. In the first half of 2024, the number of search queries related to medicines increased by 8% compared to the same period in 2023. Despite the fact that 64% of St. Petersburg residents already order drugs online.
Source: Retail.ru
The most active growth in the Internet interest is in products for increasing endurance (+23%), treating the gastrointestinal tract (+17%), the nervous system (+14%) and joints (+13%). While, according to a Yandex survey, painkillers are at the top of purchases – 71% of city residents have bought them over the past six months – as well as vitamins and dietary supplements (67%), cold remedies (66%) and sanitary and hygienic products (53%).
More than a third of St. Petersburg residents buy medicines, dietary supplements or vitamins online at least once a month. Almost half of those who make purchases online do so in online pharmacies, and every third one – on the websites of chain pharmacies (34%).
"Seeing the interest of St. Petersburg residents in online purchases of medicines, pharmacies are increasing digital promotion and developing their online sales channels. Thus, in the first half of 2024, advertisers' investments in the category "Pharma and Medicine" in the region increased by 32% compared to the same period last year," said Ksenia Sidorova, regional leader of Yandex Advertising in St. Petersburg .
According to a Yandex survey, almost a third of drug buyers in the Northwestern Federal District saw their advertisements, and 29% of them made the decision to purchase them based on the information “can be ordered online.”
For the majority (66%) of St. Petersburg residents who have already decided on their favorite online service for purchasing medications, the key criterion for choosing was the cost of drugs on this platform. In addition, half of them paid attention to the speed of delivery to the pick-up point, as well as the convenient location of the delivery point (48%) and the breadth of the assortment (42%).
Residents of St. Petersburg consider delivery to a convenient pharmacy and delivery to a pick-up point to be the most convenient options for delivery of medicines when ordering online. Half of respondents (59%) are ready to wait for an order for only one day, while 38% consider a period of several days to a week acceptable.
The study was conducted using an online survey and based on an analysis of Yandex search data. More than 2,334 users aged 18 to 64 from Russian cities with a population of over 100,000 people took part in the survey.
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