Marketing your products and services
Market entry
The Indian market is very price conscious. Almost 60 per cent of the healthcare expenditure comes from the self-paid category. However, the industry is currently undergoing a dramatic transformation with new segments being defined and created within the broader health sector.
Australian companies need to:
- Present detailed company and product information for prospective customers
- Participate in trade shows
- Be prepared to travel regionally in order to participate in regional seminar/promotional programs
- Regularly visit India to maintain a competitive edge
Australian companies are advised to make representations to the Department of Health on the policies and regulations that would affect operations in India, while also identifying a number of prospective health-related companies on the ground to ascertain local opportunities. By offering local expertise, local healthcare providers are a key means of penetrating the Indian health industry.
By collaborating with local medical colleges to facilitate student exchange programs, Australian companies promote brand awareness and, in the long-term, reinforce Australia ’s capability as a source of high technology and services.
There is also opportunity to work with bilateral and multilateral aid/lending institutions to increase Australian participation in supply of equipment through global tenders.
The impact of the Internet on the healthcare industry in India has been to strengthen and augment the distribution system. Consumers are increasingly exposed to new products and technological advances. This awareness is leading people to demand the best products and services available. The Internet has also spawned a new ‘online consulting’ industry in India. Many sites facilitate direct interaction among patients, doctors and specialists, including some of the following:
- Doctoranywhere – a business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce service that offers access to medical super-specialists around the country by medical practitioners all requiring an expert opinion
- Doctors of India Online – a one-stop site featuring useful information about medicine and information technology
- India’s Best Doctor – information on the doctors available in India
- Chennai Doctor – Chennai’s most comprehensive information source for health care providers
- All Indian Doctors Online – a medical directory of doctors, medical hospitals, clinics, colleges, physicians, allopathic, and homeopathic services
- Association of Physician of India – a site for getting updates in advances in medicine
- GynOnline.com – value addition to the services provided to obstetricians and gynaecologists
Distribution channels
Medical equipment/supplies are best channelled through a local agent with service capabilities. These companies deal directly with distributors/hospital dealers and offer a streamlined approach to getting products to the market.
Private hospitals prefer to import through the local representatives of manufacturers/exporters. These local contacts provide the benefit of regular service support. Private hospitals don’t normally issue tenders, but prefer to purchase through direct negotiations.
Australian companies are advised to deal with corporate groups such as Tata, Reliance, Escorts, Piramals, Max, Wockhardt, and Fortis (Ranbaxy). It’s also advisable to use Indian consultancy firms for consultancy assignment.
Key contacts include:
- The Asian Health Services Ltd
- BNA Technology Consulting
- Indian Hospital Corporation (Apollo Group)
- Hospital Planning and Management Consultants (HOSMAC)
- Hospital Services Consultancy Corporation
Transport
The Indian railway network consists of 62,809 route-kilometres of rail track spread over entire length and breadth of the country. However, it is more efficient to travel by air as trains are slow by international standards.
Air-India is the country’s international carrier. Air-India, along with a handful of other airlines, provides extensive domestic passenger and cargo air services.
Among the 11 major ports, Mumbai is the largest port handling almost one-fourth of the entire trade transported through Indian ports.
Infrastructure costs including railway freight and port handling charges in India are not considered competitive compared to other major countries. However, this aspect is recognised by the government and all efforts are being made to improve the infrastructure with the help of private sector involvement.
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