Abstract:
Purpose:
In the realm of marketing today, the customer is seen as king. Manufacturers were capable of
selling anything to consumers as the marketing era rose. But these days, what ought to be
created, how much ought to be produced, and how good the product ought to depend on what
consumers want to buy. Because consumer preferences differ, marketers must take several
aspects into account when selecting how to promote a product. The pharmaceutical sector faces
greater risks when analyzing consumer behavior because of how it connects to medicine and
health. This study aimed to examine the impact of pharmaceutical digital marketing, reference
groups, and brand experience on consumer buying decisions for OTC products.
Methodology & Design:
Based on the theoretical underpinnings of consumer purchasing behavior and a survey of
related literature, a conceptual framework is built. A digital empirical survey based on a self administered questionnaire is carried out to determine the influence of digital marketing,
reference groups, and brand experience on consumer decisions. With the use of this
questionnaire, primary information was gathered from 200 pharmacies, customers, and
medical specialists in Karachi, Pakistan. The data were examined using SPSS software.
Findings:
According to the study's findings, brand experience and pharmaceutical digital marketing have
a significant impact on consumers' decisions to purchase over the counter (OTC) medications.
The p value of another variable, reference groups, which is greater than 0.05, indicates that it
has no effect on customers' decisions to purchase OTC items.
Limitations:
The respondents come from a diverse range ofcountries and cultural backgrounds; the majority
ofthem are pharmacists who live in Karachi, Pakistan. There may be certain drawbacks to the
survey's online distribution approach, and not all participants are guaranteed to be experts.
Future research may include a wider range of participants, not just those from various
pharmacies and the pharmaceutical industry. For the upcoming investigations, it is advised that the model be expanded to include more elements and variables. Furthermore, this study did
not look at how demographic characteristics affected people's choices regarding OTC drug
purchases. Therefore, future studies will assess how they affect the buying of OTC drugs.
Recommendations:
Here are some recommendations for companies looking to influence the buying decision of a
pharmaceutical product through digital marketing, reference groups, and brand experience:
Pharmaceutical firms should use targeted digital marketing strategies, leverage the power of
reference groups, create a positive brand experience, use customer reviews, testimonials and
provide clear as well as accurate information about the product.
