How did ‘Wisdom of the crowds’ predictions on HCP interest in digital compare with the real data?
At the start of the year we invited colleagues in pharma to make predictions for where 2021 might go in terms of three key customer engagement measures: HCPs’ interest in digital offerings from pharma, their satisfaction with those digital communications, and the share of marketing budget allocated to digital activities.
We received over a hundred predictions which we shared – “the wisdom of the crowds” – and promised to come back later in the year with the ‘real data’, once we’d compiled it for 2021.
Well, the waiting is over! With the Navigator365™ Core results in since October, we did the final check on Q1 and Q2 (with Q3 covered by the June 2021 Maturometer™ survey). Here we present the final results of our 2021 data and how it compares to the average predicted results from our survey:
HCP interest in pharma digital (61%) actually went back to pre-pandemic levels (2019), vs. a much rosier prediction of 71%. Perhaps digital fatigue is to blame here, with a lack of compelling digital content having played a role? Nevertheless, interest at 61% despite the fatigue bodes well for companies who are able to cater to their customers with a more personalized omnichannel approach in terms of both content and channel mix.
The averaged prediction for HCP satisfaction levels (45%) came very close to reality, with 43% of EU4+UK specialists saying they were satisfied with pharma’s digital offerings in 2021. While this maintains the considerably increased satisfaction level vs. pre-COVID, there is still plenty of room for improvement!
Digital budgets grew by only 3 percentage points vs. 2020 – and are up only 4 percentage points vs. 2018. These incremental changes may be another reason why the level of satisfaction did not go up – the difference with previous years was hardly noticeable to the customer.
To find out more about how these and other insights from Navigator365™ can help boost your customer engagement strategy in 2022 and beyond, click here or arrange to speak with one of our omnichannel experts.
A smartwatch is on its way to the lucky winner whose predictions were closest to the final results, while the next ten runners-up are set to receive a copy of the latest 2021 edition of our essential Evidence-based multichannel manual.
Should you have any questions about the above or wish to have a chat with one of our experts, do not hesitate to reach out to us!