Knowing what contributes to how consumers make decisions about their self-care is critical for a healthy self-care environment, and often times the self-care decision-making tree is more complex than the average purchase.
We’re pleased to see new research by Dave Wendland and David Skinner on behalf of the Global Self Care Federation published in Self Care Journal, around the self-care decision-making process and how consumers are influenced. People are increasingly looking to take an active role in maintaining their own health, and we aim to ensure that this process is as seamless as possible.
The research points us to a fairly well-defined idea of how people are undergoing the decision-making process. The first phase of the process is simply awareness – of both a product and a health need. Once an individual enters the second and third phases – need recognition and information search – they will more actively seek out information to help them make a decision.
Often, the primary driver in the information search is knowledge obtained from friends, family, and healthcare providers (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc.). Consumers also rely heavily on past experiences with a product or ailment. If they have a recurring illness, they will often rely on self-care methods that have previously worked. Once they have made a decision and purchase a product, they can then begin to evaluate their decision and think about the process.