Evaluating patients' perception towards generic and branded medicines: A segmentation approach

Abstract

The objective of this study is to identify the underlying subgroups of consumers in terms of their perceptions towards branded and generic medicines in emerging economies. To the best of our knowledge, no research till date has dwelled on their patient segmentation based on their psychographic towards medicine. This makes the current study a seminal attempt in its category. Based on the survey data collected by the authors from Delhi and National Capital region of India, the present research employs consumer research methodologies. Cluster analysis based on psychographics and demographic was employed to cluster consumers based on their perception towards and generic medicines. The cluster-based analysis segmented the patients into three categories namely Branded Medicine Inclined, Generic Medicine inclined, Cost Conscious. From the extant review of the literature, it was observed that segmentation of patients based on their perceptions was found to be insignificant. Identifying and establishing patient clusters will help the government agencies in devising and managing healthcare awareness program towards generic medicines in an efficient fashion.