Additional services

As additional services of the salon, you can include custom-made insoles (this requires cooperation with an orthopedic doctor) or the rental and repair of wheelchairs and walkers.

What not to sell.

Specialty medical supply stores usually do not sell medications (this requires a license to practice pharmacy). Also, they usually don’t carry absorbent cotton, bandages, or those items that people would go to the pharmacy for in the first place.

What they sell most often.

The leaders are orthopedic products and measuring devices, which can account for up to 60% of sales, followed by rehabilitation products and other categories of goods. In this connection, such a business format as an orthopedic salon is quite popular. The disadvantage of such goods is that they do not have the highest margin.

Is there a seasonal demand.

Seasonal surges in demand can be observed for different types of goods, for example, in summer tonometers are sold more actively, and in winter – humidifiers, inhalers and health products.

How to pick up the starter range.

There is no one-size-fits-all strategy for selecting an assortment that is suitable for every locality. With starter purchases will have to analyze the proposal in stores competitors, including orthopedic salons and pharmacies, to study Internet searches. Great help can be provided by suppliers of products that have sales statistics on the dealer network.

Prices.

As a rule, most customers of medical equipment stores do not have a big budget to buy. Buyers are either the patients themselves, or their relatives, people who are often limited in funds, and their purchase may be a forced measure.

Choice of suppliers.

The market is saturated with products from both foreign and domestic manufacturers, who in recent years have significantly increased their share of the domestic market. In metropolitan areas there are no problems with the choice of partners, while in the regions of the circle of wholesale companies is limited. In this regard, the cost of medical equipment in small provincial towns is usually much higher than in metropolitan areas.

Which promotion methods and sales channels can be used:

• Contextual advertising in Google Adwords, which it is wise to entrust to professionals. Here you should keep in mind that there are limitations in publishing advertisements on medical topics. For example, due to the abundance of scammers, Yandex does not allow ads mentioning coronavirus, ventilator machines, sanitizers and medical masks. Another inconvenience in advertising medical supplies is that, for example, Yandex often mistakenly assigns ads to the subject “Medical Services”, suitable rather for clinics and laboratories. Because of what we have to go to support and lost time checking and admission.
• Advertising campaigns. The peculiarity of medical equipment is that some categories of goods need to be demonstrated. This can include, for example, all kinds of massagers, whose work can be demonstrated in action at street actions or events, or inside the salon.
• Marketplaces. You can connect your online store with Yandex.Market or other popular marketplace. The advantage of marketplace is that you do not need to have a promoted brand to integrate with them, and you can immediately begin selling your goods to a wide audience. The downside is the commission, for the category of medical goods it ranges from 8 to 21%. Also, do not forget about the cost of storage and delivery of goods.
• Social media. Today, social networks are easily integrated with the store and have many resources for promotion. However, most owners of such groups find it extremely difficult to hold the attention of users and play “long term”. Even seemingly useful and non-advertising content in groups with an abundance of participants does not generate any likes or comments. So if you’re planning to run your own group or account, not only analyze your competitors’ content, but also ask yourself from the user’s perspective: what images, photos, visuals and text would make you want to hold your attention and read the post, post or video.