Reports point to women as important online targets for pharma

Reports point to women as important online targets for pharma

Source: ePharm5(tm) To receive these articles and others like it, click the link below to sign up for a FREE 30-day trial. http://www.epharm5.com/aboutepharm.cfm?s=EN55651A eMarketer has produced two reports this spring that cover online consumer behavior. ePharm5 talked with senior analyst Lisa E. Phillips, the author of one of the reports, about the findings. More women rely on the Internet for health information than men, and people between the ages of 30 and 49 are heavier users of online health resources than 18- to 29-year-olds, she says. Those above the age of 40 are online looking for information and do not want to go to places such as YouTube and MySpace. Consumers of that age want to get their information from a source that's more reliable, such as WebMD or a pharma site or health portal, Phillips tells ePharm5. Sixty-eight percent of seniors aged 65 and older check the Internet for health information, and many of those aged 70 and older ask their caregivers to go online for them, Phillips says. Another report by eMarketer found that females constitute the majority of Internet users, but that they are less likely to view video online than males. Nearly 78% of male Internet users will view video online this year, whereas only 66% of females will. "Women don't go online for fun," Phillips says. "If a video was instructional and not entertainment, more women would view it."