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How to Create an Online Medical Supplies Product Catalog

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The online medical supplies industry is increasing rapidly as more and more people continue making purchases electronically. From 2015 to 2020, the sector grew at an annualized rate of 17%. 

A medical supplies catalog is another marketing piece you can share with potential buyers to encourage them to purchase. A product catalog should include all the details a prospect needs to make an informed buying decision. Essential features include product descriptions, images, pricing, colors, customer reviews, and much more.

Throughout this article, we’ll explain why you should consider offering a catalog that includes the medical supplies you provide and how to create one from scratch.

Quick Takeaways:

  • The online medical supplies industry is growing rapidly as more and more people continue making purchases electronically.
  • Having an online product catalog allows you to look up technical information quickly, generate more sales, and keep inventory updated in real-time. It also helps enhance the user experience.
  • To design your new catalog, start by conducting research and identifying your supply system. Next, choose which elements you want to include, choose software, and design your catalog.

The Benefits of Having a Medical Supplies Catalog for Clients

Having a medical supplies catalog on hand is not only helpful for marketing and sales purposes. Yes, it’s an excellent piece of collateral for sales reps to use to communicate with customers. But it’s also beneficial for internal warehouse managers, operators, and partners. Everyone can refer to it as a manual or guide to making purchases, selling, taking inventory, performing demos, and sharing it as needed.

Here’s a rundown of several other benefits your business can experience by producing a detailed product catalog online.

  • Always have complex or technical information on hand.
  • Keep inventory updated in real-time.
  • Generate sales by having all product and service information readily available.
  • Share information quickly and easily online.
  • Generate sales from anywhere at any time.
  • Improve the user experience.
  • Promote your brand with a well-designed product catalog.
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How to Design an Online Medical Supplies Catalog in 9 Steps

So you’re ready to start selling medical supplies to your clients online. Here’s how to develop an online product catalog that stands out and converts.

1. Conduct Preliminary Research 

Before you begin, ensure you are updated with the licensing and regulations the FDA has set for medical device distributors.

2. Identify Your Supply System

Compile a list of your current vendors (or shortlist vendors if you’re setting up a new system). Factor in resources and manufacturing capacity for each vendor. That way, you can strategically work toward your sales goals.

3. Incorporate the Right Elements for Your Online Catalog

Before developing your catalog, choose the elements you want to include based on your business, goals, and resources. Here are several pieces to consider: 

  • Product names
  • Product descriptions
  • Certifications 
  • Customer reviews
  • Product dimensions
  • Product features
  • Product guarantees or warranties
  • High-quality images
  • Return policy
  • Safety information
  • Year and version of each product
  • Terms and conditions 
  • Front cover
  • Table of contents
  • Introduction 
  • Closing summary
  • Back cover
  • Calls to action 
  • Branding 

4. Choose the Right System or Template

After you’ve decided on the elements you want to include, you can choose a system and template that supports your plan. Look for a system that’s secure and powerful enough to support your catalog while giving your customers the best online experience you can muster.

You’ll also want to choose a tool that’s easy to navigate. While the back end of your catalog may be complex, the front end shouldn’t be. Many ecommerce product catalog tools exist. Choose the best one for your business needs and catalog complexity.

5. Choose an Automated Configuring Process 

Look for software that includes product configuration technology. That way, you can track items for planning and inventory automatically. Standard configurations include prices, part numbers, and a spec doc.

6. Professionally Design It and Add Branding

If you want people to associate your online catalog with your business instantly, incorporate branding elements. These should include your logo, brand fonts, colors, and graphics that reflect your company’s styles and personality.

Hire a professional designer to lay out the pages, incorporate branding, and create a cohesive design for best results. Pages should appear balanced, photography should be pristine, and the catalog as a whole should attract your target audience. Every page and element should work toward a common goal: to encourage users to buy.

7. Tell a Story and Build Trust

To make your catalog engaging for browsers, you can incorporate messages that resonate with readers and storytelling. This will help people get to know your brand and connect with prospects on a deeper level. You can include client stories, testimonials, and case studies that resonate with potential buyers.

8. Include Filter Functionality

Finding a specific item can be tricky and time-consuming if you have a massive catalog with hundreds or thousands of products. Giving people the option to locate a particular product or add a filter to narrow down results will enhance the user experience. You can do this by tagging and categorizing products.

9. Incorporate Key Conversion Components

Incorporating key conversion elements is crucial to getting more sales. Adding calls to action (CTAs) strategically, offering prices upfront, and making the buying process as simple as possible are all ways to increase conversions and move people through the sales funnel.

You can also aim to upsell and cross-sell by suggesting related products throughout your catalog. Offering alternatives to what a user is considering is another way to get people to continue shopping to find the best product to meet their needs.

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Ready to Enhance Your Online Marketing Results?

Share Moving Media is a premier publishing and content marketing company. We love partnering with manufacturers and distributors in the healthcare space. If you want to expand your market share, grow meaningful relationships with potential buyers, and improve your brand image, we want to help. We can also help you create an epic online medical supplies catalog that converts.

Reach out to get started!

6 Strategies that Work to Sell Medical Supplies in 2022

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As a medical supplier, you sell medical supplies to improve the lives of patients. 

You work hard to provide hospitals, doctors, and other healthcare organizations with the critical supplies and tools they need to care for patients.

Whether you are a seasoned medical sales representative or new to the role, you should always be ready to learn new strategies. These effective selling strategies can help you improve your business and keep pace with the rapid industry growth of medical supply sales.

Key Takeaways

  • Use advanced technology to provide visually engaging demonstrations of complicated products.
  • Create a personalized buying experience for your customers by getting to know them and staying engaged.
  • Keep yourself educated with up-to-date medical information that helps you fully understand your products and answer customer questions.

Sell Medical Supplies More Effectively with These 6 Strategies

These sales strategies can help you improve your medical sales as you look towards 2022 and the incredible progress of the healthcare industry.

According to IBISWorld, the medical supplies wholesaling industry is expected to grow by 3.8% in 2021. This is faster than the average annual growth of 2.5% between 2016 and 2021.

You can improve your sales strategy as you look to the future with these 6 tips.

1. Offer Advanced Demonstrations of Complex Products 

Some of the medical supplies you sell are complicated. Offering your potential customers a brochure or one sheet for these products will not give them adequate information. These types of materials will not effectively demonstrate all the product’s features, and they have the potential to include outdated information.

To improve your chances of making a sale, you want hospitals and physicians to visualize your products in their facilities. If they can’t imagine this, you will have a harder time closing the sale.

Showing off your products, and even letting your clients experience them for themselves, is one of the most effective selling strategies. Unfortunately, some of your most valuable equipment is large, expensive, and not practical to carry around. Modern technology can help you get past this roadblock. Consider using some of these advanced visualization options:

  • Medical Animation: A medical animation can show healthcare professionals a detailed view of how your product works, even on a cellular level. It can show off the inner workings of a product. This gives information to your clients that they might not know even if they are holding the product in their hands.

Augmented Reality: Augmented Reality (AR) is when digital objects are superimposed on top of real-world objects. It is used in everyday apps, such as with chatting filters that make your face look like an animal. In a medical setting, AR is interactive and can be used with a smartphone, tablet, or virtual reality headset. In a demonstration, AR can show digital details and facts on top of a real-world view.

  • Virtual Reality: Virtual Reality (VR) is similar to AR, except all the images are digital. A VR demonstration of a medical product allows physicians and other medical personnel to try out the product for themselves.

Advanced visualizations like this are a powerful tool that can help bring products to life. Doctors and hospitals can see a clear image of how your products will work in their facility.

This YouTube video shows a good demonstration of how virtual reality works in the medical field.

2. Be Engaged with Customers through the Entire Sales Cycle 

Imagine how easy your job would be if customers were always reaching out to you. Unfortunately, that is not how the medical supplies world works. You need to be fully engaged with all your customers through every step of the sales cycle. This includes continual communication, support, and guidance when your customers or prospects have questions.

When you are making frequent visits, responding quickly to their emails, or staying in contact with virtual meetings, you will have a much more rewarding relationship, whether it ends in a sale or not.

Being engaged with your customers is something you always have control over, unlike other parts of the sales cycle. It is worthwhile to set aside part of each day to connect with and respond to your customers. Make sure you follow through with whatever you say to your customers, so they maintain their trust in you.

3. Create a Personalized Experience for Your Customers 

The modern medical supplies sales cycle includes multiple stakeholders. You no longer deal with one buying representative. Instead, you must convince an entire committee of the benefits of your products. These committees may include surgeons, physicians, hospital administrators, nurse managers, and other support staff.

Before you come to a meeting with these groups, you need to learn as much as you can about the people, their responsibilities, and their goals. The more you know beforehand, the better you can customize your presentation to their specific needs.

During the sales conversation, try to engage each person and ask about their expectations for you and your products. This will create a strong foundation that you can build on for future meetings.

4. Stay Up to Date on Medical Technology

Medical technology is making big advancements year after year. As a medical supplier, you need to stay on top of these advancements and know what is happening in the industry. Keep yourself educated by reading medical journals, attending conferences, and speaking with colleagues. As you learn more about new technology, think of ways to incorporate these updates in your sales strategy.

5. Fully Understand All Your Products

You are the representative for your company and your products. You are responsible for knowing every detail of every product you sell. Without this knowledge, you will not be a successful representative. 

Each person you interact with will have different questions about your products. You need to answer them all with precise information. This could include technical specifications, pricing information, and how it works.

Use whatever resources you have to your advantage so you can effectively address each question with relevant information.

6. Keep the Focus on Patients

Everything you sell is meant to improve the health of patients. Your customers have their patients’ experiences at the forefront of their mind. Every sales decision they make is based on how they think your product could benefit their patients and how it compares to other medical devices.

When you talk to your customers, make sure you keep your focus on the patients. Show your customers how your products can add value to the patient experience, and they will be more likely to purchase from you.

Want to learn more? Contact Share Moving Media today to get started! 

Everything You Need to Know About Medical Equipment Leasing

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Medical equipment leasing has become a viable way for hospitals and small clinics alike to obtain the supplies they need to run a successful practice. According to GlobeNewswire, the global healthcare equipment leasing market could reach $59.8 billion by 2027.

As a medical equipment manufacturer or distributor, offering leasing options to your customers can be a strategic move for numerous reasons. Today, we’ll cover the fundamentals of medical equipment leasing: what it is, how it works, and why so many organizations (your potential customers) often prefer leasing over buying.

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Quick Takeaways:

  • As a medical supplier, offering leasing options to your customers can be a strategic move.
  • Leasing is a practical and fiscally responsible way to keep a facility up to date with the latest technology and equipment.
  • When helping your clients decide whether to buy or lease medical equipment, help them consider their business model, credit score, technology needs, and maintenance requirements.
  • Top benefits of medical equipment leasing include lower upfront costs, greater flexibility, an easy application process, and the ability to upgrade quickly in a rapidly changing environment.

What is Medical Equipment Leasing, and How Does it Work?

Leasing is like renting. Hospitals, for example, can lease the medical equipment they need to care for patients by making monthly payments. At the end of the lease, they can decide to purchase, continue leasing, or return the equipment.

Leasing payments are often lower than buying, and the terms are more flexible. A standard lease term for medical devices ranges from three to five years. Leasing is a practical and fiscally responsible way to keep a facility up to date with the latest technology and equipment.

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Is it Better to Lease or Buy Medical Supplies?

When helping your clients think through whether they should lease or buy medical equipment for their facilities, help them consider the following factors:

  • Their business: Smaller businesses, like urgent care and doctor’s offices, can save a lot of money by leasing rather than buying equipment outright. Some lessors also allow lessees to make payments toward the overall cost, giving businesses the option of purchasing the product when the lease ends.
  • Their credit: Credit history can significantly impact equipment lease prices. Businesses with higher credit scores will have lower interest rates and pay less over the life of the lease than those with low credit scores.
  • Technology demands: Businesses should consider how quickly the equipment in their specific field becomes outdated. Supplies and technology that evolve rapidly may not be worth purchasing outright since they will need to replace them soon.
  • Maintenance requirements: Businesses that want to customize their equipment may prefer buying over leasing. They will have more control over maintenance, updates, and turnaround times for repairs if they own their supplies. If a company leases, they will have to rely on the lessor to make repairs, and modifications may be prohibited.

Top Benefits of Leasing Instead of Buying Medical Equipment

Here are some of the top advantages of leasing medical equipment. You can use this information as an outline when speaking with clients or prospective clients about leasing versus buying your equipment.

1. Fewer Upfront Costs

Sometimes, large purchases aren’t an option due to the high initial cash outlay. Borrowing money (taking out a loan) and making the initial down-payment can also be out of reach for many businesses.

Rather than forking over a massive payment upfront, businesses that lease their equipment can make affordable monthly payments that don’t break the bank. Down payments are rarely required for leases (or are low-cost), giving organizations the equipment they need immediately without grossly impacting their cash flow.

Inform your clients that over time, depending on how long they lease the equipment, they may end up paying more overall than they would have if they’d bought it outright. Encourage your leasing clients to select an end-of-term option that fits their practice’s needs. If they can avoid renewing rental payments past the point where their lease exceeds the cost of directly purchasing the equipment, they can save money in the long run.

2. Flexibility

Compared to taking out a loan to purchase medical equipment, leases are easier to acquire, even for companies with poor credit or those that require an extended payment plan for lower monthly costs.

Lessees also have various options to consider at the end of the lease term. They can choose to renew the lease, extend the contract, purchase the equipment, or end the lease and upgrade to new equipment.

3. Speedy Application Process

Getting approved for and executing a lease can be a fast and straightforward process, as long as the lessee provides the correct financial information up front.

4. Tax-Deductible

Organizations can deduct lease payments as business expenses on tax returns, further reducing the net cost of their investments.

5. Easy to Upgrade and Keep Up with Rapid Changes in the Medical Field

As the medical field continues to advance, hospitals and other healthcare organizations must continually replace outdated technology and systems. High-tech equipment can quickly become obsolete. 

Leasing offers medical facilities greater flexibility than buying and the advantage of not having to try to unload old equipment. Instead, they can easily replace it with cutting-edge supplies and high-end technology to meet emerging patient needs.

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Owning medical equipment can be advantageous for many larger organizations, but the benefits don’t always outweigh the costs. If a new rendition replaces an older model earlier than expected or before the business has paid off its previous loan, it could get into financial trouble. Additionally, the older model may have a low resale value and be difficult to sell.

Keeping Pace with the Latest Medical Field Marketing Trends

Share Moving Media is a leading content production and publishing company. We love working with manufacturers and distributors in the medical field, helping them grow their audience and win new customers through content marketing. If that’s you, feel free to reach out when you’re ready to crush the competition and smash your business goals.

Contact us today!