Conducting market research into the UK private healthcare market to inform market access and pricing strategy

Our Global Pharma client wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the UK private healthcare market ahead of their product launch.

We proposed conducting research into the logistics of the private market, pricing structures, how services are organised, and how consumer demand is estimated to determine their go-to market strategy. Our client was also looking to test blinded target product profiles to determine the product attributes of importance and the impact of this on willingness to pay.

We began by conducting detailed desk research into the UK private market landscape for the client’s therapy area.

We then surveyed three distinct populations, two different types of private healthcare organisations, and the general public. We used a best practice approach for obtaining detailed insights from a small sample size. We then developed three distinct but overlapping surveys that would engage all three populations. Using qualitative and quantitative survey questions, we probed further into pricing, logistics, procurement, and the appetite for a new product or service in the private market. The comprehensive surveys were distributed through our compliance-approved survey platform.

In addition, we recruited individuals with relevant expertise with a range of job types within the private market. We surveyed them to understand their perspectives on the drivers and responsibilities of the different stakeholders involved in the delivery of the service.

The results were analysed and the insights from the different survey populations were compared with each other and our desk research. We presented a detailed report of all the findings, with strategic recommendations made to inform the next steps of our client’s private market access strategy.

The report gave our client a comprehensive overview of the realities and priorities of the private market. It offered recommendations on how to align their product to enhance the profitability of the private service and appeal to the privately paying consumer.

Our comprehensive desk research ensured that all survey insights were novel to the client and provided valuable knowledge that they would not have been able to source from publicly available information. We used a wide variety of surveying techniques, combining both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, to obtain well-rounded responses. It was important to combine both business and end consumer insight simultaneously, to provide our client with a full picture of differing commercial and clinical requirements.

Following the success of this initial research project, the client has asked us to utilise these survey insights to develop a value proposition targeted to payers in the UK private market.