The pandemic has prompted the rapid increase in the use of at-home diagnostic medical devices as many continue to fear going to diagnostic centers for medical tests. The growth could also be a result of the awareness about early diagnosis and preventive care.
The overall sales in the at-home diagnostic kits category for April – July this year is more than double the sales in the corresponding period last year on Snapdeal, India’s leading online marketplace.
Over the last four months, users have bought many personal diagnostic and health monitoring products. Pulse oximeters, blood pressure monitors, digital thermometer, and glucometer have been popular.
Pulse Oximeter, which helps in tracking potential symptoms like heart rate and oxygen level, has become a staple in the first aid kit and medicine cabinet of most households. Pre-COVID-19, oximeter was a niche product with limited demand. Pulse oximeter purchases have spiked more than 300% since the first COVID-19 case was identified. Most of these oximeters are priced below Rs 2000.
The sale of this device is largely driven by metro markets such as Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Guwahati, and Ahmedabad.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected just about every aspect of life, including diagnosis and monitoring of some health issues. Many people are wondering if it’s safe to go to hospitals or pathology labs for tests and prefer to postpone other regular treatments. Hence many Snapdeal shoppers have bought health monitoring devices to check blood pressure or diabetes from the platform.
According to Snapdeal spokesperson, “while users are postponing non-essential medical procedures, they also want to keep track of their health so that they can stay out of hospitals. The higher sales of diagnostic equipment are driven by this desire to be careful.”
Cities such as Nagpur, Lucknow, Kanpur, Bhopal, Indore, Jaipur, Udaipur are the leading buyers for diagnostic products.
Cholesterol measurement meters, nebulizers, Infrared thermometers, and insulin pumps are other diagnostic devices that are high in demand. Snapdeal curated a list of health monitoring devices under daily needs products category and they range from INR 599- INR 3000. Most of these devices can be easily used at home.
There has also been a growth in the demand for nutrition supplements, Ayurvedic products, and alternative health therapy in the last 5 months as compared to the pre-COVID time.