Pharmaceutical and health care products companies know they have to market to two types of customers:
physicians and patients. Home medical equipment supplier Invacare, Elyria, OH, has selected the e-business
suite from BroadVision (www.broadvision.com),
Redwood City, CA, to power a customer care Web site that can tell the difference between the two.
Invacare's site offers more than two-dozen product lines including mobility products and home medical
equipment for people with disabilities and those requiring home health care. Invacare wanted its redesigned site
to provide one-stop shopping for both consumers and medical professionals, supporting transactions and
offering detailed information on the company's product.
BroadVision's Business Commerce and One-to-One Publishing technology will enable site visitors to set
content preferences and access customized product catalogs and information. For example, a health care
provider who registers and indicates an interest in respiratory products will be greeted by name at log-in and
taken directly to respiratory product information. B2B customers will have access to their order status, credit
availability and other account-specific information.
The new site will reportedly support cross-selling and up-selling by offering recommendations on
complementary products or products that have additional features and benefits compared to product purchased
earlier through the Web site. Both health care professionals and consumers will be offered similar personalized
experiences when they return to the site.
