Services Analyze Consumer Behavior For Pharma/Health-Care Manufacturers

Compiled ByDeborah Austin Pharmaceuticals and health-care companies -- faced with increasing need to understand consumer decisions -- have access to a new suite of services through Chicago-based Information Resources Inc. (IRI), provider of UPC scanner-based solutions to the consumer-packaged-goods industry. Traditionally, the pharmaceuticals and health-care industries have relied on physician-recommendation data to track purchasing habits -- but now, says IRI, they express growing need to gauge consumer choice in prescription and over-the-counter purchasing habits. The new suite of IRI services is targeted toward health-and-beauty manufacturers and drug manufacturers. Phase One includes rollout of RxPulse, a 34,000-plus consumer panel that tracks and measures consumer purchases for over-the-counter and prescription products -- letting clients monitor usage across key segments including ailments treated, consumer attributes and channel purchasing.