Table 2 Vietnamese people’s activities involving their online purchase of medicines and functional foods in the past year (n = 656 buyers).
No | Characteristics | Number | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Purchased medicines and/or functional foods online in the past year (times) | 1 to 3 | 447 | 68.1 |
> 3 | 209 | 31.9 | ||
2 | Point of purchase (multiple choices) | Online pharmacies | 317 | 48.3 |
Social networks (Facebook, Zalo…) | 309 | 47.1 | ||
Websites of manufacturers | 262 | 39.9 | ||
E-commerce websites | 58 | 8.8 | ||
3 | From where did you know medicines and functional foods can be purchased online? (multiple choices) | Internet, social networks, mobile applications | 450 | 68.6 |
Family, friends | 267 | 40.7 | ||
Healthcare providers (doctors, pharmacists…) | 167 | 25.5 | ||
Mass media (television, radio…) | 73 | 11.1 | ||
4 | Criteria for choosing the points to purchase medicines and functional foods online (multiple choices) | Reviews/comments of previous buyers | 439 | 66.9 |
The information about products and manufacturers is precise and reliable. | 430 | 65.5 | ||
Sellers or suppliers are reliable and have high qualifications | 426 | 64.9 | ||
The availability and various kinds of products | 341 | 52.0 | ||
Low/affordable prices | 272 | 41.5 | ||
5 | When purchasing medicines on the Internet, you did … (n = 360 medicine buyers) (multiple choices) | Make a conversation with a doctor or pharmacist before purchasing products | 158 | 43.9 |
Submit your prescription to the seller | 83 | 23.1 | ||
Complete a survey or answer a questionnaire about your health status | 66 | 18.3 | ||
Nothing of the above | 118 | 32.8 | ||
6 | Level of satisfaction for previous experiences in the online purchasing of medicines/functional foods | Completely dissatisfied | 17 | 2.6 |
Dissatisfied | 22 | 3.4 | ||
Neutral/Normal | 350 | 53.4 | ||
Satisfied | 189 | 28.8 | ||
Completely satisfied | 78 | 11.9 | ||
