You must have seen various articles about telehealth and the healthcare industry and how it is shifting ever since the pandemic happened. We now see that the habits of people are changing and everyone wants to get personalized and at-home services rather than going to a clinic in-person which was the preferred choice earlier. Talking about telehealth, we have a company based out of Singapore named Ora that focuses on telehealth and takes care of skincare for both men and women.
Elias Pour, the founder of Ora, said he “saw a very clear trend from customers investing in looking good, driven by fashion buys that allowed them to express themselves, to feeling good, which is connected to physical appearance such as skin, hair, weight and overall well-being.” He added that “Southeast Asia has one of the highest out-of-pocket health expenditures globally, so there didn’t need to be a behavioral change in order to convince people to move to direct payments. People are already used to paying out of pocket for their healthcare costs, suiting this category well for DTC.” Pour said, “Today, men and women in their 20s and 30s living in capital cities represent 36% of the total population. It’s the fastest growing segment, forecasted to represent half of the population in most markets by 2030.” Pour added that Ora is “establishing a strong relationship with them at this early stage, to earn their trust, remaining relevant to address the healthcare needs they will have as they age.”
At the moment, Ora is vertically integrated and currently operates three brands. The first, Modules, focuses on online dermatology consultations and prescription skincare. The second, andSons, offers male health care, and the third, OVA, treats female reproductive healthcare. The company says that 90% of its patients are first to condition, under 38 years old and have never been treated before online. Younger patients demand flexibility and speed, which is why Ora’s telemedicine model is attractive to them. Ora’s founder added that “Ora differentiates from other telehealth players like Doctor Anywhere, Speedoc and Alodokter because it focuses on specific health issues. Ora is also combining prescription, OTC and strong consumer products to provide post-treatment service and clinical continuity”.
