Align Technology were faced with making channel decisions in order to please shareholders who were displeased about the 2001 third-quarter sales figure. The company now needs a plan to sustain sufficient revenues to support future cost growth (Exhibit 1 from Invisalign: Orthodontics Unwired). In addition, executives of Align wanted a report on the causes of low conversion of customers and the options available to increase conversion rates of the Invisalign system. Align needed to overcome the following: • Convert consumer interest into use of Invisalign System. • Small target segment: marketed solely to adults and teens with mature dentition and mild cases of malocclusion • Limited distribution channel • Higher prices and higher cost of goods …show more content…
Low conversion rate • Only patients with mild malocclusion are treated • Requires more patient compliance • Financial risk if product does not work (absorbed by orthodontist) • Orthodontists highly change averse and more comfortable with traditional 2. Incentive compatibility • Dentists do not receive incentives for recommending Invisalign to patients. However, typically patients see dentists first • Orthodontists have little motivation to promote Invisalign over traditional braces 3. Push v. Pull strategy: • Push: Dentists and orthodontist to recommend Invisalign • Pull: Patient to ask orthodontist for Invisalign Conclusion In the best interest of Align Technology, the company should look towards Alternative 3 where Invisalign is broadened to the general dentistry market and incentives are created for dentists. This recommendation bridges together the three critical issues aforementioned. It will increase the conversion rate as now dentists are working towards recommending Invisalign to patients, dentists will recommend patients to orthodontists for Invisalign due to incentives and it will enforce a strong push strategy to the consumer. As seen, Align encountered a channel issue. To overcome this channel issue, they must match the incentive, product benefit, need of consumers and the function that each channel member provides. Alternative 3 does all aspects of that and will ultimately allow Align to overcome their revenues problem and satisfy …show more content…
SWOT Analysis Strengths Opportunities • First product of its kind • No major competitors • New market of young generation • Channel efficiency Weaknesses Threats • Low conversion rates • High costs to manufacture • Narrow target market • Low orthodontist adoption rate • Traditional braces uses Appendix B. Channel Analysis 1. Initial patient visit: determine whether Invisalign could be used. Sent data to Santa Clara facility. 2. Construct plaster models and sent initial computer model sent to Pakistan facilities 3. Initial model changed into customized 3D treatment plan in Pakistan. Send back to Santa Clara for approval and sent to orthodontist for approval via ClinCheck and Align 4. Each 2 week stage mold was constructed at Santa Clara facility 5. Molds sent to outsourced production vendor in Mexico and shipped directly to prescribing orthodontist (Exhibit 4) Patients received aligners after six weeks from initial visit. Align switched to shipping all aligners for each case in a single batch in order to optimize logistical
The patient is a 45 year old male who was in a car accident that
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Bren, L. (2005). Straight Talk on Braces. FDA Consumer, January-February, 21. Retrieved February 15, 2014
made by staff for residents in advance. As Jeon Y.H. et al.(2012) told that ,” The association
The Invisalign system is a treatment that focuses on correcting minor to moderate orthodontic issues. The treatment
3-D scanning has helped improve orthodontics a lot with finding the problem and being able to understand the problem better. Also it can help see everything in your mouth that a regular x-ray cannot see.
However, patients should register again and keep waiting for the specialist out-patient clinics. In light of the evidence, a streamlined process is being implemented so as to minimize the patient time. Based on the given reference, it is probable that services diminish the time externally. In fact, patients seem to be just waiting for help. Predictability :
Moreover, with this data, Invisalign should be able to produce larger quantities of Aligners (and thus offer a lower cost) based on age, dental history, etc. Rather than spending millions on advertising, investing in technical improvements would be the key to this strategy to offer additional cost value and convenience to orthodontists. Though the channel flow and order would be the same, the lead times would be much
Each country in today’s world has their own growth and their own dental care system. As you can see in appendix 5 and 6 you will see “Scorecard assessment of state of evidence for action, leadership, resources and health systems in important areas of oral health”(Beaglehole Pg 90). The global scale is organized in 3 categories high income, middle income and low income countries. High income countries world population is on...
Reduce appointment availability time to within 5 to 7 days by optimizing a team approach.
There are a number of options available if you want to know how to get straight teeth. Invisalign is one of those options. There are many ways that you can benefit from getting clear braces. Below is a list of reasons that you should consider getting clear braces:
It has often been seen that certain dentist are in the field for their own personal gain by obtaining as much money as they can out of a patient. This can be a problem in that a patient may not be able to afford basic dental care if their insurance increases their rate. Dr. Pham has stated that when obtaining inventory that will help perform procedures like fillings, the company often gives dentist a range to which they can charge the patient. Meaning, if dentist wanted to, they could charge the minimum and break even, or charge the maximum and gain a huge surplus. If dentist were only in this physician to obtain as much money they could, patients wouldn’t be able to afford the basic necessities. Thus, dentist would start to lose patients due to not being financially stable to obtain such services. This would create a division on patients who can afford such health cares and those who cannot. As a result, creating your own personal financial gain through the dental field is in no way a means to over-diagnose and over treat a patient it they do not need the services and or can not afford
Find an orthodontist because an orthodontist is a specialist who has also attended an accredited specialty program beyond the dental school. Besides this, orthodontists also receive a Master's degree also and they will have the degree alongside their name. The best way to find out if the dentist is a specialist is to ask the doctor. General dentists generally call themselves 'Specialist in Orthodontics'. Specialists also appear in the list of the American Association of Orthodontists. Going through this list
If you still don’t agree that mandatory dentention should be thing of the past, why not agree with me to satisfy your opportunistic urges? Over the past year, numerous studies have consistently demonstrated that when a new wave of regugee arrive at a nation, they make an invaluable contribution to both the economy stability and cultural diversity of that
Below I have the link to the commercial of Invisalign, that I found to be quite deceptive. There are many deceiving actions going on with the advertisement. In the video, it states that the aligners a virtually inviable, and you can eat whatever you want. The actress is seen with ice cream and popcorn, even playing an instrument. Recently, through my dentist I began my Invisalign treatment and was somewhat shocked when I was given a rundown of it. First, the aligners are clear, but due to attachments which help align your teeth, they become more noticeable. Also, you can’t eat anything with your aligners on, every time you eat, you’re to remove the aligners and then place them back in afterwards.