Young dentists buy online: reaching the new generation of customers
Every dental practice changes owner sooner or later. In Italy, for example, this will affect many practices in the coming years: according to the national dental register, more than half of registered dentists are aged 55 or over.
For a supplier this is a delicate moment. The relationship built over twenty years with the previous owner does not automatically pass to the one taking over. The new owner chooses suppliers from scratch, and often chooses them in a different way.
People who grew up buying online bring the same habits into the practice. They want to see the price without asking, know immediately whether a product is available, order when they have time, often in the evening, and follow the shipment without calling.
That does not mean the personal relationship no longer matters. It does, but it comes later. First the new owner has to find you, and if they search for a product online and you are not there, they will choose someone who is.
There are also practical expectations that are often underestimated: correct invoices with the right details, VAT calculated without errors, the ability to find a past order and repeat it easily.
For a supplier, the useful moves are concrete. Have an online catalogue with complete product pages and clear prices. Answer questions quickly, including in writing. Make reordering immediate. And get known through useful content and hands-on courses, which a young practice owner attends willingly.
A dental marketplace like Oralzon brings these things together without you having to build them from scratch. The catalogue is online in eight languages, customers order and pay at any time, they follow the shipment from their account, and reordering is simple. The events section lets you publish courses and demonstrations for free.
It should be said that generational change does not happen overnight, and long-standing customers remain important. That is exactly why it pays to prepare now the channel that new owners will use, while you keep serving your existing customers the way they know.
One advantage of doing it now: the first 180 days on Oralzon come with no subscription fee, and the marketplace is in its launch phase, while competition is still low.
If you want to see what a young practice owner would find when searching for your products, you can explore the vendor dashboard in a demo store, without signing up.
In short: many practices will change owner in the coming years, the newcomers choose suppliers from scratch and often online, they expect visible prices, ordering at any time, correct invoices and easy reordering, the personal relationship counts but comes after being found, and it pays to prepare the channel for the new generation now.