Top Picks

For years, health-food stores, pharmacies-even infomercials-have catered to Americans' obsession with their health. Now, companies that distribute health-care items by mail are finding a first-class opportunity in this robust market. Take a growing demand for health products, the convenience and privacy of goods delivered to your door, and built-in repeat orders, and it's no surprise that sales for the mail order health-care industry have grown more than 10 percent each of the past five years to reach a record $6.1 billion in 1996.

"All the makings for opportunity are present," says John Schulte, chair of the National Mail Order Association. "The lifestyles of Americans are very favorable to selling these products."

Everything from facial moisturizers and lumbar cushions to antacids fill the catalog pages of the 560-plus mail order health-care businesses in the United States. Bestselling categories are drugs and vitamins, adult products, aids for people with disabilities, physical fitness products and health programs (including diets).

Schulte recommends creating programs like monthly clubs to set your business apart. Entrepreneurs also need to research regulations and become familiar with key industry players and basic mail order techniques. Once they've mastered the basics, mail order entrepreneurs are finding that what's good for customers is good for business.

This article was originally published in the December 1997 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Top Picks.