---
title: The Funnel Wars
description: Retail health and big tech are entering primary care. Health systems that want patient loyalty will have to learn from the consumerism giants.
---

[Blog | Josh Weidenfeller](https://www.joshweidenfeller.com/insights)

# [The Funnel Wars](https://www.joshweidenfeller.com/insights/the-funnel-wars)

 Written by [Josh Weidenfeller](https://www.joshweidenfeller.com/insights/author/josh-weidenfeller) | Sep 17, 2026, 10:43:43 PM

*Originally published in 2024, while I was at NRC Health. Edited September 2026: sources linked, and the loyalty list updated to its 2024 edition.*

If you were the CEO of Blockbuster, would you go back in time to buy Netflix? Hindsight is often 20/20, but the best lessons can be learned from looking towards the past. The healthcare industry has already entered The Funnel Wars, and most healthcare leaders don’t even know it.

According to CMS (the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), U.S. health care spending reached $4.5 trillion in 2022, or 17.3% of GDP ([CMS, December 2023](https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/national-health-expenditures-2022-highlights)). Many disruptors are entering into the healthcare space, all looking to take a piece of that market share. We don’t have to look far to see how these stories often play out. When it comes to disruptors, fortune usually favors the bold. Netflix took over media, Amazon took over retail, Uber took over taxis, and Airbnb took over hospitality. Healthcare is now the latest of many industries facing market disruption from new entrants. Retail Health and Big Tech have started to make big changes in order to grab a piece of the pie and although they are late to the party, we also know how slowly the healthcare industry moves.

Retail Health has been one of the largest healthcare disruptors so far. We know the healthcare industry has been moving towards consumerism for awhile and is something that Big Retailers Amazon, Walmart, and CVS understand all too well. Now we are seeing these retail giants enter the primary care space, which could spell trouble for many traditional health systems. Consumer loyalty to these brands is unmatched, while patient loyalty is something that many health systems have been struggling with for some time. If health systems want to catch up, they are going to have to take lessons from these consumerism giants’ handbook.

When we look at Brand Keys’ top-100 Loyalty Leaders list, there is not a single health system on it, but do you know who is? Amazon, Walmart, and CVS ([Brand Keys, 2024 list](https://brandkeys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/2024-Loyalty-Leaders-Top-100-List.pdf)) — all companies who excel in fully understanding their customer’s values, habits, and preferences throughout the entire buying journey. Health Systems will have to practice the same amount of diligence in 2024 when it comes to consumer and market research in order to fully understand their patients’ values, goals, and fears so that they can make the best strategic decisions for their brand and drive patient loyalty.

## Sources

- Brand Keys. (2024, September). [*2024 Loyalty Leaders Top-100 List*](https://brandkeys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/2024-Loyalty-Leaders-Top-100-List.pdf).
- “The Rise of Retail Health.” Workweek, 13 May 2023.
- CMS.gov. (2023, December 13). [*National Health Expenditures 2022 Highlights*](https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/national-health-expenditures-2022-highlights).

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