Online Pharmacy Service: Benefits of Building Pharmacy App & Website

Online Pharmacy Service: Benefits of Building Your Online Pharmacy App & Website

The pandemic has forced almost all services to find a presence or migrate permanently to the online space to ensure their survival. While becoming a preferred way for customers to shop, it is also profitable for sellers. This is true for businesses in many sectors, including healthcare. Online pharmacies are on the rise and proving to be a financially lucrative model for healthcare companies. A recent market study estimates that online pharmacies will generate a revenue of around USD 210.35 Billion by 2028.

If you’re thinking about building an online pharmacy app, this article is just for you. Read on to learn more about the potential of online pharmacy apps, their applications, and their development.

Why Do Pharmacies Need an App?

With the global pandemic shifting consumer patterns, a large source of pharmaceutical revenue has shifted to an online presence. However, with the potential to integrate more than just a medicine delivery system, online pharmacy services are competing to create a personalized user experience.

With an application online, a pharmacy can potentially integrate a lot of creative aspects into it, thus increasing sales and retaining customers. Some of them are:

1. Give detailed information on the medicine order, its side effects, and dosage.
2. Online consultation with specialized doctors.
3. Personalized sessions with certified pharmacists.
4. Technical solutions to find alternatives to the medicine order.
5. Personalized setting to remind daily medicine intake.
6. Alerts when incompatible medicines are bought together.
7. Customized plans for continued purchases.

Bringing in these features and more innovative ideas are winning over more customers and bolting pharmacies to top positions in the market. These are proof enough that the pharmaceutical industry stands to gain from the online market.

Benefits of Having a Pharmacy App/Website

Here is a quick look at some of the perks of having an online application and/or website for your pharmacy.

1. Low initial investments: An online presence means you can cut down on offline expenses like rent for the premises. It can also be run on minimal staff. The initial costs will however include developing a functional application.
2. Low Risk, faster turnover: The risk associated with an online pharmacy is low compared to an offline pharmacy. You can also convert your physical space into a storage facility and use it to run a larger online presence.
3. Consistent sales and customer retention: Unlike your brick-and-mortar pharmacy, your e-pharmacy is available 24×7. It caters to an extremely larger crowd than your physical pharmacy can afford. Hence you can expect, of course, decent marketing, and a steady and consistent sale. With personalized discounts and packages, you can also make sure you have higher customer retention.

Now, let’s talk about how to build a SaaS ePharmacy software, its features, and possible rewards for business owners.

How To Start An Online Pharmacy?

One cannot emphasize enough the importance of a customer-friendly user interface when it comes to online pharmacy app development. In other words, the app should be easy enough for even less tech-savvy customers to navigate and use.

Before you add various features to your app or website, it is important to have an idea of the basic flow of the ordering and delivery process. Here’s a checklist to follow:

1. Searchbar – to find the medicine or its alternative
2. Verification – the app/website can verify medicine order if necessary
3. Cart – A cart is prepared to add medicines before checkout
4. Order placement – users can order the products and choose the ideal shipping option.
5. Payment gateway – a secure payment method featuring all payment methods.

The Core Features of an Online Pharmacy App

The core features of the application or website should cover all of the above processes and more. Here is a detailed look at the various core features that should feature in your website to make it functional.

1. Exhaustive product catalog

Your online application should feature an exhaustive list of all your products, their availability, and details. This allows the customer to choose from similar products based on price or discounts. They can also track medicines that are out of stock, track orders, and make payments through trusted portals.

     2. Loyalty programs for regulars

A loyalty program or a discount card functions much the same way online as it is offline. But the chances of it being redeemed are higher in an online facility. Such options make sure customers come back again.

     3. Smart detections and QR scanning

It is easier for customers to simply scan the QR of a particular product or take a picture to check availability. Such systems help the customer find the medicine or its closest alternative.

    4. Customized deals and discounts

With a good marketing strategy, your online pharmacy can give customized deals and discounts to customers to increase customer retention. Special packages can be developed that take into account subscription model purchases.

     5. Feedback and testimonials

Genuine feedback can help improve customer service. Reviews and testimonials improve sales and increase the level of trust. Having a dedicated feedback section ensures building a relationship with the customer.

     6. Online Assistance

If the customer is unable to make a decision, there must be assistance provided on-site to guide them. A certified pharmacist can help customers make the right decision regarding choosing medicines.

      7. Connecting to offline stores

Linking your customers to your offline stores to redeem benefits will increase your customer retention at both online and offline stores. Having automatic location detection and clear instructions to reach your offline facility ensures you have a steady inflow of customers.

Final Thought

Like any industry that has created an online presence, the pharmacy stands to benefit too. It is a long-term investment and one that is going to cost you much less than you would anticipate in running a full-fledged offline store. The major expenses that you are bound to face are the ones required for web developing or application development. Once that is out of the way you can easily run your business without any hassles.

If you’re planning to build a medicine delivery app to expand your business, this is an opportune time to do it. Consult our team of online pharmacy app development experts to get started today!

Posted by

Ami Kothari