What Are The Benefits Of An Online Pharmacy Application?

Going online with your business is not just about going digital for the sake of it. It is an important decision that requires some monetary investment and a lot of planning. Challenges sure, but it also provides huge business benefits.

As much as we are embracing our slightly changed lifestyle after the strike of the Covid-19 pandemic, we must also accept the changes it brought along with it. During the pandemic, the world has seen a major shift to online platforms in every industry. During that dark period, technology served as a light that fought against major business challenges. People shifted their brick-and-mortar businesses to online and started selling products and services digitally.

Pharmacy and the healthcare industry too chose to hold the hand of technology. There are many reasons to take your pharmacy business online. It provides you more visibility, allows you to get more leads, and makes your business more than just a next-door pharmacy store. Here in this blog, we would be discussing the benefits of going online with your pharmacy business and also, how you can build a pharmacy delivery app.

What do pharmacy applications do?

Online pharmacy or e-pharmacy is an online web or mobile application that provides customers a platform to order medicines online from a store. The app may have high-end features such as taking online doctor consultations, scheduling drug deliveries, setting medicine reminders, paying through multiple payment methods and so much more. Once a customer places their order (need to add a prescription from a certified physician), the vendor gets the order details, verifies the submitted prescription, and processes the order and the medicine gets delivered to the customer’s doorstep.

The solution is convenient and very similar to any eCommerce site where people can browse for the medicines they want to order. Filter the search based on various metrics. It has a cart, a checkout page, multiple payment methods, order tracking and so much more to make the customer experience superior on the site.

Benefits of an online pharmacy application

We would be weighing the advantages of an on-demand medicine delivery service provider. We have identified various factors as per service providers and customers that can benefit them.

Advantages for the service provider

1. Attract more customers

Being online puts you on the platforms where people are searching and researching medicines. People have become used to ordering things online and getting the convenience of receiving things on their doorsteps. By going online, you would be able to capture those leads and earn more profit from the online sales. Also, if you have a retail store, it would allow you to be more than just a next-door drug store, as it increases your reach several folds.

2. Expand business

When it comes to a retail store, the customer experience is not a factor to take into account. But when you go online, a good customer experience would help you earn higher ratings and good reviews which in turn churns lead generation. Business expansion becomes easy when you are able to serve your customers with what they are looking for, and in this case, it is not just medicine. Faster delivery, secure packaging, faster customer service, regular reminders, regular offers, discounts on drugs – the list is extensive, you can do a lot more to enhance your customer experience and get benefited through the word of mouth.

3. Boosts revenue

Being a physical retail store means restricting yourself to the people that are living in the area or the people passing by. But the reach for an on-demand medicine delivery business is limitless. You can be a global service provider and having said that, you can see your revenue going only higher over time.

4. Marketing and customer communication

There are various proven digital marketing methods that can help you in marketing your business. You can reach your customers organically or advertise your business in various ways to grab the attention of the people that are looking for medicines and other services. Furthermore, advertising through digital platforms is rather segregated. You can show your ads to people that are looking for the drugs that you sell and this helps you in getting more revenue rather than recklessly investing in advertising your business on the traditional platforms.

Apart from that, customer service is more sorted. You can allow your customers to communicate with you through AI-driven chatbots, solve their queries instantly, and also there are other channels such as calls, chats, and emails.

You can utilize the data that you have on your customers to elevate their experience by offering them relevant discounts. Email marketing becomes very easy you can get a return as high as 33% on email marketing.

5. Improved work processes

When going digital, you are not just getting an “order medicine app”, but you are investing in a sophisticated software solution that also eases things on the service end.

Technology has evolved in leaps in bounces. And today, we have high-end feature-rich solutions that help you in improving your processes. Be in order processing, inventory management, customer services, data analytics, market predictions, etc., a digital business becomes more robust with smart technology implementation. It renders more transparency in the system and solutions such as ERP, enterprise mobility, cloud computing, etc., giving you more scalability and flexibility to run a global pharmacy business.

Advantages for the customer

1. Accessibility

Ecommerce is one of the greatest phenomena and it has taken the world by storm. People have become so adaptive to the eCommerce services that almost everything is available today on the on-demand app segment – that includes medicines too. People want a user-friendly platform from which they can conveniently order medicines without having to worry about going to the stores, forgetting to buy medicines, or facing situations such as the unavailability of the medicine. They have great accessibility to everything right from searching for medicine to ordering the right medicines.

2. Discounted rates

Be it a wider reach, reduced operational cost, reduced labor cost, or more, online pharmacy stores are providing medicines to their customers at a lesser price. This makes people go online rather than to the next-door drug store. And discounting does not affect the business too. Think about the models you want to implement that would reduce your expenses and maintenance costs and you would be able to provide a pocket-friendly deal on the medicines to your customers.

3. History

Another great advantage for the customers is that they are able to manage their medical history better. Things are rather paperless and the data security is remarkable in online pharmacy stores. A customer can access years-old prescriptions in the pharmacy store, and provide them to their physician anytime.

4. Authentication

There are various regulatory bodies now that make sure the online pharmacies are selling authentic drugs only. These regulatory bodies make sure the customers are not cheated on the online platforms and online pharmacies are selling drugs from established and certified manufacturers only.

5. Security

Online pharmacy stores have to maintain security protocols that protect customer data. Along with customer satisfaction, protecting customer data, and maintaining absolute privacy about their purchases account to trust. With the advancement in technology, more and more focus is on rendering a breach-proof secure system where people can come and order drugs.

6. Virtual Healthcare

Many online pharmacy stores provide additional services as well. Such as online consultations, booking an appointment with a local physician, emergency medicine, ambulance booking, etc. These service add-ons attract more customers and have come of great use during the pandemic.

7. Drug information

Online platforms tend to provide more information on drugs. Normally, medicine does not come with complete information about all the drugs in medicine and their effects on the body. Online platforms thus have an opportunity to provide more information and stay transparent with the consumers. Information such as ingredients, dosage, and side effects can help you create a more informed customer base. Also, it provides you with a great benefit in SEO and sales.

8. Medicine Reminders

People upload their prescriptions while ordering drugs from your store and hence you know when to remind your customers to take medicines. Allowing your customers to schedule reminders and automatic reminders can help you in improving your customer experience better. Also, you can use this in reminding your customers when their stock of medicine is ending and if they need a refill, especially in case of chronic diseases.

9. Providing Feedback

Empowering your customers to give feedback is a great way to ensure the customer experience. People on online platforms tend to share more and you can use their reviews and feedback to improve your services. In return, your customers will serve you with brand loyalty which is priceless.

10. 24-hour support

Customer support is a necessity of the time. If you are going online, it means you are open 24*7, there are no holidays and there are no weekdays or work timings. People can come to you anytime. When it comes to communicating with your customers, it may be difficult to provide a human-to-human interaction 24*7, rather than losing the lead you can invest in AI-driven chatbots that are very efficient in providing top-notch customer services. Also, more information and customer queries can be resolved through FAQs, and tutorial videos. They can send out an email to you at odd hours.

How to build a profitable online pharmacy app?

Online pharmacy stores are on the rise and honestly, the competition is going to be huge. However, there are only some trusted players, which gives you an edge. So, if you play your cards right you can build an amazing on-demand medicine delivery ecosystem that is profitable and beneficial for your business.

Factors important for a pharmacy app in Online Pharmacy App Development Company

If you are investing your time and money in a certain solution, you must know what you would be dealing with. It is not just about developing an online platform. To churn the money through your solution you must focus on building a user-friendly platform that has all the needed features.

1. Convenience

Convenience is the key. Why do people prefer e-commerce over retail stores? It is all about the convenience of ordering things online and getting them on your doorsteps. Also, if something is not right about a product, they can replace it, or return it. You must make sure, people are getting that convenience over your online pharmacy store. Factors such as easy and secure multiple payment gateways, faster checkouts, easy refills, etc. are necessary aspects to render convenience on your platform.

2. Saves time

Make sure you make the shopping experience convenient and fast. People are very busy nowadays, they get agitated by even a lengthy registration process, let alone ordering medicine from you. So, keep it simple, don’t complicate online medicine ordering at all.

3. Lesser human interaction

People don’t want to take follow-ups from your customer executives all the time about their orders. Make sure they come to your customer executives only when it is absolutely necessary and that is the last resort. Add features such as order tracking, profile management, order history tracking, document management, payment management, etc., to avoid unnecessary calls to your customer service.

4. Faster customer support

Waiting in a queue just for your customer executive to pick up the call and resolve their queries is going to make you lose customers. Make sure, you have various communication channels incorporated on the platform to provide faster resolution of the query, and people only go to the customer executive when things cannot be tackled on other communication tools.

5. UI and UX

The user experience should be at par on the platform. We are not living in the 90s where you can build a crappy website and expect people to order from you. Your website and mobile application should be intuitive, straightforward, easy to browse, and convenient. Contact an Online Pharmacy App Development company for custom designing your web and mobile applications. They would provide you with end-to-end services, right from designing to development to maintenance of the product.

6. Compatibility

People tend to use various devices that use different OSes and you have to cater to them. Make sure your apps are compatible with different devices and run popular OSes such as Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, etc.

7. Security and Compliance

People would be sharing sensitive information on your app, and it is your duty to protect that information. Also, as said earlier, there are various regulatory bodies now that govern online pharmacy stores. Make sure you are complying with the rules and regulations of the particular, especially, if certain drugs are banned in a certain region.

8. Scalability

Don’t restrict yourself to the present. Think about the product and how you want to take it forward in the future. You can share your expansion plan with the Online Pharmacy App Development Company you hire and make sure the product is expansive whenever you want in the future. This is so that you can avoid going for an end-to-end development again.

Types of pharmacy apps

It is important that your app is matching the existing model on which your business works. Before implementing technology, identify what type of pharmacy app is required by you so that are able to render the benefits of implementing software solutions.

1. Apps for the pharmacy marketplace

A marketplace offers a collective platform to the suppliers where they can register and sell medicines. This is in no way a singular pharmacy store, rather your customer can browse through various suppliers registered to your platform and order from the one that they want to.

2. App for online pharmacy store

If you are a pharmacy store, this is the solution for you. The convenient web and mobile app would be able to connect you with people that are looking for medicines available to you and you can deliver them directly to their doorsteps.

3. Apps for pharmacy store chains

A well-connected platform that offers a networked experience to your customers to order medicines online. It is a convenient app for boosting sales and loyalty of the customer.

Wrapping Up

Having an online pharmacy store provides you with some major benefits. It helps you churn more profit and engage customers through transparent and omnichannel communication. If you are looking forward to developing a web or mobile application prioritize customer satisfaction and experience and you can build a profitable business. Also, don’t forget about compliance, data security, regulations, etc. furthermore, always keep an eye on the new technology trends and innovatively use them to improvise your product and take customer experience on your platform to the next level.