Studies from Research and Markets show that the U.S. online pharmacy market by revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of approx. 19% during the period 2020-2026.
COVID-19 accelerated markets to shift toward the DTC model to meet customer expectations and increase their reach. The healthcare industry, especially pharmacies, has experienced increased customers switching to virtual consultation and ordering medicines online.
So, if you are planning to start an online pharmacy delivery business, we have got you covered.
What Exactly is a Pharmacy Delivery Business?
A pharmacy delivery business is a service that allows customers to order medicines online. It is an e-commerce business where customers can shop online and have their medications delivered to their doorsteps.
Pharmacies offer this service because they can provide an easy way for customers to save time and money by avoiding the hassle of going to the local retail stores. Pharmacists can also benefit from this service as it increases the number of people using it, eventually increasing their sales revenue.
As a pharmacy delivery business owner, ensure that your customers have the best experience possible when ordering their medications online.
You may also be responsible for following up with customers after placing an order to ensure that everything went according to plan. This can include sending out reminder emails to customers who haven’t received their package yet and contacting them by phone if necessary.
Finally, you will need to ensure that your website is easy-to-use and provides all the required information so that customers know what they are buying before placing an order.
How to Start a Pharmacy Delivery Business?
Here are the SEVEN steps to set up your pharmacy delivery business:
Step 1. Understand the Rules and Regulations
Research the necessary permits and licenses you require to register your pharmacy delivery business. Also, identify the permits your employees and delivery agents need to deliver medicines. Ensure you adhere to the rules and regulations of your state or country. You can seek legal help to understand them and to set them up.
Step 2. Define Your Target Market
The first thing you need to do is figure out who will be your target market. This can be challenging, but it’s important because it will help you determine what kind of business model and structure you should pursue.
For example, if you’re looking to start a pharmacy delivery business, you must target people who live in certain areas or cities. For example, you might want to target people who live in San Francisco, Los Angeles, or New York because those areas have a lot of drugstores that can provide their customers with reliable service.
Step 3. Evaluate Your Equipment and Inventory
After identifying your target market, it’s time to consider the equipment and inventory required for your pharmacy delivery business. You need to ensure that everything is set up properly before opening for business, or else there is a high risk of losing money due to poor planning and implementation of critical elements.
Step 4. Create a Pricing Structure
Price is one of the most important aspects of your business, as it determines how much profit you will make. It is also the first thing people notice when they enter a pharmacy. Therefore, you need to set up a pricing structure that is fair and transparent, and easy to understand for both customers and pharmacists alike. For example, you can create a subscription plan for customers who regularly take diabetes, blood pressure medicines, etc.
Step 5. Set up the Business Model
The business model of your pharmacy delivery service can be anything from a simple online platform that allows customers to order products online or even an app that will enable them to order products directly from their phone while waiting in line at the store. First, you need to decide what kind of business model will work best for your company, whether where you deliver products yourself or where you just sell products through an online platform.
Step 6. Get Ready to Deliver
If you haven’t already, now is the time to set up your delivery service. You might want to consider getting a truck or van so you can deliver prescriptions and other medical products directly to patients’ homes. Or, if you’re just starting, you can set up a small business that rents out a few delivery vehicles.
You will probably want to get insurance before getting started in this industry, as pharmacies are not allowed under some circumstances to dispense certain medications without a prescription.
You can also leverage a third-party delivery partner to help you manage deliveries. Many e-pharmacies follow this model to save costs and ensure on-time deliveries.
Step 7: Invest in Delivery Management Software
The last step is to invest in delivery management software. This will help you track the status of your orders, manage your inventory, and optimize your sales channels.
You can either buy an all-in-one solution or a multi-channel software package. The all-in-one solution offers more features and comes at a higher price tag. Still, it does have some advantages over the multi-channel software as it allows you to customize your order management system according to your needs.
7 Top Features of Pharmacy Delivery Software and App
Pharmacy delivery software and apps can help you provide the best possible service to your customers. These five features will make your pharmacy a top-notch one.
- Order Management: Integrate your existing ordering platform to connect orders seamlessly between platforms. You can also collect orders through customizable booking forms. Ensure you also collect customers’ prescriptions to avoid any discrepancies or misuse of drugs.
- Flexible Payment Options: The checkout process should be simple, secure, and fast. The user should be able to navigate the checkout process easily and complete their orders. The software must also allow easy integration with third-party payment gateways and support multiple payment methods, including credit cards, PayPal, and other online payments.
- Auto-Assignment and Dispatch: Reduce delivery time with auto-assignment. You can set up assignment rules based on your delivery model. Some of the popular assignment rules are Send to all, nearest first m and round robin.
- Notifications: Ensure to send real-time order status notifications to your customers. In addition, you can send real-time tracking links via SMS or email.
- Real-Time Tracking: Track all delivery agents in real-time on a single dashboard. You can identify the drivers who are idle and active. This will help you plan your resources better.
- Proof of Delivery: Collect proof of delivery when the delivery is completed to avoid conflicts with customers and create a seamless delivery experience.
- Reporting and Analytics: Your pharmacy delivery software should track customers’ purchasing behavior to create personalized recommendations. In addition, it is crucial to analyze and optimize your overall delivery operations.
NetworkON – A Comprehensive Delivery Management Software
NetworkON automates the entire process by providing an end-to-end solution for managing the delivery process from booking to tracking and reporting. It uses AI to predict how busy your couriers will be on any given day. It also learns from your couriers’ behavior patterns over time to provide more personalized recommendations for scheduling changes or rescheduling deliveries.
How NetworkON’s Route Optimization Can Help Improve Pharmacy Deliveries and Reduce Logistics Costs?
With the growth of e-commerce, customers are increasingly demanding faster delivery times. Their expectations can be difficult to meet, however, especially in the pharma industry, which is at a crossroads between traditional and digital retailing.
To help pharmacies deliver faster and more cost-effectively, NetworkON has developed a solution that optimizes routes for optimal efficiency. The software uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze traffic patterns on the most popular routes for a given pharmacy. It then uses machine learning algorithms to predict demand for each route and adjust where it sends shipments based on current traffic conditions.
NetworkON’s goal is not only to improve delivery times but also to reduce costs associated with logistics by reducing the number of stops along the way — which means fewer trucks need to be used and less fuel consumed.
Let’s Wind Up
Online pharmacies are good business. People who order prescription drugs online are becoming more conscious of the benefits of online pharmacies over conventional pharmacies. They get various medications, health products, and supplements that they need at their convenience and at the most affordable price.
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