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Gone are the days when you had to painfully wait for the crowd to clear at a medicinestore to order medicines. Today, cutting-edge technology is revolutionizing the healthcare sector, making everything possible and available at the click of a phone button. Sophisticated medical software makes physical visits redundant today, especially post the pandemic. Physical distance, limitations in mobility, poor health conditions, old age, time constraints, unfavorable circumstances (like the pandemic), etc., are the chief reasons customers prefer shopping for medicines online today. Pharmacies are competing to improve their customer service more than ever before. They are creating an online presence to simplify the medicine shopping experience for their customers.
In this blog, we chart the phenomenal rise of medicine delivery apps, how they are fast becoming a go-to solution in the modern healthcare landscape, and, if you're in the healthcare sector, how your business can benefit from a medicine delivery app development.
What is a Medicine Delivery App?
Medicine delivery apps are electronic replacements for brick-and-mortar pharmacies. They are a preferred means to shop for medicines online over an electronic gadget (which could be a phone or PC). There was a paradigm shift in consumer behavior when social distancing became the norm during the pandemic. People fretted over how they could fetch life-saving medicines even from the neighborhood pharmacy during the worldwide lockdown. The healthcare industry transformed the landscape with contactless delivery of medicines to customers through online pharmacy apps using evolving technology. People readily turned to these medicine ordering apps and have been hooked on them ever since.
A Peek into the Market of Online Medicine Delivery:
Medicine ordering apps are all the rage today. Aggregators and pharmacists should capitalize on the on-demand economy in these changing times to grow their e-business exponentially while catering to public health. When the world is turning digital and remote shopping is becoming the order of the day, circumstances cannot be more opportune. Consider these statistics:
- 14% share of the total revenue of e-pharmacies in the Asia Pacific Region in 2020 was attributed to the Indian e-pharmacy market, according to as cited by KPMG. (Source)
- India's USD 344.78 million e-pharmacy markets are expected to make a robust growth of around 21.28% by 2027. (Source)
- India's online pharmacy market alone has been estimated to reach $2.3 billion by 2023, as compared to $360 as of 2020. (Source)
Top Reasons Why Medicine Delivery Apps Are So Popular Today
We are racing against time today. Amidst many personal and professional commitments, most of us have little time or energy to hop from store to store to make purchases. But the question of life-saving medicines is a bit different. No matter what, we have stood in long queues and pulled ourselves from one part of the city to another to buy medicines. That was until medicine apps or online pharmacies arrived and made it possible for people not only to buy critical medicines from the comfort of their homes but also receive a healthy supply of such medicines and other healthcare products even in the middle of a raging pandemic.
New-age technology has made medical solutions viable through online pharmacy apps. Here are some reasons why medicine ordering apps are fast gaining ground today.
1. Consumer friendly
Medicine ordering apps serve a trifecta of convenience, time-saving, and cost-efficiency to average consumers, making medicine shopping for them a breeze. They not only save the travel costs and hassles but also get to buy medicines at heavy discounts.
2. More profitable model
Online pharmacy apps come with the advantage of better deals and discounts than brick-and-mortar medical stores, as do not have overheads and negotiate prices at scale. This makes them more lucrative to consumers, hence it’s a more profitable model for sellers. They provide opportunities to owners to increase their customer base
3. Security and privacy
Online pharmacies and medicine apps offer their customers the privilege of buying medicines in privacy. These applications also have secure payment gateways that make purchases safe and worry-free for customers.
4. Ease of Use
The best medicine ordering apps have user-friendly dashboards and provide comprehensive data to customers on medicine composition, medicine use, and their counter-effects.
5. Around-the-Clock Access
A key difference that sets many online pharmacies apart from regular stores is that they offer medical services 24*7, which makes them accessible to people anytime during emergencies.
Features a Good Medicine Delivery App Must Have
In order to be considered a good medicine delivery app, it must have smooth navigation and a user-friendly dashboard. Here are some of the features that help to maximize customer engagement and monetize business for app owners.
- Profile for doctors to add their professional credentials
- Patient profiles where they can update their details and medical history
- Patient History and Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
- AI-empowered features that connect patients with the right professional
- Appointment Management for doctors, Booking Appointment feature for patients
- A secure and encrypted option of a video consultation with a healthcare provider
- Digital medicine order option where medicine orders can be saved on the cloud
- Facilities and devices for remote patient monitoring, particularly the chronically ill ones
- Payment features with a secure payment gateway and payment modes
- Chat and messaging options
- Push Notifications that serve as reminders to patients to take their medicines on time
- The app must have an end-to-end encryption feature to ensure the privacy of the data
The Main User Categories in Medicine Delivery Apps
A good medicine delivery or online pharmacy app often serves four key user categories: End-customers, pharmacists, admins, and delivery agents.
List of main features of the customer app:
- Easy login and profile management
- Fast search feature to find medicines
- There should be an 'Add to Cart' option
- Options to ask experts, upload medicine orders, compare products, search medicine details, and track orders
- Option to book an online consultation
- Must have return and refund policy buttons
- Option to check order history
- Real-time notifications and built-in chat feature
- Secure payment options
- Ability to provide reviews and ratings
The main features for owners/pharmacists:
- Login
- Account Management
- Order Management
- Order Notification
- Order History
- Product Management/Inventory Control
- Customer Information
- Push Notifications
- Digital Bills
- Shipment Tracking
- Built-In Chat
List of features for the admin role:
- Dashboard
- Marketing Tools
- Tracking Orders
- Analytics
- Customer Support
- Inventory Management
- Vendor Management
Features for delivery partners:
- Login/Profile Creation
- Push Notifications
- Navigation
- Delivery Status
- Analytics
- Orders Delivered
- Job Status
Medicine Delivery App Development With EMedStore
Technology, today, is the way forward, and at EMedStore we believe in leveraging technology to develop world-class online pharmacy applications for our clients across the spectrum. We are the game-changers in the field of developing online medicine delivery applications. We do not stop at anything short of the best in delivering innovative e-commerce solutions to our clients from the pharmaceutical industry.
Also, Read How Indian E-pharmacies Operate and What are the Rules and Regulations Governing Them?
Final Thoughts
In a rapidly changing world, where technology is taking everything by storm, it is only natural that you stay relevant to the rising demands of the day. Digital is trending, and the need for an online presence for any business has never been more acute.
You might want to increase your supply chain through the preferred mode of consumption, which is online! As a business person from the pharmaceutical industry, who wishes to stand out in the crowd and offer superior services to your customers, it is about time you consider launching a state-of-the-art and impactful medicine delivery app to improve the quality of life and scale your business.
If you are looking to find integrated medicine delivery app development solutions for your healthcare business, feel free to contact us. Reach out to us with any queries that you may have about our medicine delivery app development service, and we will be happy to help you with a free demo.