The coronavirus epidemic has ravaged the healthcare system of the world. The number of patients who have been sick and deaths that it has caused are devastating. One thing that is becoming apparent is that improvement is essential in the healthcare system. This is why this is the perfect time to create an eHealth company. It’s also a great moment to design an e-pharmacy application. We’ll help and guide you throughout the procedure.

What is an Online Pharmacy App?

A pharmacy online is an app or website that permits the user to search for and buy medicines and then have them delivered. The app could be found in two different types:

A marketplace for pharmacy. With this app customers can buy their prescriptions from any pharmacy that has been registered with the market. For the benefits of this model of business, it gives customers more options and lets them shop around for the best price. Pharmacies do not have to create their own mobile or web-based applications. This is a great alternative for companies that are just starting out since it could bring customers to them.
Online pharmacy application with a brand name. An online pharmacy app development is done by a firm that has its own brand name, design and other features. This is a great way to connect the pharmacy to its customers.

How Does An Online Pharmacy App Work?

An online pharmacy application functions like the equivalent of an eCommerce store. There is only one difference: in the kind of merchandise that customers purchase. Online pharmacies can be medicine delivery applications that adhere to the most effective practices in modern eCommerce. There are some distinctions between the online pharmacy and a traditional store on the internet because it is necessary to get prescriptions.

Online Pharmacy App Benefits

App development for online pharmacies is a wise choice to take since it provides advantages to customers as well as the business.

Benefits for Customers

Absolute confidentiality. Some customers may be reluctant to purchase specific medicines to treat a specific medical issue at the traditional pharmacy due to the possibility that others might hear the conversation. A solution on the internet solves this issue because patients can purchase everything they require from the comfort at home and have their prescriptions delivered to their doorstep or collect them by providing a pharmacist with the order number in order to receive their order.
Careless order. During the pandemic the need to limit human contact was essential. There are many other diseases apart from COVID-19 which have the highest risk of getting ill via contact. Online pharmacies can be a great option to stay clear of contact. A few of the most reputable pharmacies have already implemented robotics to issue and deliver orders. This solution was invented by China under the effects from the pandemic.
A shorter wait. This is an obvious benefit as customers are able to pick up their prepackaged prescriptions at a pharmacy or have their order delivered through an app that can deliver medicines.
Higher rates and cost comparators. Branded apps developed by pharmacies specifically for their customers provide a variety of discounts, promotions and even lower prices than the prices at the medical store. The marketplaces for medicines offer more options to save money by price comparisons because there are a variety of vendors that you can choose from.
Better options. Sometimes a medicine isn’t readily available in an onsite pharmacy, but it’s usually accessible and purchased online, which makes online pharmacies an ideal location to fill prescriptions of patients that require difficult-to-find medicines.

Benefits for Pharmacies

Improves customer experience. According to research conducted by Raconteur Raconteur, an online app for the delivery of medicine helps make life for the patient much easier, particularly when it is linked to the National Health Service (NHS) electronic prescription service in the UK for instance. This helps pharmacists ensure that they’re selling harmful medicines to patients recommended by their physician.
Profit growth. Pharmacy app development can also help increase profits due to the increase in sales from mobile users.
A cutting-edge benefit. The e-pharmacy market is expanding quickly, and online orders are already well-known by a large portion of today’s consumers. It’s as well an investment into your image and will make your company an innovative, customer-focused and caring pharmacy.
The chance to market additional products. With the help of additional features in your online delivery application for medicines, you can offer other prescription or over-the counter alternatives, provide appointments for doctors and create intelligent marketing strategies that are based on the behavior of your customers and health-related trends around the world, such as the increasing demand for medicines which could help in the treatment of coronavirus and other seasons such as flu and cold or allergies, and many other elements.

Basic Online Pharmacy App Features

In the case of your application for pharmacy development establishing the features you need is vital for the greatest customer experience as well as an eventual return on investment (ROI). Here are the most essential and other functions you might be looking to add.

User Interface Features

Register/Login. This is an essential feature to build an online pharmacy.
Search by name and content using filtering. The customers should be able search using various variables and filters. It is essential to establish these beforehand by analyzing your customer’s problems and frequently asked questions and other problems.
Information about medicines. Information about a specific medication should be checked and comprehensive. The primary precautions and hazards should be clearly visible.
Carts for shopping. This is one additional feature that is essential to the process of ordering. It should be possible to alter the shopping cart, adding or removing items.
Pay instantly. Modern customers appreciate the option of paying online for their purchases using debit and credit accounts, wallets on mobile and even cryptocurrencies
Pickup and delivery choices. You should provide your customers with the option of choosing. They can choose to take their order to the store or have it delivered.
Repeating prescriptions.Patients with chronic disease require constant care to ensure their health. Therefore, they must be able to order prescription refills using a single click.
A subscription to a newsletter. As a part of your marketing plan, you can provide your customers with an opportunity to sign up for your newsletter to send out news and customized deals.

Pharmacist Interface Features

The management of inventories is a breeze. Pharmacists can track the inventory and be informed of the amount of available medicines with this feature.
Management of orders. Using this feature the pharmacist can package the order, then assign an individual courier to arrange for it to be picked up and monitor the condition.
Prescription verification. There should also be a function for verification and checking prescriptions for medicines to stay clear of scams involving medicines.
Features for billing. With this feature pharmacists can monitor the payment status of an order. For instance, a customer might want to pay online through the app, pay at the pharmacy, and pay for the day of delivery or even after.

Admin Interface Features

customer management. This is an important feature since this is where all financial and personal information of customers is kept. When designing this feature be sure to consider into consideration the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) into consideration.
Marketing functions. The functions that you require in marketing vary, but it is vital to include a user behavior analytics tool and other tools for marketing that can aid you in creating individualized strategies for sales.
Analytics and reporting. This section is vital to gain data-driven insight on your business’s sales performance, customers’ behavior as well as inventory management and the productivity of your employees.

Additional Online Pharmacy App Features

If you’re looking to make your online pharmacy software development extremely innovative and beneficial for your customers, you could develop the following features that are advanced.

Consultation in-app. Your app may offer the possibility of scheduling appointments with a physician or even a quick consultation. In order to make this happen you must work with a medical clinic and develop an approach that permits patients to buy prescribed medicines from your pharmacy.
Search for local stores. Sometimes there is the need to go to the physical location of a pharmacy, for instance, to check out how a gadget operates prior to buying it. In this case having the location of your store can be useful.
Support for multilingual languages. This is an essential feature if you’re looking to grow your business and expand your pharmacy worldwide. Additionally, you should have multi-currency and multi-weight options to support different countries. Be aware that certain medicines may be banned in some countries, so be sure to check the laws before you go.
Chatbots. This is a must-have feature for your customer support personnel and pharmacists.
Test bookings for labs. In addition to an appointment with a physician and a lab technician, you can also give your client the option to book a test for a lower cost.
Recognition of prescriptions using photos. If a patient is writing a prescription in their hand and is willing to utilize an algorithm powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize prescriptions and automatically add the required medicines in the cart.
A smart suggestion engine. You should also consider a smart recommendation engine that could be a part as an API (API). As an example, you might suggest that your customer purchase probiotics, in addition to an antibiotic, seasonal vitamin or even a two-for-1 product.
Notes or reminders. If you want to enhance your application to the highest level you can also take the opportunity to design a personalized treatment section for patients and remind them to take their medication.

5 Steps to Build Your Own Pharmacy App

Here’s the steps you should follow, as per our development of our mobile app for medicine guide. The five stages that stand between you and the moment you launch your new solution.

1. Market and Competitive Analysis

The market for e-Pharmacy is predicted to grow to $109,2 billion in 2025 according the Grand View Research. To put this in perspective, the market was $45 billion as of the year 2019. Even with these promising prospects, it’s important to study your market and determine the needs of your market. For this, you can use techniques for sociological and economic analysis such as SWOT, PEST and the Five Forces, and focus groups. It is equally important to conduct a thorough study of your competitors to create a distinct advantage that is in line with the needs of prospective customers.

2. Test Your Business Model

In spite of a thorough market analysis it is still necessary to perform a significant amount of tests of your ideas. For instance, you could develop a prototype solution that you created using the online pharmacies app creator, and then try it out with the help of a focus group, and then get their input before developing an actual application that has lots of practical insights in your mind.

3. Decide on a Software Development Partner

Selecting an on demand app development firm can be a challenge. Here are two tips to assist. Select a company with years of experience in the field of medical solutions development. For instance, Alteza has a lot of projects that have been implemented in this area and is knowledgeable about the most effective methodologies for development, healthcare regulations and guidelines. Think about outsourcing offshore (we could be your partner, too) to reduce costs for your development of a pharma app.

4. Mobile and Web Development Stage

It is a strictly technical stage where your web and mobile solutions are developed. There are many particulars to be considered at this point but the primary suggestion we provide and the principle we follow is the Lean method of software development. It lets you invest only in the features essential to your users.

5. Launch and Maintenance of the App

After your app has been released, the process continues. Companies that develop apps for pharmacies typically provide maintenance for their solutions in their offerings. It is recommended to allocate a portion of your budget to this step too.

In Conclusion

By 2023 or later, an online presence will become essential for pharmacies. Furthermore, now is the ideal moment to develop an online pharmacy application that will let your customers remain in the most secure way possible. Please feel free to connect the pharmacy application developers to get more concrete insight into the development of this solution!

Drop us an email at info@altezatel.com, or call us directly at +91 9099449927. Our experts will be in touch within 24 hours.