When was the last time you thought about directly shopping for something without looking it up online first? Almost anything you can think of can be bought online. Statistics show that there will be 2.71 billion digital shoppers worldwide in 2024. The past few years have seen a steady increase in Internet shoppers.
We want to focus on the realm of e-commerce in the health sector today—more specifically, the pharmaceutical industry. Yes, just like clothes, food, beverages, and cosmetics, buying your prescriptions with online pharmacy apps is possible now. Pharmacy applications are estimated to have a 23.62% user penetration rate in 2024 and a 30.92% user penetration rate by 2028, according to Statista. This indicates a noteworthy growth in the market’s global consumer base and appeal.
The large consumer base, market size, and frequent online purchases since the pandemic make for an attractive opportunity for building your own online pharmacy store. This article will explain exactly how to execute such a plan. Pharmacy app development can benefit the users and their business owners.
An online pharmacy app, sometimes referred to as an e-pharmacy or medicine delivery app, is an application or website that allows users to search and choose from a variety of medicines, supplements, and nutraceuticals and have them delivered to their doorstep. Some apps also offer additional services like virtual consultations, ordering lab tests, or even healthcare checkups. The user’s medical information is usually stored in the app, making it easier for future online purchases.
Once an order is placed, the medicine order is forwarded to the nearest pharmacy. They prepare the order, then dispatch the order to the delivery service and ship it to the customer. Users can track the delivery in real time.
There are four types of pharmacy apps. Knowing the types of apps available will make it much easier for you to choose a suitable pharmacy app development company or even work to build a team from the ground up.
A pharmacy marketplace is an aggregator app that allows customers to order prescriptions from any registered pharmacy on the platform. This model provides more choices and price comparisons for customers while also eliminating the need for pharmacies to create their own pharmacy apps. However, building the logistics, data aggregation, and medication information collection processes from scratch may be necessary. It is a viable option for new companies looking to attract customers.
Online store apps are associated with a specific pharmacy store or chain. This means the user’s choices are more limited, but the processes, data, and customer services have all been well-established and streamlined.
Another choice for pharma app development is building administrative apps to manage processes in pharmaceutical organizations. Instead of features similar to that of e-commerce apps, these apps’ features are designed to support logistical tasks, e.g., data analytics settings, inventory management, digital catalog integrations, etc. Unlike the previous types mentioned, store chain apps focus on streamlining internal processes rather than providing customer services.
There are pharmacy marketplaces, pharmacy stores, and even online administrative pharmacy apps. Why not create an app solely for research? Depending on the target user, this type of app updates users with the latest approved drugs. It can also act as a vaccination reminder with all the information regarding the vaccinations.
This app’s database, however, needs to be regularly updated and secured with a user-friendly interface.
The global online pharmacy market is vast. We would like to introduce you to some of the top mobile apps in the USA market and the Vietnamese market.
Epocrates is a medical application for pharmacists that offers clinical reference information, drug interaction checkers, pill identifiers, and insurance coverage information. Users can enjoy additional features like medicine monograph for a monthly fee.
This is one of the most popular healthcare mobile apps in the United States. The main features include online medicine ordering, refiling and managing prescriptions, and online video chat with healthcare providers.
FPT Long Chau is a famous online pharmacy app in Vietnam. Its notable features include online medicine ordering, storing and managing prescriptions, consultations with pharmacists, and vaccination records management.
Whether you want to build a pharmacy delivery app or an app focusing solely on providing useful information, there are many advantages you stand to enjoy when joining the market.
As you have observed in the examples, there are several key features that the most popular apps share. Here is a list of fundamental features pharmacy app developers need to keep in mind. Depending on your target users, there are different basic elements to include.
The first step is to narrow down the scope of the online pharmacy app development project. Try to find the answer to the following questions:
What popular apps on the market are your point of reference?
What purpose is your app serving? For example, do you want to develop a medicine delivery app for patients or an app for pharmacists to track their inventories?
Who is your target audience?
What are the must-have features, and which features are nice to have?
Theory is always different from practice. This is not to say that research is not essential, but that you need to test your ideas in a focused group and gather feedback before going all out on your business ideas.
By “choose,” we mean you can choose to build an in-house team, hire freelancers, or seek professional pharmacy app development services - in other words, outsourcing.
We recommend outsourcing since a team of seasoned experts will help you quickly identify any possible flaws, choose the most suitable tech stack, and even shorten time-to-market markedly. Orient Software mobile app development team is a credible choice. We have abundant experience building custom healthcare solutions.
After thorough preparation, it is finally time for the longest phase of any project - coding. This is when you develop the backend and front end and design the UX and UI while integrating the necessary APIs for your app. It is important to ensure that the code is optimized for speed, scalability, and security. This involves using best practices and following industry standards to create clean, efficient, and well-documented code.
Before launching your app, make sure it has been thoroughly tested. You cannot redo the user’s first impression of the app, so make sure to regularly test the app during coding to find and resolve any bugs or issues. This can be done through manual testing or using automated testing tools.
Launching the application in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store isn’t the end of the project. The team needs to constantly monitor and pay attention to the feedback to resolve any issues in a timely manner. Maintaining is just as important as any other steps.
Just like any other healthcare app, pharmacy applications need to comply with regulations and guidelines. They are different depending on which country or region you are operating in. We will take a quick look at the regulations in the U.S. as a reference point:
User information, prescription data, and other related health data are sensitive data. You should use multiple methods to keep the data safe, like encryption, two-factor authentication, etc. Additionally, you need to use a reliable database management system to safeguard the data.
Your pharmacy app should be able to integrate with other healthcare platforms, such as EHRs or telemedicine platforms. Allowing integration improves the accuracy and efficiency of your pharma app.
Explore the benefits of mobile apps that go beyond boosting online presence, helping businesses save time, cut costs, and enhance customer satisfaction.
Want to learn how to build web apps? Our comprehensive guide will teach you everything you need to know.
Customer satisfaction is key to any app’s success. And the best mobile banking app features elevate the customer experience.
Balancing scalability and performance is crucial for successful eCommerce application development, ensuring a resilient and flexible app that meets user demands.
Leverage legacy code, assure regulatory compliance and a data-driven approach are among the best tips of fintech software development.
Contact us today for a free quote within 3 business days
FOLLOW US
FOLLOW US
