Healthcare
Table of Contents
2020 has shifted approaches towards healthcare worldwide. We witnessed the growing popularity of remote consultations, the use of telemedicine apps, and a surge in delivery services demand.
The COVID-19 pandemic has further integrated medical technology into people’s daily lives, making healthcare more personalized, convenient, and available. That is also true for medication purchases. Major US drug stores have already embraced e-pharmacy opportunities, creating user-friendly, convenient applications.
There is still room for those who come into the market! Keep reading — we’ll show you how to embrace digital transformation with pharmacy app development.
Today, remote drug prescription and online buying became necessary for brick-and-mortar stores. Pharmacy app development has gained momentum, creating a golden chance for business owners to introduce tech innovations and widen the customer base.
You need to be aware of recent trends and market dynamics, if you want your pharma app to stand out and take place in the sun. Luckily, we are here to help.
What's going on in the e-pharmacy market? There's a lot to discuss.
Five years after the pandemic, online pharma apps are still on the rise. Although they started a little bit slower than eCommerce or FinTech, the market continues to grow steadily year after year. The reports forecast a CAGR rise ranging from 7.64% to as high as 23.2% of the e-pharmacy market by 2029, showing that there is still opportunity for innovation and growth for business owners and entrepreneurs.
Macroeconomic factors are driving the growing global demand for these applications, with North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region being the key areas driving this shift.
The aging population, the growing accessibility of the internet and mobile devices, rising healthcare costs, and digitalization are the main reasons for pharma apps' success.
Last but not least is growing awareness about health and wellness. More than ever before, people are focused on their health and well-being, meaning more demand not only for drugs but also for vitamins, supplements, sleep aids, and personal care products.
When considering online medicine delivery app development, it is important to keep pace with modern trends to stay ahead of the competition. We’ve gathered the key points to consider when planning your app features.
Decades ago, pharmacies focused only on selling drugs and medical devices. Modern pharma apps have expanded the range, now offering other health-related products like herbal supplements, essential oils, and even beauty products. By following this trend, you'll widen your customer base and may even achieve higher revenues through upselling and cross-selling.
The online pharmacy domain is subject to regulations and restrictions. As they vary depending on the country, carefully explore legislation before launching online pharmacy app development. Remember that different market dynamics emerge from different domain requirements: relaxed regulations mean easier selling for business owners but more risks for customers.
Groving number of smartphone users remain a significant driver for this segment's growth. Choose mobile platforms and web app characteristics like responsiveness and accessibility, keeping this in mind. A mobile-first approach is still at the top. This trend also means that the potential customer base will likely increase, with 7.21 billion smartphones used worldwide in 2024.
If you want to develop an online pharmacy app, consider collaboration opportunities. Many modern pharmacies partner with clinics, integrating their services into the app. For example, partnerships with telemedicine and doctor consultation platforms allow customers to get healthcare advice without visiting the clinic. As a result, clinics get more consultations, and pharmacies increase sales.
A digital pharmacy offers a range of medications, including those that require a doctor's prescription and those available for purchase without one, known as over-the-counter drugs. Upon a closer look, the pharmacy app is actually several interconnected apps, including the customer app (web+mobile), pharmacist app (web), courier app (mobile), and admin panel (web).
The customer app allows users to choose drugs and products, login, make purchases, and track couriers.
The pharmacist app enables prescription and insurance claims verification, order management, and catalog editing. It is connected with the pharmacy inventory system, allowing users to track items in stock and replenish stock in a timely manner.
The courier app provides delivery tracking, navigation, notifications, and even drone and IoT integration.
The admin panel is your headquarters for pharmacy management. From there, you can manage finances and inventory, view business analytics like sales reports, and run marketing campaigns.
Therefore, pharmacy app development requires skill and knowledge: expertise in technology, seamless navigation through regulatory compliance, and deep understanding of the design principles.
For the e-pharmacy app, the flow looks as follows:
It might remind you of using any other eCommerce store,but with some special aspects in play.
Last but not least, medicine delivery app functionality and user flow caters to diverse customer groups. For people with chronic conditions, elderly people, individuals with contagious diseases, and people in rural areas it meets their special needs, facilitates medication purchases, and enables scheduled home delivery.
In contrast with fitness apps or healthcare systems, there are few options to consider. There are four main types of apps:
Our client, a network of Latvian brick-and-mortar pharmacies, requested NEKLO to develop a Magento 2-based online pharmacy. The specific requirement was to transform the client's existing informational website into a full-scale online drugstore.
The project included:
As an experienced pharmacy app development company, NEKLO eagerly took on the challenge. Our team rigorously analyzed the solution, defined key tasks and deliverables, and launched the development.
Our team created a full-fledged online pharmacy, improved its operational efficiency, and helped to position the business strongly in the domestic market. Additionally, we have implemented a map of traditional pharmacies that utilizes automatic location identification for swift city navigation for easy offline visits.
On the one hand, pharmacy apps can empower your business and increase sales. On the other hand, your app provides a smooth experience for customers to obtain their medications, making it simple for them to choose the best options. Let's investigate the advantages of this mutually rewarding solution.
What hides behind the word 'convenience' for the customers?
Diseases with a high risk of highly contagious diseases like COVID-19, require preventive measures against their spreading. E-pharmacy minimizes human-to-human contact, ensuring there is no danger for the people around. Some pharmacies even introduce robotic delivery options for that reason.
Some customers are hesitant or shy about buying medication or goods. Ordering the necessary item online removes this inconvenience and keeps the information about your purchase safe. No more going beet red in front of the pharmacist and five people in the queue behind you!
When shopping online, customers can come to the store to pick up their previously ordered items — assembled and packaged. They can also order home delivery at a convenient time with no need to wait in line.
Online medicine delivery app development solves one more customer pain point: medication availability. It broadens the range of medical products, allowing app users to find medications of different brands and their alternatives and offer supplementary goods when appropriate.
In everyday situations, obtaining your prescriptions online proves to be much more practical than waiting in a long line at a pharmacy. When you're battling a high fever and a splitting headache, standing in the queue is the last thing you want to do. Timely medication delivery within cities and remote areas is priceless for those in need.
Product comparison is a feature that came to pharma application development, probably from eCommerce. It allows customers to compare goods in terms of characteristics and price, empowering them to make better choices.
What about value for business? There is more than meets the eye.
The introduction of mobile shopping, one of the most trending topics across domains, can significantly expand your customer base, therefore increasing sales and revenue. mCommerce was estimated to make up 44.6% of total US retail eCommerce sales in 2024, meaning that not taking this opportunity is a huge oversight. You can also grow your business by expanding geographically across the country or even going international.
Pharma application development helps to implement new and more convenient loyalty programs, marketing tools, and localized or unique discounts. The more convenient your app is for customers and the smoother the user experience is, the more likely they are to do regular in-app purchases.
Additionally, pharmacy app reward systems provide great opportunities to educate customers about treatment and encourage them to develop healthier habits. So, the more value you bring to the customers, like reasonable prices, freedom of choice, and discounts, the more effective customer retention will be.
Introducing comprehensive pharmacy software leads to optimized internal processes, streamlined workflows, and transparent business performance. Process systematization results in increased efficiency and lower operating costs.
For example, connecting pharmacy apps with the inventory system reduces expired medications, improves decision-making, enhances regulatory compliance, and improves stock management.
Online medicine delivery app development provides opportunities for cross-selling and upselling, boosting revenue and enhancing customer engagement. Personalized recommendations, in-app virtual consultations, subscriptions, and auto-refill programs facilitate customers' lives and increase loyalty.
A modern approach to medicine selling in the era of mobile devices shows that you follow trends and use technology. An online pharmacy app development solution means reinforcing your brand with credible, user-centric software that your customers trust.
In each process, something might stand on your way to success. This is true for software development, where the number of factors you should consider might be overwhelming. Let's see what can hamper your plan to develop an online pharmacy app.
Reflecting on these issues fosters superior decision-making, leads to more comprehensive assessments of projects, and elucidates the needs of the business.
As we mentioned earlier, pharmacy app development includes several products for customers, pharmacists, couriers, and business managers. Here, we analyze only customer-centric features, as business features are more general across domains (the exception is prescription verification).
Online pharmacy app development starts with defining goals, strategies, and must-have features. Here are the common ones:
You can adjust these basics to your app, creating the user experience you want to deliver. A reliable pharmacy app development company can help you on your journey to a successful app launch.
These are the features you'll probably won't include in the MVP but will add later during development. They bring additional value to the app, enhance existing functionality, and facilitate the journey for customers and pharmacists.
Add advanced features at later iterations of your online medicine delivery app development to enrich it with cutting-edge technology and on-demand features.
Showcase initiatives like affordable healthcare access, medication donations, and partnerships with non-profits to build trust and brand loyalty. Today, your business needs to do more than just sell medications to stay competitive. You need to show that you care about the community and problems beyond revenue.
Enable virtual consultations with pharmacists and doctors for professional health advice, prescriptions, and medication guidance. For customers, this feature brings value for customers through comprehensive advice and full information provision; for pharmacies, it increases customer satisfaction; and for your partner clinics, it gives an increase in visitors.
Introduce AI-driven comparisons and personalized recommendations based on purchase history, as well as sales and analytics systems to optimize inventory and marketing. Such enhancements during medicine delivery app development will help save costs and improve customer experience in the long run.
According to Statista, 95% of marketers said their personalization strategies are successful. In 2023, 92% of businesses used AI for personalization to drive growth.
Convenient delivery options are a must. The latter flourish is a "click and collect" option, allowing users to order online and pick up medications at a nearby store. There are no queues, the customer just runs to the pharmacy to get the package.
Implement voice commands, screen readers, and large-text modes to make the app inclusive for visually impaired and elderly users. You can be guided by regulations like Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and any local legislation in your pharmacy app development. Introduce special features to expand the user base and make the app accessible to everyone.
Integrate community forums, user reviews, and health discussions to engage customers and provide peer support. On social media, pharmacies can employ platforms to raise awareness about health campaigns, vaccination efforts, and wellness events, cultivating a spirit of community participation.
Different accounts allow users to manage multiple profiles for family members, track prescriptions, and set medication reminders for dependents. Customers can add profiles for children, elderly parents, or other family members in care, manage e-prescriptions, and upload, track, and refill prescriptions for all family members in one place.
Provide seamless in-app payments through Apple Pay, Google Pay, insurance billing, and other digital payment methods for faster transactions. A recent trend also includes offering a ‘Buy now, pay later’ option for medication purchases.
Compliance is a vital part of pharmacy app development. It allows you to sell medicine safely, keep data secure, and avoid costly fees and brand reputation damage. For example, the fees for HIPAA violations in 2023 started at $137 and can exceed $2 million per violation.
Pharmacy app development is a complex project that includes building one or several mobile apps and a web-based admin portal at most.
You can start by looking at the popular pharma apps already on the market. Check their features, notice their strong and weak sides, and feel free to take the characteristics you like the most. Then, think about your future product: its uniqueness, how can it stand out on the market? Define your unique value proposition and proceed with deeper planning.
List all the features you would like your app to have. Also, ask the stakeholders about their opinions and features they consider important, and aggregate all the results in one place. Then, it’s time to prioritize.
Depending on your budget, you can build an MVP with basic functionality or a solid product with many nice-to-haves and extra features. Starting from an MVP is a great opportunity to test your business idea quickly (it usually takes 3-4 months to develop an MVP) and within a reasonable budget.
Considering the timeless dilemma of in-house vs outsourced teams, both options are viable for online pharmacy app development solutions.
In-house teams carry higher upfront and ongoing costs, but they allow you to communicate directly with your team and manage resources. Additionally, they are a suitable option if you don’t want to disclose sensitive data to a third-party provider.
For fast medicine delivery app development with a reasonable budget, choose dedicated teams. Outsourcing remains a great option for finding rare professionals, fast team assembly, and project launch. However, it takes effort and time to find a suitable service provider with a solid reputation and suitable expertise.
Remember we mentioned that your app should be convenient for various age groups? It’s time to apply this knowledge in practice. Your development team will probably start by creating mockups and wireframes visualizing the user journey. At this stage, the app’s interface is designed for easy navigation, ensuring accessibility for all users, including patients, caregivers, and pharmacists.
The development and integration stage follows, where the front-end and back-end components are built using technologies such as React Native, Flutter, Swift, or Kotlin. This phase also involves integrating essential third-party services such as ERP systems for inventory management, payment gateways like Stripe or PayPal, telemedicine APIs for virtual consultations, and AI-powered recommendations for personalized medication suggestions.
Post-launch maintenance and scaling are ongoing processes. Performance monitoring helps track user behavior and optimize the experience, while regular updates introduce new features, security enhancements, and bug fixes. As the business grows, the app can be expanded with AI-driven health insights, cross-border medicine delivery, or subscription-based medication plans to cater to a broader audience.
Are there any unanswered questions lingering in your mind? Discover more features of pharmaceutical applications revealed here.
The cost of developing an online medicine delivery app depends heavily on the project's requirements, deadlines, budget, and available resources. Here are several considerations.
The technology trends in pharma application development somehow duplicate global technology trends, adjusted for the industry. They include Big Data, Telemedicine, and AI-driven personalization.
Big Data enables real-time analysis of customer behavior, prescriptions, and supply chain, helping pharmacies predict demand, prevent shortages, optimize pricing, detect fraud, and more.
Telemedicine allows users to consult doctors, receive e-prescriptions, and order medications in-app, improving convenience and prescription fulfillment and boosting pharmacy revenue.
AI-driven personalization provides customized recommendations, medication reminders, dosage tracking, and predictive product suggestions based on user history and health data.
The most popular online pharmacies in the US are Walgreens, Capsule, CVS Pharmacy, and Amazon Pharmacy.
Pharmacy app development is still a great opportunity for businesses to take their place in the growing market and explore the benefits of selling online. With thorough planning and the right team, you can create an app to attract customers and increase sales.
NEKLO offers development teams for healthcare projects, including pharma application development. Book a consultation, discuss your project with the experts, and get a free prior cost estimate.
US-based and operating globally, NEKLO spearheads digital transformation initiatives for businesses worldwide. We deliver software solutions complying with your market and legislation.
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