On-Demand Medicine Delivery App Development: Benefits, Challenges, and Cost Covered

Yes, pandemic swept the lives of millions of people globally. Shattered almost everything- People’s lives to livelihood, businesses to economy and what not! But undeniably, the pandemic has removed all the hiccups along the way that posed resistance on people for accessing healthcare solutions in an easy way.

Healthcare organizations and pharma companies have dramatically moved towards telemedicine apps and on-demand medicine delivery app development and people have responded in turn.

And why not? Nothing takes them aback. The online medicine delivery app has changed the lives of patients by providing them a handy platform that enables them to order medicines from the comfort of their home and get it delivered right at their doorsteps just with a few taps on a smartphone.

It was quite a revolutionary step in the pharmacy sector to reach people digitally with medicine delivery apps. Medicines are crucial for patients to have them without any delay to attain the best results.

With everything going online, it is not a surprise to get medicines online as the power of technology is fundamentally changing how we pursue our lifestyle. What was an aid yesterday has quickly become a need or should we say, a lifestyle today. Had the pandemic not come, we would not have acknowledged the power of digital transformation.

The wake of this need and new lifestyle outlines the demand and a huge scope for entrepreneurs to enter into the pharmaceutical industry and reach their customers through Online Medicine Delivery Apps.

Market Statistics of Online Medicine Delivery App

There was a time when the e-pharmacy industry was struggling to some extend, however, after the impact of COVID-19 all over the globe has rapidly surged the demand for many online fitness and healthcare services. Likewise, the online pharmacy demand has also taken the front seat during this course of time due to the exponential demand of medicines.

• According to Statista, the global market size of online medicine delivery system is expected to reach up to $900 billion by 2025.
• Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2022-2026) of 11.44%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$34,709.93m by 2026.
• User penetration will be 21.54% in 2022 and is expected to hit 27.74% by 2026.
• The average revenue per user (ARPU) is expected to amount to US$13.73.

Benefits of On-Demand Pharmacy App

The online medicine delivery services have not only made it convenient for users to get medicines at ease but also gave a new economic height to the pharmacy industry. Some of the benefits of medicine delivery app for customers and pharmacists/store owners are as follows;

For Customers

1. Saves Time- The online pharmacy stores saves a lot of time and efforts of customers. They don’t have to roam and visit every store manually to hunt for medicine. Through pharmacy app, customers can also explore multiple stores online within a minute and can place order instantly.

2. Reminders on Medicine Availability- In case of unavailability of medicine or medical tools, customers can set reminders when it gets back in the stock. It saves a lot of human struggle to find in the market.

3. Expert Consultation- Customer can discuss with an expert if have any allergy or side-effect with the ongoing prescription. Given this, the user can upload the prescription and can look for assistance from experts.

4. Offers and Discounts- The on-demand pharmacy apps are known for providing offers and discounts to attract customers and retain them for longer and also influence them to recommend the app to avail more offers.

For Pharmacist ‘Or’ Store Owners

1. Improves Customer Buying Experience- Customers can experience unmatchable online experience against on-store visits. With this high-end service, customers can simply place orders and get medicines delivered at doorsteps.

2. Build Customer Base- Usually, customers repeat the same orders, so the pharmacy can analyze this trend and can place advanced reminders or provide offers to build a good customer base.

3. Access New Schemes- Usually, pharmacy delivery apps run marketing campaigns or introduce offers, and these schemes store owners can access to earn profits and increase sales.

4. Offer Alternate Medicine- The medicine delivery apps can also suggest the right alternate medicine on the customer’s request. It minimizes patients waiting time of consulting a doctor to suggest an alternate medicine.

5. Automated Inventory Update- The store owner doesn’t have to update inventory manually, as this can be automatically done by Pharmacy Apps. It also helps to keep track of medicine details and their expiry dates.

6. Expand Geographic Boundaries- The pharmacy mobile apps allow traditional store owners to overcome geographical boundaries and extend their client reach even to remote areas.

7. Increase Customer Reach- Through pharmacy app development, store owners can grow their business sales by attracting buyers or customers from different regions of the country.

8. Gain More Security and Control- The pharmacy apps provide high data security and admin control which helps store owners to provide the right medication instead of being at the risk of being overheard at the store. This feature makes the online medicine ordering system more reliable and trustworthy.

Challenges in On-Demand Pharmacy App Development

Developing an app and promoting or advertising it accurately to ensure its wide market reach is quite a challenging task in itself. The more people are aware of your business and services, the more you get customers and generate revenue. Apart from that, medicine is a crucial factor to improve one’s health, so you can’t compromise with the services and quality of medicines. It requires you to comply with health regulations too. Let’s understand such challenges in on-demand pharmacy app development in detail.

1. Compliant with FDA Regulations- The medicine delivery apps have to abide by the rules and regulations of the FDA. The medicine and medical tools sold by pharmacy apps have to sell FDA-approved products. The FDA keeps track of medicines and their effects till it exists in the market.

2. Data Security- Patient data security is very important for pharmacy apps that binds them to not disclose patients’ sensitive details. Thus, the online pharmacy apps should abide by HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). If any patient’s details are shared with any doctor or hospital through the app, it must comply with HIPPA security rules.

3. Market Competitors- Many on-demand medicine delivery app services already exists in the market which become highly competitive and difficult for a startup to enter and gain customers. Therefore, it is important to understand the market competitors and figure out tactics to attract customer attention and deliver the best services.

4. Marketing and Brand Building- To gain recognition in the competitive market, you need to market and advertise your on-demand pharmacy app. It helps your business to become a brand and gain recognition among customers.

5. Order Allocation- In traditional medical stores, inaccurate order allocation is very common which results in a delay to find the right medication. In contrast to that, the order allocation and waiting period minimizes through pharmacy apps, along with the elimination of late and inaccurate deliveries.

User Experience Flow in Pharmacy Apps

User Interface is the first thing that attracts the customer to your product. Your pharmacy service app idea and its unique functionality gets communicated with UI and UX majorly. The app should be easy to understand and navigate. Usually, all pharmacy apps have some common features to perform basic operations.

The main purpose of introducing smooth user experience flow is to understand app flow and perform operations easily and quickly. Let’s understand a typical user experience flow to perform basic tasks on a pharmacy app.

1. After the user Signs in to the pharmacy app, s/he usually searches for the medicines they are looking for. So, to ease the user’s work, the app should provide a convenient search option, filter option, and medicine categorization to find the right product, rather than spending too much time to find the medicine. Pharmacy apps can also enable the user to upload e-prescription and get the right medicine instantly.
2. After selecting the medicines, allow the customer to add the number of quantities and put it into the cart.
3. Based on the medicine search and selection, the customer can place the order by mentioning delivery details and payment mode selection i.e., online or offline.
4. The multiple online payment modes can include online banking, credit card, mobile banking, online wallets, etc.
5. After payment confirmation, the order is packed by the pharmacy employees and handed over to the delivery service person.
6. Enable customers to track their order status on the app or update customers through message or email.

Tech-Stack for Pharmacy App Development

An on-demand pharmacy delivery app development is divided into front-end and back-end development along with the usage of APIs (Application Programming Interface). Thus, to develop a superior quality app, the tech-stack should be chosen wisely for front-end and back-end development, and API integration.

1. Front-End Development- Front-end is the client-side of an app. It consists of visible elements with which the user interacts. To develop an Android and iOS platform, different technologies are used, i.e.,
   • Android: Programming Language- Kotlin, Java; IDE- Android Studio; Development OS- Ubuntu, Mac OS; and SDK- Android SDK.
   • iOS: Programming Language- Swift, Objective-C; IDE- AppCode, Xcode; Development OS- Mac OS X; and SDK- iOS SDK, Cocoa Touch.

2. Back-End Development- Back-end is a server-side of an app that operates behind the screen. The main technologies used for back-end development of the Pharmacy mobile app are;
   • Programming Languages: Java, Node.JS, Ruby, Python, etc.
   • Web Frameworks: Flutter, Ruby on Rails
   • Database Server: MySQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL
   • Web Servers: Apache, Nginx
   • Cloud Server Platforms- Amazon Web Services

3. API (Application Programming Interface) – APIs, as the name suggests, it works as an interface to maintain the interaction between front-end and back-end apps. The third-party services can also be integrated into the app with the help of such APIs. A variety of APIs are used to integrate different tools with the app, which are as follows;
   • Payment Gateways: PayPal, Stripe, GooglePay, ApplePay, Braintree, etc.
   • Analytics Tools: Google Analytics, MixPanel, etc.
   • Navigation- Google Maps, Google Places
   • Social Media- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
   • Email Marketing- MailChimp, Twilio, SendGrid
   • Storage- Cloud Storage, Storm On-demand API

Cost of On-Demand Pharmacy App Development

The overall cost of an on-demand pharmacy app development relies on multiple factors, such as;

• Development Platform (Android, iOS, Windows, or Hybrid)
• Development Timeline
• Geo-Location of Development Team
• Team Size
• The complexity of the app (features and functionality of the app)
• Third-Party Integration
• Additional services like market and business analysis

While considering all these influential factors, the cost of pharmacy app development of a single app version (Android or iOS) for a single stakeholder (i.e., user app, pharmacy app, delivery app, and admin panel) will range around $35,000 -$40,000.

Therefore, to develop all the four stakeholders’ app to complete the pharmacy app development, you will need to spend around $60,000 to $200,000 on a working version of the on-demand pharmacy app development.

Conclusion

After witnessing the growth of the medical industry and the surging demand for pharmacy apps for the home delivery of medicines, it could be the right time to invest in this industry and reap good returns. If you follow a good business strategy then you can turn into a profitable business.

Nonetheless, to reach this place you need to hire a reliable and expert on-demand pharmacy app development company that can define, develop, and deliver quality app development and successful deployment of your medicine delivery app.

If you are looking to hire the best pharmacy app development company, then you can reach out to the expert team of Codiant and share your business idea. Our team ensures to turn your idea into a scalable on-demand pharmacy app that can give you the wings to enter into the competitive market and earn tremendous profits.