Medicine-Delivery-App-Development

Medicine Delivery App: Key Features, Cost and More

The pharmacy business is a lucrative one with a high-profit margin. Hence the competition in the field is also incredibly high. You would know how tough it is to keep business moving as a competitor. Staying ahead of the competition is a matter of survival. Technology is a key player in taking the business to a new level.

With online platforms to buy and sell medicines being the norm of the post-COVID world, pharmacies adopt various business development strategies to get an advantage against competitors. According to leading studies, modern customers are inclined to choose the online marketplace over the physical ones.

This article looks at what goes into the medicine delivery app development process. This will help you get started on your journey of building your app.

What is a Medicine Delivery App?

Medicine delivery apps are the online mode by which customers can buy medicine and have it delivered to their doorstep. They can choose medicines at competitive prices without stepping out of their homes.

Medicine delivery apps typically sell healthcare, OTC, and medical equipment online. Some apps also offer you the facility to book diagnostic test services online, like blood tests, full body checkups, lab tests, and preventative health checkups. Find the detailed guide on how to sell medicines using the medicine delivery app.

Medicine delivery apps have proven to be highly beneficial for pharmacies. It is beneficial for both the users and the pharmacists. Customers choose online platforms to avoid going to a physical store or if they are rendered unable due to medical conditions. Online delivery apps also provide offers and discounts which they can avail of. For pharmacists, this means they can increase sales. With better brand coverage, they can ensure that sales go up. They also have a greater reach among customers than a brick-and-mortar store would give.

 

What’s in a Medicine Delivery App?

There are typically four interfaces for a medicine delivery app. They are the Customer app, the pharmacy app, the Admin app, and the Driver app. Each of them has different functionalities. Let us look at the user-wise key features of a medicine delivery app.

Features of Customer App

  1. An easy-to-use UI – user interface
  2. Registration and login with phone number and password
  3. User profile to add useful information like address, contact details, etc
  4. Medicine-wise search & also identify the substitute medicines
  5. Upload Medicine orders in the form of pharmacist-approved images
  6. View past orders and reorder the required medicines
  7. Wallet system to make quicker payments and process faster returns
  8. Secured payments with third-party payment providers
  9. Order tracking to locate order status
  10. Interact with the pharmacist in in-app chat in real-time

Features of Pharmacy Dashboard

  1. Generate reports in just a few clicks
  2. Check the orders assigned to him

Features of Admin Dashboard

  1. Manage users and pharmacies
  2. View, manage and track orders
  3. Returns and refund management
  4. Provide category-wise discounts to customers
  5. Provide promo code and Refer & Earn facility
  6. SEO management & EMail marketing
  7. The track received orders and pending deliveries
  8. Inventory management with real-time info on stocks
  9. Different dashboards for different roles across departments
  10. Reports & Analytics to track performance

Features of Medicine Delivery Boy App

  1. Driver profile which creates a profile for each driver
  2. Delivery status, location, and order status can be understood
  3. Instant notification on delivered orders
  4. Route optimization with online maps, hence faster delivery

 

How Much Does Medicine Delivery App Development Cost?

Creating an app from scratch is an expensive process. But what decides the expenses depend upon a lot of different factors. These are some of the parameters that determine the cost of app development. There can be a great difference in the prices when you are developing the app in-house compared to outsourcing it.

  1. What features does the app have?
  2. The platforms the app runs in – iOS, Android
  3. Compliance to regulations
  4. The location where your outsourced team is based
  5. Duration of the time development process
  6. Market research and business analysis

Step-by-Step Process of Developing a Medicine Delivery App

When you venture out to create a medicine delivery app, you need to know a couple of things. First, you need to identify your unique selling prospect or USP. This has to be what sets you apart from your competitors. Let us look at the process of developing an online pharmacy or medicine delivery app.

  1. Study the Market: Before you begin, you need to know what your market size is, who your competitors are, what hurdles you may face, and the scope of growth in your region.
  2. Hire a Professional software developer company: Hiring a medicine app development company can save you from many problems you can face as they are experts in what they do.
  3. Find a business model and monetization strategy: Every business has a monetization strategy that works for them. After thorough research, you can find what works for you and your business model.
  4. Launch a prototype first: Instead of cramming all of the features into a single app and launching it, develop a basic version and add the additional features.
  5. App Maintenance: The app is not a one-time production. It requires constant monitoring for an error-free life. Even before it is launched, it has to be tested thoroughly for bugs. It is also important that you constantly update the app for the best user experience.
  6. Vibrant marketing: An app cannot market itself. You have it do it. Make sure you have a rigorous marketing strategy that ensures your app gets the maximum visibility. Once your app is out there, your advertisements should focus on building a strong and recurrent customer base.

Also, read Medicine Delivery App Development Guide for Online Pharmacies.

Summing It Up

Building a medicine delivery app is no easy task. There is so much work and effort that goes into different fronts. When all of this comes together, you get a fully functional and useful app. You can either put together an in-house team to create the app for you or outsource the job to a medicine delivery app development company. Doing it in-house can be very expensive as you have to do it from scratch, provide the technology and infrastructure, and wager on a team working together for the first time.

On the contrary, outsourcing means you are enlisting the help of experts who have done it before. An experienced and talented team like EMed HealthTech can help you realize your medicine delivery app at great speeds. EMed HealthTech has been providing app development services in the medical field and accumulating experience along the way. Reach out to us today at EMed HealthTech and start a free trial of SaaS pharmacy software.

Medicine-Delivery-App

Medicine Delivery App Development Guide for Online Pharmacies

The pandemic has driven healthcare systems and pharmacy retailers worldwide to embrace digitization. Medicine delivery apps have been a massive game-changer amidst the crisis, enabling consumers to get their medicines and pharmacy products delivered to their doorsteps while their lives were restricted indoors. Since then, these apps have grown in popularity as consumers get accustomed to buying medications online rather than from traditional brick-and-mortar stores. 

If you are in the pharmacy business and looking to shift to an e-commerce platform, this guide is for you. But before we dive into how you can start your medicine delivery app development from scratch, let’s look at some of the hottest trends for online pharmacies.  

 

E-Pharmacy Trends

Trends in the online medicine market indicate that:

  1. Online medical services may cross over USD 300 billion by 2025
  2. E-pharmacies are expected to show seven times growth to reach $3.7 billion by 2022
  3. The global pharmaceutical medicine delivery market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.4% to reach $1.7 trillion by 2023

 

Top Benefits of Medicine Delivery Apps

Consumers often prefer medicine delivery apps due to the ease of use, wherein they can order medicines online with just a few clicks and have them delivered to their doorstep. Besides, there are advantages like privacy, no travel costs involved, easy check on medicine availability, and more competitive prices when buying online. 

For pharmacy retailers, the advantages that medicine delivery apps provide are:

  1. Improved customer base
  2. Improved brand building
  3. Enhanced marketing options
  4. Higher revenue generation
  5. Easy and secured payment

 

Popular Business Models of Medicine Delivery App

Single-Store Model: In this model, a single store or medical company develops a single integrated medicine delivery app and enlists all available medications. Users can easily browse through the medicines available, choose the required items, and place an order for delivery. You can sell medicines through this model if you own a single pharmacy store.

Aggregator Model: This model allows an investor or business owner to create an online pharmacy marketplace by collaborating with different pharmaceutical stores, enabling them to sell medicines through their mobile app. Customers get a wide range of options to purchase medicines from all enlisted stores.

Customer-Oriented model: In this model, you can create a direct connection with the customer without involving any middleman in the transaction. 

 

Key Features of Medicine Delivery App Development

As an experienced medicine delivery app developer, our team at EMed recommends a good medicine delivery app to have role-based user permissions. There should be four user roles – customer, pharmacist, admin, and courier delivery, with each role having a specific list of feature stacks. Let’s talk about them one by one. 

Medicine Delivery App Features for Customers:

 

feature-customer

 

  1. Registration and login – Customers need to be able to easily register and log in using a mobile number or email ID and password.
  2. User profiles – Customers should be able to manage their profiles, delivery addresses, payment details, etc.
  3. Medicine order upload – A medicine ordering app development should allow customers to upload pictures of their Medicine order and get them reviewed by a pharmacist.
  4. Search medicines – It should be easy to search for medicines through filters.
  5. Medicine Details – Before ordering, customers should be able to check the details of medicines, and manufacturers and compare prices. And also able to find generic alternatives to branded medicines. 

 

Medicine Delivery App Features for Pharmacy:

 

pharmacy-features

  1. Easy account set up – To enable quick, easy onboarding for pharmacies. 
  2. Store details – Pharmacy owner or manager should be able to add, change, and remove medication lists and information related to medication.
  3. Digital Medicine ordersPharmacists should be able to review uploaded digital medicine orders.
  4. Product management – To help the pharmacy owner manage and update product details.
  5. Order management: Pharmacists should be able to manage order processing and returns. 
  6. Category: Add & Manage product category and sub-category
  7. Manage payments – To receive payments directly and track all payment details in real-time.
  8. Import Products: Import Products in bulk for a specific category with the help of a sample xls file
  9. Discounts and offers – To provide discounts and offers on medications as part of marketing strategies.
  10. Order history – To give users access to the complete history of their past orders.
  11. Ratings and reviewsTo view and manage user reviews and ratings.

 

Medicine Delivery App Features for Admins:

admin-features

 

  1. Dashboard – Admins should be able to view and manage all ongoing orders, active pharmacists, customers, delivery personnel, and overall earnings on a single web view.
  2. Inventory – To help manage medicines inventory and notify on low stocks and expiry dates.
  3. Manage customers and suppliers – To manage registered customers, suppliers, and manufacturers.
  4. Manage Store: Super admin can enable/disable/delete the listed pharmacy stores.
  5. Assign order based on location: Super admin can view the customer orders and the orders will be assigned to the nearest store from the delivery location.
  6. Analytics and reports – Admins should be able to check all operational data and statistics to create reports on business workflow.
  7. Marketing actions – To take marketing activities based on analytics and reports to attract customers and increase business.
  8. Payment collections – To keep track of weekly, monthly, and yearly earnings.

 

Medicine Delivery App Features for In-house Courier:

in-house

 

  1. Manage Profile
  2. Set Status of Package Delivery Progress
  3. Order Notification in Real-time
  4. Track Delivery Route
  5. Call or Text Customers for delivery coordination

 

Cost to Develop an Online Pharmacy App

Now that you’ve decided on medicine delivery app development, the model type, and features to be integrated, it is time to consider how much the app will cost. 

The cost of developing a pharmacy app depends on the following factors:

  1. Number of dashboards and features in each dashboard
  2. Hourly rates of the medicine delivery app development company
  3. Number of platforms (iOS, Android)
  4. UI/UX design
  5. App maintenance cost
  6. Back-end integration and testing

 

Medicine Delivery App SDLC

The software development life cycle (SDLC) of our medicine delivery application is as follows:

  1. Analysis – Our expert team will analyze user requirements and use them to prepare technical documentation
  2. UI/UX Design – The next stage is developing the interaction between design elements and finalizing the UI/UX of the app.
  3. Development – Once the app design is ready, the front-end and back-end coding are integrated to create a fully functional app.
  4. Testing – The app is tested to check the key areas like usability, security, interface, etc.
  5. Deployment – After thorough testing and re-testing, the app is deployed to the server using FTP, and subsequently final test is performed.
  6. Maintenance – Once the app is published, we provide maintenance and support to ensure smooth, bug-free operation. 

 To know more about Medicine Delivery App Development: How Your Pharmacy Can Sell Online? check this out.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What platforms can you work on?

 We work on the most popular app development platforms like Android and iOS. 

  1. How much does it cost to develop an app?

According to our estimates, a basic medicine delivery app may cost anywhere between $25,000 and $40,000, while the ones with more advanced features can cost as high as $40,000-$70,000. 

  1. Why should I hire EMed Healthtech for developing my medicine delivery app?

EMed Healthtech is a leading medicine delivery app development company with years of deep industry experience and proven expertise in building precise apps based on the client’s needs. We have custom and cost-effective app development solutions for start-ups and established businesses. 

If you want to explore building a medicine delivery app with us or simply wish to learn more about our app development services, get in touch with us today!

Medicine Delivery App Development: How Your Pharmacy Can Sell Online?

Medicine Delivery App Development: How Your Pharmacy Can Sell Online?

The competition in the healthcare sector is intensifying day by day. If you are running a pharmacy business and wish to expand it further, you first need to devise a solid strategy to make your business stand out and attract more business. 

Online pharmacy apps and medicine delivery apps are among the top trends in B2C and B2B healthcare segments, creating colossal business potential and widening reach for pharmacy businesses. 

 

The Role of Medicine Delivery App Development Today

Hopping from store to store to find medicine order medicines is not something today’s consumers prefer to do anymore. With telemedicine spreading as an efficient and affordable way to access quality healthcare and medication from the comfort of their homes, people are increasingly warming up to medicine ordering apps and online pharmacies.

Pharmacy businesses have also gone to great lengths to make the ordering process as simple as possible for their customers. People can easily browse through all the different categories of medicines and add the ones they need into the cart. Then they need to add the delivery address and choose the payment method, and they will receive the medicines right at their doorstep.

Pharmacy businesses can attract and retain a larger customer base by offering medicine delivery services. Medicine delivery apps are a lifesaver for people who want to avoid long queues at their local pharmacy. This is especially true for elderly patients suffering from various health complications.

 

Top Reasons for the Popularity of Medicine Delivery Apps

SaaS pharmacy software or Online pharmacy apps have been enjoying widespread popularity over the last couple of years. In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic forced people inside their homes, generating an almost 60-70% rise in consumers buying their medicines online. This trend urged more and more pharmacy companies to launch their own apps to serve the market demands and grow their business. 

Here are some reasons why medicine delivery apps are so popular:

Quick ordering process: Ordering medicines on an online pharmacy app is super easy as you only need to search for the prescribed drugs, add them to your cart, and confirm your order. And you can do all this in just a few clicks!

No traveling needed: You don’t need to step out of your house or hop from one store to another when using a medicine delivery app. Your order will be delivered to your doorstep by the pharmacy. 

Numerous discounts: Apart from saving on travel expenses, you can also get heavy discounts on your orders. Pharmacy companies often provide medicines at a competitive price to attract more buyers to their online stores.

Access to detailed information: You can access all the information regarding a specific medicine prior to buying it right from the app. You can check all the details from the ingredients to benefits and probable side effects.

Instant notifications: Medicine delivery app development companies offer instant push notifications to keep users informed of orders, restocking of particular medicines, discounts, and so on. 

 

The Main User Roles and Features in an Online Pharmacy App 

Before you dive into the medicine delivery app development process, it’s essential to decide on the features you want to include in your application. Usually, such apps consist of three separate panels – the customer app, the pharmacist panel, and the admin panel. Below are some key features that you can include to make your app stand out from the rest.

The main features of the customer app:

  • Intuitive UI – An easy-to-use app interface can boost user engagement and satisfaction.
  • Quick search – Easy search features to allow customers to find the medicine they are looking for.
  • medicine order upload – Directly upload a picture of your medicine order from your phone gallery.
  • View order history – View past orders in just a few clicks and reorder the required medicines.
  • Customer wallet feature – Enable customers to make quicker payments and process faster returns through the customer wallet option.
  • Alternative medicine search – Easily identify the substitute medicines with the same composition as those you are searching for.

 

Key features for the pharmacist panel:

  • Product catalog management – Divide the available medicines into different categories to make finding the right medicine easier.
  • Information management – Add and update the details for all the available medicines.
  • View orders – View orders and accept or decline them depending on availability.
  • Real-time chat – Instantly address customer queries with the in-app chat feature.
  • Report generation – Generate sales reports in just a few clicks.

 

The main features of the admin panel:

  • Order management – View, manage and track all orders from the admin dashboard
  • Returns and refund management – Accept return requests and process refunds directly into the customer’s wallet or bank account.
  • Targeted discounts – Provide targeted discounts to customers based on their browsing history and past orders.
  • Reports and analytics – Generate reports instantly from the app.

 

Five Ways an Online Pharmacy App Can Help You Sell More Online 

If you are looking to boost your sales figures, here are a few reasons why launching an online pharmacy app can benefit your business.

  1. Provides a competitive edge: Launching an intuitive and efficient app can help your business stand out from the rest of your competitors. Moreover, you can sell your products at a competitive price by offering discounts to attract more customers to your brand.
  2. Showcase products effectively: A mobile app makes it easier for pharmacy businesses to showcase their entire range of products to potential customers. Moreover, customers can also gain access to all the necessary information about the product before purchasing.
  3. Better customer experience: When you build a fast and efficient app that customers can use without any hassles, they will be more inclined to stick to it. Be sure to include a range of practical features to ensure a positive customer experience. This will help you boost the online sales value.
  4. Boosts brand loyalty: The only way to increase brand loyalty and develop a solid customer base is by providing them with the services they need efficiently. And a mobile app can help you achieve just that. When you provide a positive shopping and delivery experience, customers would also opt to use your app for future orders.
  5. More efficient marketing: You can use your medicine delivery app to implement a strategic marketing plan. Since people spend a considerable part of their time using their smartphones, your customers are more likely to view promotions and deals that appear in the form of app notifications.

Check out the guide for Medicine App Delivery Development

If you haven’t yet planned how to launch a medicine delivery app, now is the time to take the plunge. At EMed HealthTech, we offer exceptional online pharmacy app development services to help boost your business revenue. Reach out to our expert team with your requirements today!