Tag: Online Pharmacy Website

A Complete Checklist for Developing Your Online Pharmacy App

Posted on | by Salim Chauhan

The online pharmacy sector is leading the way in this change in the rapidly expanding digital healthcare sector. The ease, security, and wider selection of items that come with ordering drugs online have made it increasingly popular, making it a profitable chance to develop a successful online pharmacy app. However, pharmacy app development is a complicated process that calls for a well-thought-out concept and close consideration of the functionality, user experience, and regulatory requirements.

In this blog post, we’ll take you through a thorough online pharmacy app checklist, covering every important facet of the development process from the beginning to the official launch. This online pharmacy app checklist is intended to ensure that you don’t miss any important details during app creation.

1. Market Research and Competitor Analysis

Conduct in-depth market research before beginning the actual creation of the pharmacy app. Recognize the market for online pharmacy services that is now in demand and the characteristics that users of these applications most frequently seek. You should also analyze your competition as part of your investigation. Examine the current offerings in online pharmacy apps to determine what functions well and needs improvement. Seek for differentiators that will make your app stand out from the crowd.

Questions to consider during market research:

  • What are the most requested features in existing online pharmacy apps?
  • What are your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses?
  • Are there specific regions or demographics that are underserved?

 

2. Legal Compliance and Regulations

Complying with healthcare rules is an essential aspect of pharmacy app development. Regulations governing the online distribution and sale of pharmaceuticals differ throughout nations. For instance, in the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals, while the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) protects patient privacy. In the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, is a major data protection regulation.

You must ensure that your online pharmacy app complies with all applicable regulatory standards while developing it, from safeguarding patient data to ensuring that only certified pharmacists distribute prescriptions.

3. User-Friendly Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) Design

A successful online pharmacy app consists of a smooth, user-friendly interface. The UI and UX are important because they have a direct influence on user pleasure, retention, and the overall success of your app. The user-friendly interface helps users easily search for drugs, upload prescriptions, and make payments.

Key design factors to pay attention to are:

  • A basic, user-friendly layout with distinct sections
  • A smooth way to look up prescription drugs and medical supplies
  • Simple navigation to upload and organize prescriptions
  • Easily reachable customer service through live chat or in-app messaging

 

A user-friendly design plays a critical role in the success of your pharmacy app development because it lowers user friction and increases the likelihood that users will return to your app for future purchases.

4. Prescription Management System

Prescription management is one of an online pharmacy app’s most important functions. Prescriptions must be simple for users to upload, maintain, and refill. This requires OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology integration, as it enables the app to read and scan prescription information from user-uploaded photos.

Key components of a prescription management system:

  • Simple prescription upload with OCR compatibility
  • Reminders for prescription refills that are automated
  • pharmacists and users’ written history of prescriptions 
  • Safe and secure prescription data 

 

5. Secure Payment Gateway Integration

Another important item on the app development checklist is ensuring that payments are processed securely and easily. When making purchases, users need to have the assurance that their financial and personal information is secure. This entails putting strong security measures in place and providing a variety of payment methods, such as digital wallets, credit/debit cards, and insurance payments.

Crucial elements of payment:

  • Compliance with PCI-DSS for safe online transactions
  • Support for a variety of payment methods, including insurance, digital wallets, and credit cards
  • Clear pricing that includes shipping and tax
  • Encrypting data securely during financial transactions

 

6. Medication Information and Search Feature

Comprehensive information regarding drugs, such as dosage, possible side effects, and any essential warnings, should be provided by your online pharmacy app. Users should be able to quickly find pharmaceuticals by name, category, or even ailment with the use of a robust search feature.

Important components to add to the drug database are:

  • Comprehensive details on every drug, such as interactions, adverse effects, and usage instances
  • Use the name of the medication, the category, or the symptom to search and filter alternatives.
  • alerts on possible drug interactions or incompatibilities with other prescriptions

This online pharmacy app checklist feature builds users’ confidence in your app as a trustworthy source of medical information while also assisting them in finding what they need.

7. Pharmacy and Doctor Integration

Having direct access to doctors and pharmacists in your app may be incredibly beneficial to consumers. It should be possible for users to speak with a pharmacist about any queries they may have regarding their prescription drugs or to see a doctor to renew a prescription. This feature has the potential to greatly improve user experience and turn your app into a one-stop shop for all things healthcare-related.

Your pharmacy app development might become a full-service healthcare solution with the aid of this feature:

  • Pharmacist consultations inside the app
  • Requests for prescription renewals are addressed directly to physicians
  • Safe communication between patients and medical personnel
  • Combining telemedicine with online doctor appointments

 

8. Order Tracking and Notifications

A good user experience depends on offering timely alerts on the status of a user’s medicine and real-time order tracking. From the time they place their order until it reaches their door, users ought to be able to follow it. They should get notifications on the status of their prescription, shipment information, and the anticipated time of arrival.

9. Data Security and Privacy

One of the most important aspects of pharmacy app development is data security. Strict security measures must be put in place because your software handles a lot of sensitive data, including payment and personal health information. Safe data storage, two-factor authentication, and encryption are all essential for shielding consumers from illegal access and data breaches.

Important security elements to put in place:

  • Secure data transport with SSL encryption
  • User account authentication using two factors
  • Safekeeping of private information, including prescriptions and payment details
  • Routine upgrades and checks of security

 

10. Testing and Quality Assurance

Ensure that your online pharmacy app functions properly on all platforms and devices before releasing it. A successful launch requires extensive testing for performance, security, and functionality. Quality control ensures that customers won’t experience crashes or problems, which might damage your app’s reputation right away.

Crucial elements of app testing include:

  1. Functional testing to verify that every feature functions as planned
  2. Performance evaluation for load times and speed
  3. To find flaws, security testing
  4. Real users participating in usability testing to provide input on the functioning and design of the app

 

Conclusion

The process of creating an online pharmacy app is complex and demands meticulous planning, close attention to detail, and compliance with security and legal requirements. This comprehensive app development checklist offers a way to ensure that your app is functional, user-friendly, and complies with all applicable laws.

EMed Health Tech can assist you in starting your pharmacy app development journey when you’re ready. Our years of expertise in developing healthcare technology solutions allow us to help you build an online pharmacy app that is reliable, safe, and easy to use. Reach out to us right now to get going!

5-Tips-on-How-to-Drive-Efficiency-Through-Pharmacy-Software

5 Tips on How to Drive Efficiency Through Pharmacy Software

Posted on | by Ami Kothari

The pervasive nature of technology and its immense applications has transformed the face of pharmacies. From being just a place to get your meds to a business that focuses on customer relations and automation, the way a pharmacy function has been revolutionized by technology. Independent pharmacies that are reluctant to accept the new tech are finding themself losing out on the game.

This article looks at pharmacy software used to automate and optimize the operations of a pharmacy and specifically looks at how each of its features benefits the pharmacy by driving its efficiency. We also look at how online pharmacy software development happens.

 

What is a Pharmacy Software Development?

Online pharmacy apps, pharmacy software, information systems, or pharmacy management systems improve pharmacy operations, promote better patient health outcomes and increase revenue for the pharmacy. They track and report medicine costs, usage, correct medication process, compliance, and patient safety.

Pharmacy software consists of a connected computer system with multiple access points, and a user interface with the patient’s profiles, inventory management, medicine information, and billing options. Depending upon the pharmacy software you use, more features may or may not be available. These systems can be integrated with other systems, like a hospital management system.

Some of the significant features of pharmacy management software are discussed below.

features-of-pharmacy-software

1. Inventory Management System: Pharmacy owners can keep track of the medicine supply and make data-driven decisions. Connect ERP software, online stores, and marketplaces and keep a record of stock levels. Add products with various SKU (stock-keeping units) codes. Eliminates challenges for product availability.

2. Customer Management System: Manage customer data like contacts, health records, feedback, etc., in an automated solution. Pharmacists can use feedback and reviews to make better business strategies. The automated system adds new contacts to the list with every update.

3. Supply management: Pharmacists can integrate with wholesalers and seamlessly place purchase orders. Refilling stock, product performance tracking, and stock levels with a supply management module.

4. Sales management: Pharmacy software helps you to easily and efficiently manage your sales. Now you can keep track of every sale, the price of every medicine and equipment sold, and also the profit made. You can also analyze your pharmacy business prospect and the flow of cash, and get the information you required to optimize the whole sales process.

5. Reports: Pharmacy management software stores large amounts of data regarding sales, purchases, and overall performance. All of these data are aggregated into reports. These reports can be used for business strategy, inspection, and even insights into operations.

6. Integration with Third-party Software: Manage back-office operations, data flow between inventory data, medicine order software, patient records, POS (point of sale), etc. The software can manage third-party software for messages and alerts, insurance claims, etc, via integration.

Let us now look at how these features of pharmacy software increase the efficiency of a pharmacy.

How Does Pharmacy Software management Increase Efficiency?

Pharmacy management software is a significant upgrade to the operations of a pharmacy. It increases the performance and efficiency of its operations. Let us look at how the features mentioned earlier come together to increase the efficiency of a pharmacy. Read about the online pharmacy services that can benefit from pharmacy apps and websites.

Better Customer Experience

Pharmacy management software allows you to store a lot of data about a customer in the system. The purchase history of the customer, insurance information, and other medical data. All of these are valuable in building a good customer relationship. With this information, you can personalize services from the pharmacy. You can cater to the customer’s specific needs, follow up on their medicine orders and refill as per schedule. You can send out customized text messages intimating them of upcoming refills.

Pharmacists can also keep track of their allergies and provide medicines that suit them. They can also give information on medicine interactions and counteractions of medicines. Pharmacists can also suggest economical options for medicines and even suggest recurring plans for long-term illnesses. All of these increase customer satisfaction and retention, thus increasing the efficiency of the operations.

Good Resource Management

A lot of resources pass through a pharmacy. Managing them efficiently increases the overall efficiency of the pharmacy. Resources can be efficiently allocated and accounted for with the different features of the pharmacy software.

All your available stock of medicines and equipment and out-of-stock items can be accounted for using the inventory management feature. Orders dispatched to your customers, special orders, and incoming orders can all be tracked, and reports made using the order tracking feature.

All the billing activities of incoming and outgoing transactions can be managed with the invoicing functionality. You can make better decisions that improve your business with a better understanding of your financial matters. Online software can account for the business matters of multiple locations with a single platform.

Reduces Billing and Medication Errors

As a place that makes many transactions, there is always a chance for error in a pharmacy. That is when pharmacists did everything manually, with pen and paper. In the digital age, the chances of error have also significantly reduced. Most errors occur either in the billing department, where there is some counting error or in the dispensing department, where the medicine given is not the one prescribed. With computerized billing and medicine order, transactions are much more efficient, improving the overall efficiency of the pharmacy.

Offering Online Services

The pandemic and the boom of online services have made pharmacies a leading player in the online market. You’d be surprised to know how willingly customers choose an online pharmacy over a brick-and-mortar store. It would be a miss to not provide your services online too. Here is how B2B online pharmacies are bound to speed up the digital transformation of local pharmacies.

Good pharmacy software provides the provisions to engage customers through online sales portals. With effective cloud integration, your business can soar online as well. With an online business up and running, you are making the most out of your resources and thus enhancing your business prospects. Your pharmacy will have a larger customer base and better brand awareness with an online business.

Effective Sales Management

Good pharmacy software can manage your sales efficiently. It can track all the sales happening at your pharmacy. With this feature, you will know in detail about every sale, the price of each medicine or equipment sold, and the profit made with each transaction. All of these data can be aggregated to generate reports that give insights into your business. Backed with the proper data, you can optimize your business. For example, you can look at the reports, know what sells well and what doesn’t, and then replace the slower-moving item with an in-demand item.

How To Build an Online Pharmacy Software?

Now that you know how beneficial it is to have online pharmacy software to run your pharmacy, you can give your pharmacy an edge with pharmacy app development. Our team at EMed HealthTech is fully dedicated to building your online pharmacy software with finesse. As developers of the best pharmacy apps for pharmacies worldwide, we will help your business grow and thrive through well-designed, stable, and secure apps. To know more, get in touch with us today and start a free trial of SaaS pharmacy software at EMed HealthTech!

Online Pharmacy Service: Benefits of Building Pharmacy App & Website

Online Pharmacy Service: Benefits of Building Pharmacy App & Website

Posted on | by Ami Kothari

Online Pharmacy Service: Benefits of Building Your Online Pharmacy App & Website

The pandemic has forced almost all services to find a presence or migrate permanently to the online space to ensure their survival. While becoming a preferred way for customers to shop, it is also profitable for sellers. This is true for businesses in many sectors, including healthcare. Online pharmacies are on the rise and proving to be a financially lucrative model for healthcare companies. A recent market study estimates that online pharmacies will generate a revenue of around USD 210.35 Billion by 2028.

If you’re thinking about building an online pharmacy app, this article is just for you. Read on to learn more about the potential of online pharmacy apps, their applications, and their development.

 

Why Do Pharmacies Need an App?

With the global pandemic shifting consumer patterns, a large source of pharmaceutical revenue has shifted to an online presence. However, with the potential to integrate more than just a medicine delivery system, online pharmacy services are competing to create a personalized user experience.

With an application online, a pharmacy can potentially integrate a lot of creative aspects into it, thus increasing sales and retaining customers. Some of them are:

  1. Give detailed information on the medicine order, its side effects, and dosage.
  2. Online consultation with specialized doctors.
  3. Personalized sessions with certified pharmacists.
  4. Technical solutions to find alternatives to the medicine order.
  5. Personalized setting to remind daily medicine intake.
  6. Alerts when incompatible medicines are bought together.
  7. Customized plans for continued purchases.

Bringing in these features and more innovative ideas are winning over more customers and bolting pharmacies to top positions in the market. These are proof enough that the pharmaceutical industry stands to gain from the online market.

Benefits of Having a Pharmacy App/Website

Here is a quick look at some of the perks of having an online application and/or website for your pharmacy.

  1. Low initial investments: An online presence means you can cut down on offline expenses like rent for the premises. It can also be run on minimal staff. The initial costs will however include developing a functional application.
  2. Low Risk, faster turnover: The risk associated with an online pharmacy is low compared to an offline pharmacy. You can also convert your physical space into a storage facility and use it to run a larger online presence.
  3. Consistent sales and customer retention: Unlike your brick-and-mortar pharmacy, your e-pharmacy is available 24×7. It caters to an extremely larger crowd than your physical pharmacy can afford. Hence you can expect, of course, decent marketing, and a steady and consistent sale. With personalized discounts and packages, you can also make sure you have higher customer retention.

Now, let’s talk about how to build a SaaS ePharmacy software, its features, and possible rewards for business owners.

 

How To Start An Online Pharmacy?

One cannot emphasize enough the importance of a customer-friendly user interface when it comes to online pharmacy app development. In other words, the app should be easy enough for even less tech-savvy customers to navigate and use.

Before you add various features to your app or website, it is important to have an idea of the basic flow of the ordering and delivery process. Here’s a checklist to follow:

  1. Searchbar – to find the medicine or its alternative
  2. Verification – the app/website can verify medicine order if necessary
  3. Cart – A cart is prepared to add medicines before checkout
  4. Order placement – users can order the products and choose the ideal shipping option.
  5. Payment gateway – a secure payment method featuring all payment methods.

The Core Features of an Online Pharmacy App

The core features of the application or website should cover all of the above processes and more. Here is a detailed look at the various core features that should feature in your website to make it functional.

  1. Exhaustive product catalog

Your online application should feature an exhaustive list of all your products, their availability, and details. This allows the customer to choose from similar products based on price or discounts. They can also track medicines that are out of stock, track orders, and make payments through trusted portals.

     2. Loyalty programs for regulars

A loyalty program or a discount card functions much the same way online as it is offline. But the chances of it being redeemed are higher in an online facility. Such options make sure customers come back again.

     3. Smart detections and QR scanning

It is easier for customers to simply scan the QR of a particular product or take a picture to check availability. Such systems help the customer find the medicine or its closest alternative.

    4. Customized deals and discounts

With a good marketing strategy, your online pharmacy can give customized deals and discounts to customers to increase customer retention. Special packages can be developed that take into account subscription model purchases.

     5. Feedback and testimonials

Genuine feedback can help improve customer service. Reviews and testimonials improve sales and increase the level of trust. Having a dedicated feedback section ensures building a relationship with the customer.

     6. Online Assistance

If the customer is unable to make a decision, there must be assistance provided on-site to guide them. A certified pharmacist can help customers make the right decision regarding choosing medicines.

      7. Connecting to offline stores

Linking your customers to your offline stores to redeem benefits will increase your customer retention at both online and offline stores. Having automatic location detection and clear instructions to reach your offline facility ensures you have a steady inflow of customers.

 

Final Thought

Like any industry that has created an online presence, the pharmacy stands to benefit too. It is a long-term investment and one that is going to cost you much less than you would anticipate in running a full-fledged offline store. The major expenses that you are bound to face are the ones required for web developing or application development. Once that is out of the way you can easily run your business without any hassles.

If you’re planning to build a medicine delivery app to expand your business, this is an opportune time to do it. Consult our team of online pharmacy app development experts to get started today!