Importance of online medicine delivery platforms amid the COVID-19 outbreak

Medicine is essential for the livelihood of any individual. People need to travel to the nearby medical shop and spend time in the queue to buy needed medicines. The availability of medicines at the right moment is essential, and it is essential to have immediate solutions rather than visiting the pharmacy shop every time. The online medicine delivery app provides a way for the delivery of medicines to our doorsteps. In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, people are afraid to step outside of their homes to buy even the necessary commodities. 

There has been a decline in the market of most of the industries. Most of the brick and mortar store owners are moving to digital platforms to offer their products. This has led to the demand in the online market. With a significant increase in demand for medicines, coupled with a change in public behavior such as panic buying over-the-counter painkillers in response to the lockdown, an Online Pharmacy Delivery solution is a great way to get the problem solved. It also provides patients with their prescription medication and helps pharmacists enhance their business.

Let’s look at the current trends of the Online medicine market:

• It is estimated that the topical drug delivery market is going to have the highest CAGR in this period. 
• The global pharmaceutical drug delivery market is expected to reach $1.7 trillion by 2023. It is the result according to the research in New York. 
• Online pharmacy companies like Netmeds, 1mg, and PharmEasy, which have been struggling all these years due to the regulations, have seen a demand surge during the Coronavirus outbreak. 
• "The demand of the overall medicinal category has gone over 100%," says Dharmil Seth, founder of PharmEasy. The reason for the drastic growth is people want to stock up the medicines irrespective of the need. 
• "The ongoing pandemic has left people helpless, with new AI developed by our team. We can ensure the safe delivery of medicines to our customers," said Pradeep Dadha, Founder & CEO of Netmeds.

Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on medicinal industries:

Unlike the other business sectors like automobile, steel, glass, and public services, the pharmaceutical industry will continue to function during the lockdown as it comes under the essential commodity category.

• The world's largest supplier of drugs has restricted exports to 26 ingredients.
• About 50 startups, including 1mg, Netmeds sell medicine online in India.
• India's drug makers rely on China for 70% of the medicinal constituents. Experts have warned that the shortage may arise in the future. 
• Oxford Economics lead economist, Stephen Foreman, told, "There are already signs that the reduction in supply to India has pushed up prices there considerably." The indications have started as India has raised prices of the medicines.
• The central government has permitted door deliveries of drugs during the nationwide lockdown.
• The medicine under the Schedule-H category can only be purchased after showing or uploading the prescription.
• Though India is responsible for only a small portion of drug export in the global market, it is one of the largest exporters in the world.

Measures Taken by the pharmacy delivery app agencies:

Employees of various pharmacy delivery app agencies take certain preventive measures to curb the transmission of coronavirus. They include, 

Regular test: The temperature testing and other screening tests are to be undertaken by each employee every day.

Protective gear: The management advises the staff to wear protective equipment such as masks, gloves, etc., when they travel outside.

Cleanse and protect: They urge employees to use sanitizers regularly.

The guidelines for customers while receiving packages:

Maintain Social distancing:  Current government guidance advises that all individuals should keep two meters distance to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection. The pharmacy department warns people to avoid contact with the delivery personnel. This can be done by collecting the package after the delivery person leaves the premises.

Cleaning the product: Make sure to cleanse the product with sanitizer or any other cleaning product.

Digital transaction: Customers are advised to use online payment options during the rise of the pandemic.

Modules for the On-demand medicine app development:

Single-store Model: The sale of drugs through a single integrated platform.

Aggregator Model: Tie up with several pharmaceutical stores in a locality for business expansion.

Customer-oriented Model: This model focuses on direct delivery to the customer, eliminating the middleman in the transaction. It reduces the cost for both users and owners.

Pros of Medicine delivery application:

The customers have the following advantages of using the app:-

Easy Onboarding: They have simple procedures for onboarding. User details are encrypted safely and securely in the app.

Interactive User-Interface: It has a responsive interface. Patients can connect with the doctors for their medicinal queries without any hassles.

Connect with local pharmacies: The customers can order medicines from the pharmacy in their vicinity on-demand.

Authentic medicine: The online platform guarantees that they only showcase genuine drugs.

Discounts & promo codes: The customers get a discount on each purchase, most online pharmacy delivery apps provide a cut of 20-25%. Apart from that, vouchers are given to regular customers.

Steps in using Medicine delivery application:

Profile creation: Provide the necessary details to sign up. The user dashboard has a cart, payment module, and many other features.

Navigate: Use the in-app search engine for product search. The advanced filter sorts the data in various categories like pill type, variation, etc.

Booking: Add to cart is a virtual basket that holds all selected items. Upon choosing, the customer can view the entire list on the cart and schedule the order delivery.

Payment: The application supports multiple payment modes, and users pay according to their preference.

Booking history: The history has the lists of all the previous transactions, users can choose even from it for re-ordering.

Conclusion:

The enforcement of the lockdown has made more people look up to the Online medicine service providers. The pharmacy delivery app development is incorporating innovative features to protect customers. They are following strict regulations to prevent their employees from getting infected and infecting others. This is a tough period for all of us. As responsible citizens, we need to abide by the government’s regulations and safeguard ourselves. The online medicine delivery app development will be beneficial for the users and also fetch reasonable profits to the owners.