How Can Independent Pharmacies Scale Growth Post Pandemic?

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on all elements of society, and the pharmacy sector has certainly not been exempt from the disruption. Indeed, the entire healthcare industry has been through an extended period of continued upheaval and unprecedented pressure, and although a “new normal” is now on the horizon, the impact is continuing to be felt throughout the sector.

With this in mind, how can independent pharmacies scale their growth in the post-COVID world, when big-name brands seem to have entrenched themselves so deeply in the market over the past two years?

Online Pharmacy Growth

The COVID crisis has led to many changes within global healthcare systems, but one significant development that has arisen is the growth in the popularity of online pharmacy service suppliers. While the number of prescriptions currently dispensed by these online pharmacy companies is still relatively low, they are increasing, and it’s clear which way the land lies.

Internet pharmacy sales have increased over the last few years in general, and recent reports have revealed predictions that the online pharmacy market in Europe will grow by around 14% in the next five years, with the United Kingdom set to be the second biggest e-pharmacy market in Europe after Germany.

Although this trend has been in place for some time, the pandemic has served to accelerate it. Consumers are increasingly eager to benefit from convenience, and the online pharmacy market taps into that desire, but with the arrival of COVID and the resulting isolations and lockdowns, online services became not only desirable but actively necessary.

With this drive towards online services clearly in full force, pharmacies that are keen to scale their growth may want to consider setting up an online service themselves to tap into this increased demand. But how do you go about achieving this goal and how important is a pharmacy's digital footprint?

Do pharmacies always need to go all-out into wholesale large-scale online services? Or would something smaller and more community-oriented work equally well for your needs?

This is where pharmacy owners need to take a closer look at their ambitions, their long-term plans, and the opportunities and resources available to them so that they can scale up in the way that best suits their requirements and abilities.

Enhancing Profiles Through A Strong Online Presence

It seems obvious that any pharmacy today should ensure that it has an online presence so that it can easily be found by prospective patients. Even the smallest-scale community operation should have a website to enable customers to gain better access to its services by offering repeat ordering and over-the-counter online purchases.

This allows community pharmacies to enhance their profile in a cost-effective way while primarily focusing on the real-world business of a physical storefront.

For those with the vision of branching out into a larger-scale operation, the key to success lies in focusing on a specific area and excelling in it. It’s also essential to consider developing both a website and an app so that customers have ease of access to services whenever and wherever they need them. Having a strong USP is also key, whether it be speed, price, convenience, or customer experience so that the brand can stand out from the crowd in the competitive online marketplace.

Branching Out Into Telepharmacy Services

Another way that existing pharmacies can embrace the use of technology to provide better service to their patients and, thus, grow their operations is by harnessing the power of telepharmacy or remote healthcare solutions.

The COVID pandemic led to a rise in the use of remote technologies to provide healthcare services, and now that the crisis is coming to an end, it appears that this shift is likely to stay in place as patients and healthcare providers alike have begun to recognise the benefits that this way of working can bring. Pharmacy courier services are likely to be the benficiaries of many new trends and innovations in US pharmaceuticals.

Social distancing guidelines meant that serving patients effectively on a face-to-face basis instore was challenging. But using video communications-enabled pharmacists to converse in a virtual yet visual way with their patients and allowed them to provide them with the healthcare solutions and services that they needed without worrying about the threat of spreading the infection around the community.

Now that the need is reduced to minimise direct contact with patients, that doesn’t mean that the need for remote healthcare provision has suddenly abated. In fact, now that patients have realised that they can get the help they need from their local pharmacy without actually having to attend in person, they are increasingly likely to make use of such services. Pharmacies that are able to offer this opportunity can scale their growth as they reach a wider target market and also free up staff time within their physical store to focus on other elements of making their pharmacy business a success. With RxMie we help make this happen, our advanced platform enables the perfect fusion of telehealth and medication delivery services.