A survey conducted in 2020 showed that many people preferred pharmacy delivery over physical medical stores for medicines. It is not a surprising fact as 2020 faced the pandemic crisis and social distancing was very important.
The number of patients who require prescription medicines is increasing every year. Reports show that in America, people aged above 65 will outgrow youngsters below 18 by 2035, which confirms the increase in prescription medicine in the coming years. This trend will help pharmaceutical companies a lot. Apart from prescription medicines, people rely on pharmacy delivery to buy wellness products, personal care products, OTC medications, etc.
Popular Challengers For Pharmacy Delivery Providers
Postal delays were one of the major issues faced by pharmacy delivery providers. Apart from it, the other major challenges are
- Trust Factor
A study in 2021 showed that more than 85% of adults preferred to go to local medical stores to get their medicines. About 36% of people responded that the pharmacist at the local store knows more about the medicines than pharmacy delivery providers. Another 15% were doubtful of the delivery as they feared their medicines being stolen or lost. To compete with physical stores, pharmacy delivery providers must try to offer the best user experience, service, and transparency.
- Disintegrated Supply Chain
Manufacturing, distribution, stocking, price negotiations, and delivery are the five major steps involved in the pharmaceutical supply chain. Any disturbance in the supply chain will create a negative impact on the customers. Therefore, many popular delivery providers are bringing solutions for last-mile delivery.
- Wrong Order Issuing
As the stages in the supply chain are more, the chances for wrong order issuing will be high. Incomplete orders, wrong medicines, and wrong dosages will result in problems in the supply chain.
Advantages Of Pharmacy Delivery Solutions
Pharmacy delivery startups and independent pharmacies must observe the steps big companies take to improve their delivery. Using software will be beneficial for pharmacy delivery providers to enhance their customer experience, find their weak points, and stand out from their competitors.
Auto-Dispatch And Route Optimization
The use of software in pharmacy delivery can help operators to optimize their routes, minimizes fuel consumption, and avoids the need to manually create route plans. Delivery management software tracks the location of the driver and can reallocate the deliveries for more efficient delivery. Thus, drivers don’t have to map their routes and waste time.
Predictive ETAs
Receivers must know the exact time when they get their medications. Using software for pharmacy delivery will provide predictive ETAs to customers, by giving an estimated delivery time and real-time ETA provides the movement of the driver on the map.
Dynamic, predictive ETAs help dispatchers and drivers enhance the customer experience. If the drivers find any change in the ETA during the delivery journey, they can use the pharmacy delivery software to give notifications to the customers. It is a two-way communication that is safe. It will help drivers to confirm the exact delivery location.