According to The Business Research Company, the global pharmaceutical eCommerce market is projected to reach $732.3 billion by 2027. This represents a significant opportunity for pharmacies, healthcare service providers, or hospitals/clinics to implement eCommerce and reach a broader range of potential customers. To achieve this, building an online pharmacy on a professional platform is a great idea to address industry-specific challenges. 

Things to keep in mind when building an online pharmacy

When building a pharmacy eCommerce website, businesses must meet numerous criteria to ensure professionalism, safety, and legal compliance within this industry.

Intuitive user interface

The typical customer profile in the pharmaceutical eCommerce sector consists of individuals seeking to purchase medications, medical equipment, and other healthcare products for themselves, family, or friends.

Thus, the website interface needs to be visually appealing, and user-friendly, and prioritize colors such as blue or white to create a sense of safety and cleanliness. 

Other factors, such as layout, font choice, and imagery, should be carefully selected and coordinated to deliver the most professional user experience.

Bespoke features

When building an online pharmacy, beyond default eCommerce features, businesses should focus on developing the following features to address industry-specific needs:

• Prescription Medications: Provide prescription medications based on the doctor’s indications and instructions.
• Consultation Services from Doctors/Pharmacists: Offer health consultation services and online medical examinations on demand.
• Detailed Product Information Display: Furnish comprehensive information about products, including drug names, ingredients, indications, dosage, usage instructions, side effects, warnings, expiration dates, and prices.
• Usage Guidelines: Provide usage instructions and dosage adjustments for all medical products, about the advice of doctors/pharmacists.
• Online Medical Records: Store patient medical records and test results on the system’s information portal.

High security

An online pharmacy is a system that contains various crucial information including personal details, payment information, and the health status of customers. Therefore, the security system of the website needs to be built and deployed carefully to ensure the safety of customer data.

Compliance with legal regulations

Pharmaceutical eCommerce is a specialized business area subject to the regulations of the healthcare/pharmaceutical industry. eCommerce pharmaceutical businesses need to comply with these regulations to ensure that their operations are legal and safe for customers.

Below are some key legal regulations that e-commerce pharmaceutical businesses need to adhere to in Vietnam:

• Pharmaceutical Law: The Pharmaceutical Law regulates the conditions for pharmaceutical business, including requirements for pharmaceutical business licenses, facilities, equipment, personnel, and drug quality.
• Decree 54/2017/NĐ-CP: Decree 54/2017/NĐ-CP provides detailed regulations on pharmaceutical business activities.
• Circular 07/2018/TT-BYT: Circular 07/2018/TT-BYT guides the advertising of drugs, drug ingredients, medical equipment, and cosmetics.
• Circular 04/2016/TT-BYT: Circular 04/2016/TT-BYT guides state management of the pharmaceutical profession.
• Circular 34/2018/TT-BYT: Circular 34/2018/TT-BYT guides state management of drugs and drug ingredients.

In addition, pharmaceutical eCommerce businesses also need to comply with other legal regulations, such as Cybersecurity Law, Consumer Protection Law, and eCommerce Law.

Top 5 eCommerce Platforms to build an online pharmacy

Although this industry has many challenges to deploy, businesses always have eCommerce platforms to create their online pharmacies. Here are the 5 leading platforms for building online pharmacy that businesses may consider.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce is a cloud-based eCommerce platform operating on the Software as a Service (SaaS) model, enabling businesses to create and manage online stores.

Currently, BigCommerce offers four main solutions, including

Pros:

• Easy to use: BigCommerce is designed to be user-friendly with a drag-and-drop builder to help businesses create and manage online stores easily without the need for technical skills.
• Multi-channel support: BigCommerce allows pharmaceutical businesses to operate across multiple platforms, including eCommerce websites, social media pages, and online marketplaces.
• Security compliance: BigCommerce is committed to adhering to high-level security standards and protects customer personal information and transaction data.
• Pharmaceutical solutions: BigCommerce offers a variety of features and interfaces specifically designed for the pharmaceutical industry.

Cons:

• Ongoing costs: As a SaaS, BigCommerce requires monthly or annual fees for usage. The value of these fee packages may increase depending on the scale of the business and transaction fees per order.
• Limited customization: While BigCommerce allows customization of eCommerce websites, it limits deeper customization. This could be an issue for businesses with specific customization requirements, such as in the pharmaceutical industry.
• Limited scalability: While BigCommerce can scale, for large businesses or those planning rapid expansion in the future, it may be necessary to consider more specialized platforms to handle these needs.
• Platform dependency: Businesses will rely on BigCommerce’s ecosystem to maintain and update their online stores. This could be a concern if a business needs complete control over its system.

Some famous pharmaceutical eCommerce businesses currently utilizing BigCommerce include Victoria Health, Molton Brown, LARQ, and Zyppah.

Shopify

Shopify is a SaaS eCommerce platform established in 2006. To date, Shopify has rapidly become one of the leading platforms in the eCommerce industry, supporting thousands of businesses worldwide to initiate and grow their online ventures.

The cost to use the Shopify platform is quite diverse, including these three solutions:

In addition, Shopify provides eCommerce solutions tailored to businesses with different needs and wants, such as:

• Starter: $5/month, leveraging payment features through social networks and messaging apps for businesses.
• Retail: $89/month, includes employee management features, inventory tracking, and loyalty programs for retail stores.
• Commerce Components: Custom pricing, offering third-party modules for integration into the eCommerce website.
• Shopify Plus: Custom pricing, designed for large enterprises.
• Shopify Hydrogen: Custom pricing, for businesses to deploy Headless Commerce.

Learn more: Top 5 benefits of Headless Commerce 

Pros:

• Easy to use: Shopify is designed with an intuitive user interface, allowing non-technical users to easily create online stores.
• Diverse pricing plans: Shopify offers a wide range of choices for businesses, catering to small, medium, startup, and large enterprises with various customization needs.
• Data Security: Shopify adheres to important security standards such as PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) to keep customer’s personal and healthcare data safe.
• Extensive Feature Set: Shopify provides many features and extensions to meet the needs of building eCommerce websites for various industries, including the pharmaceutical sector.

Cons:

• Ongoing costs: Similar to BigCommerce, Shopify requires monthly or annual fees for service usage, and costs can escalate over time due to transaction fees, expansion of features, etc.
• Limited Customization: Shopify offers a certain level of customization for basic packages like Basic, Shopify, Advanced, Retail, and Starter. If a business requires a highly customized eCommerce website, additional fees must be paid to use other solutions or consider alternative platforms.
• SEO Limitations: While Shopify supports basic SEO optimization, there are some limitations in terms of more advanced SEO optimization and custom URL management.

Healthcare, pharmaceutical, and medical businesses using Shopify include Dr.Axe, 310 Nutrition, Hiya, and BUBS Naturals.

StoreHippo

StoreHippo is a SaaS eCommerce platform established in 2014 in India. Over the years, this platform has consistently updated its technologies to meet the website-building needs of businesses, particularly those in the pharmaceutical eCommerce sector.

Similar to other SaaS platforms, StoreHippo offers a variety of solutions to choose from:

Pros:

• Easy to use: StoreHippo is designed with a user-friendly interface, making it quick and easy for users to create online stores.
• Custom solutions for pharmaceutical eCommerce: StoreHippo provides dedicated solutions for various industries, including online pharmacies.
• Continuous Updates: To address specific functions for each industry, StoreHippo has consistently improved and updated the latest technologies in e-commerce, such as Headless Commerce, PWA, Angular JS, etc.

Cons:

• Limited customization: Although StoreHippo allows businesses to customize their eCommerce website interface, it still limits deeper customization compared to other eCommerce platforms.
• Limited image size: StoreHippo has limitations on the size of images that businesses can upload and use in their online stores.
• Community and Support Limitations: In comparison to larger e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Magento, or BigCommerce, StoreHippo has a smaller user community and customer support, which may slow down the resolution of technical issues or support requests.

Some brands that built their online pharmacy with StoreHippo include WoundProfessional, Kunooz, and On A Healthy Note.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is an open-source eCommerce plugin developed for the WordPress platform, one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) globally. WooCommerce enables businesses to turn their WordPress websites into online stores or integrate eCommerce features into existing websites.

The license fee of WooCommerce depends on the complexity of each project, averaging around $1,000 for a basic eCommerce website and $10,000 for a more advanced eCommerce website.

Pros:

• Free to use: WooCommerce is an open-source platform, so it is entirely free to use and customize. However, associated costs such as hosting, domain, themes, functionality systems, and maintenance should be considered.
• Easy to use: WooCommerce is deeply integrated into WordPress, making the installation and management of online stores straightforward. Users familiar with WordPress will find WooCommerce’s interface user-friendly.
• Third-party integration:  WooCommerce has a large development community and supports integration with various third-party applications and services, including features tailored for pharmaceutical eCommerce
• High customization: Businesses can customize the eCommerce website interface using both free and premium themes. WooCommerce also allows businesses to design their interface to reflect their brand.

Cons:

• WordPress dependency: WooCommerce is essentially a plugin for WordPress, meaning businesses must use the WordPress platform to use WooCommerce. This dependency can lead to challenges such as inconsistent support, slow data retrieval, conflicts between updates, etc.
• Complex customization: While WooCommerce allows customization, implementing complex customizations or integrating specific features may be time-consuming and require high technical skills or support from developers.
• Limited scalability: WooCommerce often faces difficulties in handling large online stores with thousands of products and high traffic.

Brands using WooCommerce to build online pharmacy include Dr. Scholl’s, myLAB Box, Superdrug Health Clinics, and Apothecanna.

Adobe Commerce (Magento)

Adobe Commerce, formerly known as Magento Commerce, is a professional and widely used eCommerce system. Adobe Commerce is part of the Adobe Experience Cloud product line and is designed to assist businesses in building eCommerce websites.

Currently, Adobe Commerce provides businesses with two main versions:

• Adobe Commerce (Magento Commerce): This is the premium version of Magento designed for large enterprises, offering two options: on-premise and on-cloud.
• Magento Open Source: Formerly known as Magento Community Edition, this is the open-source and free version of Magento.

Pros:

• High Scalability: The Magento platform is built with high scalability, allowing businesses to add features and integrate third-party applications as needed.
• High Security: Adobe Commerce prioritizes security, ensuring that customer data and payments are protected securely.
• High customization: All versions of Adobe Commerce have flexible customization capabilities, addressing the complex requirements of various industries, particularly in the pharmaceutical eCommerce sector.
• Adobe Experience Cloud Ecosystem: If a business is using other Adobe products such as Adobe Analytics or Adobe Marketing Cloud, they can integrate them with Adobe Commerce to create a comprehensive system for customer experience.

Cons:

• High initial costs: Adobe Commerce has a higher development cost compared to other eCommerce platforms, making it preferred by medium and large businesses with complex eCommerce systems or high customization needs.
• Require high technical skills: Adobe Commerce is developed using the PHP programming language, which is relatively complex, requiring technical personnel with expertise and experience to develop projects correctly and effectively.
• Long deployment time: Deploying Adobe Commerce may take more time, especially for highly customized or complex eCommerce websites.

This list is just a few examples for businesses to reference; there are many other robust eCommerce platforms that businesses can consider based on specific needs and available resources. 

With extensive experience in implementing eCommerce for clients in various countries, SECOMM understands the challenges and difficulties businesses face during the deployment of pharmaceutical eCommerce.

Contact SECOMM now or call the hotline at 02871089908 today for a free consultation.

In the ever-growing digital age, online drugstores have become an ideal destination for global users seeking convenient and safe ways to care for their health and purchase medications online. The robust growth of eCommerce and changes in user behavior have driven the expansion of this pharmaceutical eCommerce industry. 

Below are some crucial insights into why pharmaceutical eCommerce has become an essential component of the modern healthcare system.

What is Pharmaceutical eCommerce?

Pharmaceutical eCommerce has become a promising business model in recent years. According to the “Healthcare eCommerce Global Market Report” compiled by The Business Research Company, pharmaceutical eCommerce is categorized into three main models:

• By type: drug, medical devices 
• By application: telemedicine, caregiving services, medical consultation
• By end user: hospitals, clinics, other end users

Pharmaceutical eCommerce by Type

This is a model that enables consumers to order and purchase various products such as prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, dietary supplements, healthcare, personal care, etc., through online shopping channels.

Some well-known pharmaceutical eCommerce by type examples include Droga Raia (Brazil), Netmeds (India), Pharmacity (Vietnam), etc.

Pharmaceutical eCommerce by Application

Consumers can access healthcare consultation, advice, and diagnostic services through various applications for this type of pharmaceutical eCommerce. Under this model, consumers typically subscribe to and pay for these services through packages or on a subscription basis (monthly or yearly).

Companies adopting this service-oriented eCommerce model include Teladoc (USA), iCliniq (India), SBB Healthcare (Vietnam), and others.

Pharmaceutical eCommerce by End User

This pharmaceutical eCommerce model often involves websites or applications created by hospitals/clinics to assist patients in scheduling appointments, offering healthcare packages, prescription medications, and more.

Examples of hospitals/clinics following the eCommerce model by end-users include The Royal Melbourne Hospital (Australia), NYC Health+ Hospital (USA), Vinmec (Vietnam), and others.

The Potential of Pharmaceutical eCommerce

Certainly, Covid has not only led to a rise in traditional healthcare expenditures but has also acted as a driving force for pharmaceutical eCommerce. In the United States, telehealth visits witnessed a remarkable surge of 2,600% in March 2020 (during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S.) compared to the same month in 2019. 

The growth of the pharmaceutical eCommerce market seems unabated. According to a recent report by CMS, total healthcare spending in the United States reached $3.8 trillion, marking a 4.6% increase in 2022. The Asia-Pacific region is anticipated to experience rapid growth in healthcare eCommerce, with a projected CAGR of 20.5% from 2020 to 2027.

Nielsen predicts that the pharmaceutical eCommerce market in Vietnam will attain a value of $10 billion by 2025.

Some other reasons for the rise of pharmaceutical eCommerce include:

• Population Growth and Healthcare Demand: The increasing global population and improving quality of life lead to a growing demand for healthcare.
• Advancements in Information Technology and the Internet: The development of information technology and the Internet facilitates easy access for consumers to information about healthcare products and services, fostering a greater inclination towards online pharmaceutical shopping.
• Changes in Consumer Lifestyles: Consumers are becoming busier, and there is a trend towards increased online shopping, especially after COVID-19, creating favorable conditions for the growth of online pharmacies.

Top brands built their pharmacy eCommerce websites

Apollo Pharmacy (India)

Apollo Pharmacy is a well-known retail pharmacy chain in India, affiliated with the Apollo Hospitals. After years of operation in the healthcare sector, Apollo decided to establish an eCommerce website to serve millions of customers nationwide. The Apollo eCommerce website is built on the Magento platform, ensuring the capability to manage an extensive product catalog.

Beyond selling prescription and non-prescription drugs, as well as health care products, Apollo also provides various related services. Among these, notable offerings include online consultation services, health check-up appointments, vaccination appointments, and insurance sales.

Teladoc (USA)

Teladoc Health, Inc. is an American healthcare technology company headquartered in Purchase, New York. The company provides remote healthcare services, including video consultations, phone consultations, and remote health monitoring.

By rapidly deploying a website and eCommerce application, along with the utilization of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and data analytics, Teladoc has been able to enhance customer experience and deliver improved remote healthcare services.

Mayo Clinic (USA)

Mayo Clinic was founded in 1889 by Dr. William W. Mayo and his two sons, Dr. Charles and Dr. William J. Mayo. Initially, Mayo Clinic was a small clinic specializing in providing healthcare services to the local community. However, the hospital quickly expanded and became one of the leading hospitals in the world.

Much of Mayo Clinic’s success can be attributed to the early adoption of eCommerce, allowing patients to schedule appointments, check test results, and purchase medications online. This has helped patients save time and effort, contributing to Mayo Clinic’s overall success.

Learn more: The 10 Best Remarkable Pharmacy eCommerce Websites

The Bottom Line

Pharmaceutical eCommerce not only brings convenience and diverse choices for consumers but also presents attractive business opportunities for healthcare enterprises. If invested systematically and guided correctly, businesses in this field can seize significant opportunities in this promising market.

With extensive experience in implementing eCommerce for customers in various countries, SECOMM understands the difficulties and challenges that businesses face during the deployment process.

Contact SECOMM now or call directly at the hotline number (02871089908) today for a free consultation

The eCommerce trend has quickly extended to various sectors of the economy. The explosion of online pharmacies, both domestically and internationally, demonstrates the significant impact this trend is having on the pharmaceutical industry. 

Typically, the first step in the online presence strategy of these pharmacies is the professional establishment of an eCommerce website. 

Here are 10 pharmaceutical brands in Vietnam and on the global stage that have effectively launched eCommerce websites and swiftly captured a significant share of this market.

CVS Health (USA)

CVS Health is a major player in the U.S. healthcare sector and stands as the largest retail pharmacy chain in the country, boasting over 9,900 physical stores. CVS also offers an array of healthcare services, encompassing general health check-ups, diagnostics, and dental care.

The CVS pharmacy eCommerce website is built upon the Oracle Commerce platform, equipped with numerous features to ensure an optimal user experience and scalability for the future. Notably, it includes a prescription management feature that empowers customers to oversee their prescriptions through their CVS accounts, request prescription refills, and receive medication deliveries at their doorstep. Furthermore, the online drugstore allows customers to schedule appointments with two options: in-person clinic visits or remote telehealth consultations via video calls.

• Website: https://www.cvs.com/
• Platform: Oracle Commerce
• Traffic: 72.2M/month
• Ranking: 112 (USA) & 494 (Worldwide)

Droga Raia (Brazil)

Established in 1890, Droga Raia has continually grown and, over the years, has become one of the foremost pharmacy chains in Brazil. Despite its long-standing legacy, Droga Raia hasn’t lagged in the eCommerce trend.

With an average monthly website traffic of 19.8 million, Droga Raia opted for Magento to facilitate its pharmacy eCommerce website. This choice was well-founded, given the platform’s superior flexibility for customization and scalability, ensuring the capability to manage high traffic volumes and cater to future system expansion needs.

• Website:  https://www.drogaraia.com.br/
• Platform: Magento
• Traffic: 19.8M/month 
• Ranking: 138 (Brazil) & 3,304 (Worldwide)

Apollo Pharmacy (India)

Apollo Pharmacy, a well-known retail pharmacy chain in India, operates as a subsidiary of Apollo Hospital. Over the years, Apollo has expanded its chain of stores to thousands, serving cities and towns across India. 

Apollo built its online pharmacy on the Magento platform, equipped to manage a vast product portfolio. In addition to offering both prescription and non-prescription medications, as well as healthcare products, Apollo provides various related services. These services encompass online consultations, health check-up appointment scheduling, vaccination bookings, and insurance sales. Currently, the website garners 12.7 million monthly visits.

• Website: https://www.apollopharmacy.in/
• Platform: Magento 
• Traffic: 12.7M/month
• Ranking: 434 (India) & 5,736 (Worldwide)

Netmeds (India)

Another well-known online drugstore in India is Netmeds. In addition to prescription and non-prescription drugs, this brand offers a diverse range of healthcare products, including items for maternity and baby care, medical equipment, and dietary supplements for fitness enthusiasts, vegetarians, and those with diabetes. Netmeds also relies on Magento to develop its pharmacy eCommerce website, featuring various capabilities to enhance the user experience. These include product categorization with accompanying images, non-prescription product search recommendations, real-time product availability checks at specific stores, prescription upload options, and home delivery requests. At present, Netmeds’ website averages around 10.4 million monthly visits.

• Website: https://www.netmeds.com/
• Platform: Magento
• Traffic: 10.4M/month
• Ranking: 462 (India) & 5,864 (Worldwide)

Nahdi Online (Arab Saudi)

Nahdi Online is the leading pharmacy eCommerce website in Saudi Arabia and ranks among the region’s largest retail pharmacy chains. This marks the fourth pharmacy on the list utilizing the Magento platform to craft a user-friendly website enriched with advanced features, facilitating product-specific searches, in-depth product descriptions, and price comparisons for customers. Moreover, through Nahdi’s online pharmacy, users can access various online consultation and healthcare services or book appointments at the clinic.

• Website: https://www.nahdionline.com/en/
• Platform: Magento
• Traffic: 9.8M/month
• Ranking: 30 (Arab Saudi) & 5,818 (Worldwide)

An Khang Pharmacy (Vietnam)

An Khang Pharmacy, one of the most trusted pharmacy chains in Vietnam, was established in 2012 and has since expanded to over 500 pharmacies nationwide. Additionally, the brand has introduced a pharmacy eCommerce website and a mobile app to cater to consumers’ online pharmaceutical needs, complete with a variety of enticing offers. 

An Khang provides a wide array of products, including medications, dietary supplements, medical equipment, personal care items, and cosmetics. Moreover, the An Khang website features a dedicated section for disease lookup, allowing customers not only to make purchases but also to access information on various common diseases, including their causes, symptoms, treatment methods, and prevention.

• Website: https://www.nhathuocankhang.com/
• Platform: PHP Language
• Traffic: 5.8M/month
• Ranking: 213 (Vietnam) & 12,917 (Worldwide)

FPT Long Chau (Vietnam)

FPT Long Chau, established in 2015, has a presence in over 1,000 stores across all 63 provinces in Vietnam and is a pioneer in the modern online pharmacy model. Both its pharmacy eCommerce website and app have gained strong favor from consumers for their rich and seamless shopping experience.

Notably, Long Chau leads the way in offering a Buy Now, Pay Later service with 0% interest, helping to ease the financial burden on patients. Furthermore, customers can access guidance from Long Chau’s experienced pharmacists through a hotline or chat service. Currently, the Long Chau website attracts approximately 5.2 million monthly visitors.

• Website: https://nhathuoclongchau.com.vn/
• Platform: PHP Language
• Traffic: 5.2M/month
• Ranking: 279 (Vietnam) & 15,056 (Worldwide)

Pharmacity (Vietnam)

In the pharmaceutical market of Vietnam, Pharmacity is the third name mentioned in the fierce “three-horse race” taking place in both the online and offline channels. This company was founded in 2011 and currently has over 1,000 stores nationwide. Similar to An Khang and Long Chau, Pharmacity has also launched an eCommerce website and app with various promotional programs to provide customers and patients with a convenient and quick shopping experience, along with online consultation services from a team of highly professional pharmacists. Currently, the Pharmacity website attracts an average of 2.7 million monthly visitors. 

• Website: https://www.pharmacity.vn/
• Platform: WooCommerce
• Traffic: 2.7M/month
• Ranking: 511 (Vietnam) & 26,035 (Worldwide)

Central Pharmacy (Vietnam)

This is one of the most reputable and high-quality online pharmacy systems in Vietnam. The pharmacy offers a wide range of genuine pharmaceutical products, dietary supplements, health, and beauty care items from major global brands. Central Pharmacy’s drugstore provides various features to enhance the shopping experience for customers, such as search suggestions, search filters, and integration of messaging applications (FB Messenger and Zalo) on the website for customer support, prescription uploads, and home delivery requests. To date, the website has attracted more than 587,000 monthly visitors.

• Website: https://trungtamthuoc.com/
• Platform: Ngôn ngữ PHP
• Traffic: 587.1K/month
• Ranking: 2,484 (Vietnam) & 118,022 (Worldwide)

Nha Thuoc Than Thien (Vietnam)

Nha Thuoc Than Thien is a retail chain that meets GPP standards in Vietnam. Specializing in prescription and over-the-counter medications, as well as various healthcare products, this establishment has embraced a hybrid model, combining both offline and online pharmacy services. The primary sales channel is its user-friendly eCommerce website, developed using WooCommerce. The website is intuitively designed, incorporating essential features to facilitate customer product searches, seamless transactions, and order tracking. With around 410 thousand monthly visits, the website continues to serve a significant audience.

• Website: https://nhathuocthanthien.com.vn/
• Platform: WooCommerce 
• Traffic: 410K/month
• Ranking: 3,391 (Vietnam) & 155,687 (Worldwide)

Here are the top 10 eCommerce websites, including leading online pharmacies, in both the Vietnamese and international markets. These brands demonstrate their adaptability to consumer trends and their efforts in developing technological infrastructure to compete in the multibillion-dollar market.

With a wealth of experience in successfully implementing eCommerce solutions for numerous clients across various countries in recent years, SECOMM specializes in providing consulting services with professional eCommerce deployment solutions tailored to the specific needs of each industry.

Feel free to contact or call SECOMM’s hotline directly at (02871089908) for a free consultation.