There is no significant difference between a medicine delivery mobile app and any other online delivery application. As a matter of fact, the Medical and Healthcare industries won’t experience inflation unless we become eternal. That is why the healthcare industry is constantly flourishing, and from its worth of $45.65 billion in 2018, it’s expected to reach $109.25 billion in 2025. It will grow at a CAGR of approximately 14.26 percent between 2019 and 2025.
After all the lives we are leading today, hectic schedules, work stress, adulterated food, and medicines have become a constant in our lives, and standing in long queues to get medications can be inconvenient, particularly for ill people. Often people also face the issue of being unable to locate their prescribed medicine at a store, and healthcare application development is just the kind of solution needed. It is beneficial for the consumers but even helpful for pharmacies.
Hence, if you are keen on your medicine delivery mobile app development, this article covers the various aspects of creating such an app.
What Is A Medicine Delivery Mobile App?
Some prominent medicine delivery apps are Netmeds, Pillpack, CVS, and NowRx. These apps came in handy during the pandemic when Covid 19 banned people from leaving their homes to stop the coronavirus. And due to the comfort these apps offer, more and more entrepreneurs are keen to invest in this segment. Users like these apps as they allow them to buy medical supplies without leaving their homes and without having to wait in long queues. They can access the app from their smartphone, add medicines to their virtual cart and pay for them via different payment options.
Why Invest In An On-Demand Medicine Delivery App?
With the concept of medicine delivery booming, the on-demand apps are rising in numbers and are expected to make a revenue of $11.22 billion by 2025. A survey states that the total number of medicine apps on leading platforms, Apple and Google, was 41552 in 2016, and it is sure to go up to 1,58,750 by the end of 2025. As per the survey, 90% of US adults use at least one digital health tool, and 19% of people use live telemedicine services owing to their many benefits.
Benefits Of Medicine Delivery Mobile Applications
Medicine delivery apps help both consumers and pharmacists and can potentially increase the delivery system’s efficiency and simplify order administration. And here, we discuss the benefits of medicine delivery apps for different categories of users:
Benefits For Pharmacists
- It’s an effective strategy to grow pharmaceutical sales, and that’s why building these apps is crucial for pharmacists.
- With medicine home delivery apps, pharmacists won’t require to maintain an inventory record for each order they fill. The app effectively provides them with timely updates, so the stock is refilled before it runs out.
- The apps allow pharmacists to access clients who are out of reach. Often, geographical limitations make customers travel a long distance to get required medications, but with these apps’ assistance, businesses can also meet the demands of such customers. And this makes the business’ client base grows.
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The app has a function to analyze the monthly requirements of regular clients, and it serves as a reminder to have their medications on hand & accessible.
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These apps enhance the distribution process’s effectiveness and deliver excellent customer service.
- The apps allow pharmacists to attract new consumers by providing higher discounts & promotions on the order cost. Besides, they help implement a reward/incentive system for recurring customers. Upon purchasing, customers earn reward points that they can use for higher discounts on the next transaction.
Benefits For Users
- By using these apps, consumers can save both time and effort. No more waiting in long queues, and no more visiting stores again if the customer forgets some medication on their list. Apps allow placing online orders efficiently without any hassle.
- Not just medications, these apps also come in handy to get medical aid if the need arises. The on-call doctors provide needed help via video call functionality integrated into medical delivery apps.
- These apps offer easy payment methods, like online banking UPI, Cash delivery option, card payments, etc.
Explore More: Top 11 Medicine Delivery App Development Companies in 2024
What Feature To Integrate Into A Medicine Delivery App?
Three panels are created for medicine delivery mobile application options: Customer Panel, Pharmacy Panel, and Admin Panel. Here is the list of features to include in each panel:
Features For Customer Panel
- Registration
- Profile Management
- Online Prescription
- Medicine Search
- Multi-payment gateways
- Ratings & Reviews
- Notifications
- Order Monitoring
- Fast re-ordering
Features For Pharmacy Panel
- Registration/Login
- Account Management
- Order Management
- Online Prescription
- Payments
- Analytics
- Order History
- Discounts
Features Of Admin Panel
- Dashboard
- Real-time Analytics
- Order Monitoring
- Customer Service
How To Create A Medicine Delivery Mobile App?
Once you have made up your mind for an on-demand medicine delivery app development, you must focus on
- Researching the market and analyzing your competitors
- Choose the type of the app to create as per your medical business offerings and goals
- Pick the essential features & functionalities for the app
- Decide on the UX/UI Design of the app
- Platform Distribution
- Choose the right medicine delivery app development company.
Business Models To Create An On-Demand Medicine Delivery App
For an app to attain huge success, it must have a suitable business model. As you create a medical delivery app, ensure that the medical business model picked for the app is compatible with the business requirements and objectives, along with the kind of services you plan to offer to the users. Usually, there are three business models widely implemented by business owners to gain better revenue in the market, and you can pick the one that suits your needs and business strategies the most. They are:
Single Stores
If you aim at selling your own store’s products via an app, then this platform works best as a digital channel to enhance your sales.
Aggregator Model
This model allows the business to tie up with different pharmaceutical outlets across the cities and manage business via an on-demand app development.
Direct To Customers
This model enables you to go without the go-betweens, reach your customers directly through the app, and have more control over the brand.
Explore More: AI-based Homecare Management App Development
Monetization Strategies For Medicine Delivery Mobile App
Most entrepreneurs are keen on developing a prescription delivery app is the possibility of reaching a wider audience, giving businesses an advantage, and boosting sales.
So, how exactly to earn money with a medicine home delivery app? Well, there can be many monetization approaches, like
App Fee
In this monetization method, the business can enable third-party vendors to sell products on their platform, and in return, the company can earn money by charging a fee on the sale of each product or for revenue.
Subscriptions
This revenue model can bring significant revenue. Here, customers paying for subscriptions are offered free delivery or discount on medicines.
Advertisements
With this revenue method, a business can turn an online pharmacy delivery into a significant revenue stream by placing ads inside the app. The users can promote medicine, products, and pharmacies offered by third-party medical vendors.
The Built-In Promotion Features
This method best suits the apps that work as marketplaces for third-party vendors. Here the app allows vendors to promote their businesses inside the app and, in return, get money for placing others businesses in recommended section, displaying medicine at the first position in the search results.
As per the business model, businesses can integrate one or more revenue strategies, and you need absolute clarity about the business requirements and goals to make the right choice.
What Should The Team Requirement For App Development?
When the goal is to create a successful app for online medicine delivery app, one must join hands with the best mobile app development company in this arena to handle the project complexity. Creating a medicine delivery app can take between 12-18 weeks, depending on the skills and expertise of the app development team. Ensure your healthcare app development company has the proper knowledge, skills, and experience to leverage the best industry tools and technologies.
Here is the list of professionals you need to create a tremendous online medicine delivery app:
- Project Manager
- iOS Developers
- Android Developers
- Front-end Developers
- Back-end Developers
- UX/UI Designers
- Quality Analysts & Testers
- Market Specialists
Technology Stack Required For Medicine Delivery Mobile App Development
To develop a medicine delivery app, you must leverage the right skills and technologies to ensure seamless app functionality
| Platform | Web Applications, iOS, and Android |
| Front-end developers | HTML, CSS, Java, React, or Swift |
| Back-end Developers | js, Python and Laravel |
| Payment processing | PayPal, Braintree, and API |
| Location Tracking | iOS Mapping Kit or Google Maps |
| Cloud environment | AWS |
| Push Notifications, in-app messaging, and SMS | Batch |
| Social Login | Facebook, Twitter, and Google ID |
Required Medical Compliances And Integration
As you create a medicine delivery mobile app, ensure to implement these medical compliances for better and more efficient functionality:
- Certification with EPCS
- FDA (Food & Drug Administration)
- HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
- HSS (Department of Health & Human Services)
- Health Level 7 International (HL7) to ship internationally
Explore More: Complete Guide to Develop a Doctor Appointment Booking Application
What Is The Cost Of Developing A Medicine Delivery App?
An online medicine delivery app ensures an excellent possibility for faster drug delivery and a real-time tracking experience; however, developing such an app can be time-taking, which can affect the cost of app development. As it comes to determining the cost of developing an on-demand medicine app, it depends on several factors, such as
Features & Functionalities
The cost of an app majorly depends on the features you choose to integrate your app with. For instance, an app with basic features is sure to cost comparatively lesser than an app incorporated with advanced functionalities. Even though the advanced features take up the cost of app development, they help deliver an excellent user experience.
Choice Of Platforms
Choosing to develop your app for a single platform will cost lesser than developing the app for both iOS and Android platforms. Besides the development platforms, the technology used in in-app creation also affects the final cost. Like, technologies like cloud environment, tracking systems, real-time analytics, and multiple payment gateways can significantly enhance the app experience for the users, but it also takes up the development cost.
Location Of App Development Company
The hourly rates of healthcare software development vary per the location chosen for app development. For instance, app developers in Europe charge 120-150 per hour, as compared to developers charging $20-$50 per hour in India
Explore More: Medicine Delivery App Development Guide: NowRx for Pharmacy in 2024
App Development Time
The selection of features and functionalities determines the time it takes to develop, test, and deliver a mobile, and based on that, you can calculate the hourly cost of the developer with the total number of hours they devoted to your app project. The longer it takes to develop an app, the higher the development cost.
Considering the factors mentioned above, you can calculate a rough estimate. As per that, an app with basic functionalities for a single platform will cost around $5k to 30k, whereas an app with advanced functionalities for Android and iOS platforms might cost $10k to $40k.
Jitendra Jain
Jitendra Jain is the CEO and Co-founder of Inventcolabs. He is among the most endeavoring leaders in the space of advanced computing and information technology. He has been at the forefront of the tech innovation taking place at Inventcolabs, and his domain insights, ideas, and viewpoints on the latest IT trends and traits impact change through his words and works in motion.
