Overview
Customers and businesses profit greatly from pharma app development. Users can order and receive their medication without having to visit a pharmacy, saving them time. Companies may enhance their profits while also gaining the trust and loyalty of their clients.
However, developing a pharma distribution app development service takes time and money. Such solutions necessitate a consumer app, a courier app, and a pharmacy solution. Each solution presents its own set of development obstacles.
How can I avoid every potential stumbling block? This post covers a wide range of development topics, from pharmaceutical app types to essential functionality.
ePharmacy Market Facts, Size & Share Report
On-demand delivery Businesses benefit greatly from having a mobile app. Users frequently order products, including medicine, while on the go. Users nowadays desire digital connections with pharmacists.
According to the most recent poll, 20% of consumers who use pharma apps report a 23% greater level of satisfaction than customers who do not utilize applications.
Ordering medicine online using applications has transformed clients’ skills and reduced their reliance on relatives and other people. pharma distribution app development services are useful for the elderly and those suffering from medical issues.
In 2018, the worldwide online pharmacy market was worth roughly $50 billion. It is expected to expand by $178 billion by 2026.
Pharma app development types
Before you begin developing pharmaceutical apps, you need to decide what type of application you want to create. It is typical to think about 3 types:
- Apps for the pharmacy market
- Apps for online pharmacies
- Apps for pharmacy chain stores
Factors need to consider while pharma app development
To make the platform function for all parties, pharma app development services necessitate the creation of a whole ecosystem.
A typical pharmaceutical solution should consist of 4 components
1) Customer App
Users can browse the catalog of medications and place an order (drugs should be divided into categories). Additionally, users must be able to upload their prescriptions in order for pharmacists to collect the order. There’s also a distinct option for similar goals: the creation of an e-prescription app.
2) Pharmacist App
Pharmacists can view, manage, and collect courier orders.
3) Courier App
The application alerts couriers to new orders. They may check the order status as well as the delivery address.
4) Admin Panel
The pharmacy owner and his team are capable of managing the entire solution. They can add and remove pharmacies and drugs, process payments, and do other things. Of course, each solution has unique characteristics. To give you an idea, we’ve highlighted the essential features of any pharma solution.
Customer app
The customer app is the most important component of the project. To get more users, create a user-friendly UI/UX design. Customers nowadays are spoilt. They do not use an app that has an unappealing or illegible design.
- Registration and login:- To make the registration process as quick as possible, you should provide numerous registration alternatives. Integrate signup via social networks such as Facebook or Google, for example. Add email and password, phone number, and password signups as well. pharma app developers can use the Facebook SDK and the Google SDK.
- Search:- Users should be able to find nearby pharmacies using location. It’s also a good idea to incorporate the search for essential medications. To add a drug to the card, the user must see information about the chosen medicine as well as a “Buy” button.
- Location tracking:- Customers should be able to track the courier’s location in real-time. This capability can be integrated using the Google Location API for Android and the Location Framework for iOS.
- Orders and payments:-Customers choose the medications they need and study the order details. Customers must pay for their order after the pills are loaded onto their card.
Payment systems such as Braintree or Stripe should be integrated by pharma app developers. - Push notification:- They can send user’s notifications regarding the status of their orders, such as “accepted,” “delivered,” or “arrived.” Amazon SNS and Firebase Cloud Messaging can be used by pharma app developers.
Pharmacist app
This strategy can be used by pharmacists to manage income orders. As a result, pharmacists are now able to accept and collect orders for couriers.
There are several must-have features:
- Order management:-Workers should have a variety of management options, such as the ability to accept instructions and change their status.
- Integration of pharmacy warehouse systems:- Pharmacists must be able to change their inventory from warehouses.
Courier app
The courier app must be simple but functional. Several features are required:
- Registration and login:-To utilize the app, couriers must first sign up. Sign-in choices comparable to those provided in the consumers’ app are preferable: social media, email and password, phone number and password.
- Navigation:-You must incorporate maps with the shortest paths. This feature can be implemented by your pharma app developers using Google Maps Platform for Android and Location Framework for iOS.
- Order details:-Couriers must have access to all order information, including the restaurant address, delivery destination, and delivery time.
Admin panel
The admin panel can be used to manage all pharma solutions.
- Login:- A secure login helps to protect your data and the personal information of your clients.
- Analytics:- Analytics can be used to track the number of orders, delivery time, income, and other metrics.
- Payment management:- Customers or pharmacies can be charged for using your solution.
As you can see, there are numerous elements to incorporate. There’s a table with the required features and technologies if that helps.
Things to required for pharmacy app development
Pharma app development services demands the use of a scalable technology stack. For example, while developing iOS and Android apps, you must utilise different programming languages, such as Swift and Kotlin. You’ll also need a database.
| Solution | Features | Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Customer App | Registration/login, search, and location tracking Push notifications, order payments | Facebook SDK, Google SDK, Elastic Search, Google Location API, Amazon SNS |
| Courier App | Registration/Login, Navigation, Order Details | Facebook SDK, Google SDK, Google Maps, Location Framework |
| Admin Panel | Login, Analytics, and Payment Management | Facebook SDK, Google SDK, Stripe, PayPal |
Considerations for pharma app development
The pharma industry tech app development necessitates adherence to a slew of legal and privacy standards. Different nations have different restrictions that you should be aware of and take into account before releasing the pharmacy app.
- HIPAA HIPAA requirements must be scrupulously followed by apps built for the US market that process, record, and store protected health information (PHI). These regulations have safeguarded the security, integrity, and accessibility of all electronically protected health information since 1996.
- CCPA Another security law for the United States The CCPA is often compared to the European GDPR. These requirements require that the client be informed about the data acquired, that a free report on the obtained data be prepared at the user’s request, and that additional rules be followed.
- GDPR In 2018, Europe implemented these personal data protection standards. These guidelines apply to any app that collects and processes personal data in the European Union. GDPR applies to both companies that handle information (such as cloud storage) and companies that collect information (like a social network).
- NIST Another set of standards, tools, and technologies developed in the United States to protect the information of users of medical apps. According to study, 70% of firms believe that the NIST framework is the best cybersecurity approach, yet many believe that it needs a considerable investment.
- HiTECH The HITECH Act increases HIPAA rules, bringing several major benefits to patients. For example, under this statute, patients have internet access to their protected health information. Patients must be notified of any data infractions pertaining to their health profile. If a medical organization experiences a breach that affects 500 or more patients, the Department of Health and Human Services must be notified.
- PIPEDA If you create a pharmaceutical app that keeps and processes data for the Canadian market, you must adhere to PIPEDA. There are data protection regulations in place that are similar to the GDPR.
The price of pharma app development
How much does it cost to design a pharmaceutical app?
We estimated each component independently because the pharmaceutical system required four solutions. Cost breakdowns by feature can be seen in the PDF below.
The tables above show an estimated development time for each module. pharma app developers will require a total of 966 hours to integrate those features. We often divide that time into smaller chunks (called sprints), resulting in approximately 7 development iterations. Remember that creating an app requires not only pharma app developers but an entire team.
Here is the complete team composition you will require:
- Front-end developer: sprints 1-2
- Back-end developer, all sprints
- 2X iOS developer – all sprints
- All sprints – Android developer (2X)
- UI/UX designer, sprints 1–5.
- Business Analyst, sprint 1-5
- Project Manager, all sprints
- QA engineer, all sprints
- DevOps engineer, all sprints
- All sprints are led by the team.
With this team composition and amount of effort, pharma app development services will cost around $137,100. We, as one of the best pharma software companies app development, can only ensure effective product delivery and fulfilling deadlines if you hire all of the team’s expertise.
Remember that cost may vary depending on the nature of your project and your business goals. If you want to save money, you can use the team augmentation and cooperation model. Hiring software developers from the top pharma software companies app development for project development is referred to as “team augmentation.” You manage the team on your own; thus, you are solely responsible for the outcome.
How Shiv Technolabs can help you?
Shiv Technolabs is a top pharma app development company that creates solutions for the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Our team of business analysts, software engineers, and solution architects has extensive experience designing scalable systems that meet the needs of businesses as one of the leading pharma software companies app development.
We as a best pharma app development company recently created an app for a pharmacy chain. Our client desired to develop a method for customers to order the essential medication. After placing the order, clients can pick up the medication at their preferred pharmacy at a convenient time.
Unfortunately, because our health-related projects are under NDA, we cannot reveal much information.
We assist the pharma industry tech app development in resolving a variety of technological difficulties, including:
- Analytics of data. Legal, billing, and HR departments require paperwork and reporting.
- digital personal health data provide access to medical prescriptions
- Reminders and notifications Remind users to go to the drugstore and control appointments.
Frequently asked questions for pharmacy app development
# What is a pharmacy app?
An online pharmacy app is a piece of software that allows for the quick search, selection, and ordering of medications, followed by safe and timely delivery, maximizing convenience and improving customer experience while saving time and effort.
# How do you make a pharmacy app?
- Choose a design for your website.
- Publish the most critical information about your pharmacy.
- Upload your team’s images to a picture gallery.
- Report on issues that your consumers are interested in.
# What are the top features of a pharmacy app?
- User profile
- Prescription upload
- Medication information
- Fast search
- Order tracking
- Making online orders
- Payment options
# What are some good mobile application ideas for pharmaceutical companies?
- Medscape
- Truemeds
- PharmEasy
- TATA 1mg Online Healthcare App
- Apollo Pharmacy
