Omnichannel in the Pharmaceutical Sector

Buy online and pick up in store or buy in store and receive at home

Confused? There are so many ways to buy, that the famous omnichannel grows to adapt to the consumer profile. For those who don’t know, omnichannel means the integration of multiple sales channels, both online and offline, with the possibility of the user starting the purchase journey in one channel and ending it in another. A simple example is when you access the pharmacy app, choose the medicine and, when completing the purchase, choose to pick up the product in the store — your choice transferred you from the digital world to the physical world.

This integration also applies to service channels and provides a more satisfying shopping journey, since customers can make or even complete their purchases by different means, with agility, efficiency, and, above all, without bureaucracy.

The concept has been applied in several segments of the market, but the recent highlight was the pharmaceutical sector. The growing investment of these companies in e-commerce, driven by customer needs, is already being noticed by consumers in this retail sector.

Contextualizing about the pharmaceutical market

In 2021, 26 retail chains linked to the Brazilian Association of Pharmacies and Drugstores (Abrafarma) closed the year with revenues of BRL 67.5 billion, an increase of 16.04% compared to 2020. According to the entity, this is the highest growth recorded in the last ten years, and delivery and e-commerce operations increased by 56.8%, totaling BRL 2.8 billion in sales.

Highlight: Despite the data above, the physical store is still very important for the sector, including for consumers who pick up free medicines subsidized by the government and for the ease of commercialization of prescription drugs.

Currently, Brazil accounts for about 2% of the world market. We are currently #8 in revenues and will rise to #5 by 2023, according to the Pharmaceutical Products Industry Union (Sindusfarma).

To think about

The growth mentioned above drives omnicity and new buying habits that are here to stay due to the COVID-19 pandemic period. According to data from Intelipost (a logistics solutions company), between March 2020 and 2021, there was a 66% increase in sales through digital channels.

Another influencer in making a purchase decision that cannot be left aside are benefit programs, partnerships with laboratories, and transfers of discounts from health plans — it is worth investing in these additional strategies.

In addition, those who use the omnichannel experience will have more advantages. A Harvard Business Review survey confirms that 7% of consumers intend to buy only online, 20% in physical stores, and 73% in various channels.

For retail chains, it is worth warning: reconciling the new customer experience with treasury, logistics, and financial processes in a safe and satisfactory way is a challenge. It is necessary to invest time and money to deliver a quality journey to build customer loyalty.

If you want to discuss the topic further or think of a solution for the purchase journey for your product or service, look for act digital — we are here to accelerate your digital transformation.