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Today, the way we purchase medicines has been completely changed. Due to busy lifestyles, we prefer purchasing medicines online instead of going to the physical store. You can buy medicines straight from your smartphone and get them delivered at your doorstep. People say it is fast, easy and super convenient. It is ideal especially for elderly people, working professionals and anyone else dealing with health issues. In case you’re planning to build an on demand medicine delivery app, you’re at the right place. In this blog, we will explain the whole process in simple language.
What is an on-demand medicine delivery app?
In layman language, you can call a medicine delivery app a digital pharmacy. It is a mobile app useful for:
- Searching medicines
- Upload doctor’s prescription
- Place an order
- Get medicines delivered at your doorsteps
PharmEasy, 1mg and NetMeds are some of the popular examples. So now, how to build them. The overall development process is explained below.
Step 1: Understand What People Really Need
First of all, there is no need to write code. You need to understand the real problems faced by the people. Think like a customer:
- What if someone is sick and can’t go out?
- What if it’s midnight and all nearby pharmacies are shut?
- What if an elderly person doesn’t know how to check the availability of medicines?
- What if someone wants reminders to refill their monthly medicine?
Your medicine app should be able to provide solutions to all your problems. Once you know your needs, your medicine app should be able to fulfil them.
Step 2: Note Down the Must-Have Features
You can start with an MVP. There is no need to build a fancy app in the beginning. You just need to focus on what matters the most. Some of the essential features of medicine delivery app are:
1. User Registration
Your users should be able to login with their phone number or email. You can use Google and Facebook logins.
2. Search Bar
Your users should be able to find medicines by typing the name. Moreover, your users should be able to scan prescriptions.
3. Upload Prescriptions
There are many medicines that can’t be sold without a doctor’s prescription. You must allow users to upload a photo of the prescription.
4. Medicine Details
The medicine page should show the name, brand, dosage and price of the medicine.
5. Add to Cart + Checkout
Once your user selects medicines, they should be able to add them to a cart and proceed with online payments.
Read: Mastering Forex: Essential Hedging Strategies for Traders
6. Online Payment
You must allow different payment options like cards, netbanking and COD.
7. Live Order Tracking
You must tell your users at which stage the order is – preparation, dispatch, out for delivery or delivered.
8. Reminders
Let your users set alerts for monthly medicines so that your users don’t forget to refill medicines.
9. Support Chat
Your users might have questions. A live chat feature and contact number can make a big difference.
10. Admin Panel
Your team will need a dashboard to see all orders, user details and pharmacy partners.
Step 3: Tie Up With Local Pharmacies
You will agree to the fact that you may get short in stock. So, the solution is to partner with nearby medical stores or distributors. What can you do?
- List multiple pharmacies in the app
- Automatically assign the nearest the pharmacy based on the user’s location
- Update medicine availability in real-time
You can also work with pharmacies that have tie-ups with a local delivery service.
Step 4: Choose the Right Team to Build the App
Now, comes the actual “building” part. You’ll need to hire a mobile app development company. Here who you’ll need:
- UI/UX Designer
- Mobile App Developers
- Backend Developers
- QA Testers
If you don’t want to manage a big team, you can hire an agency that handles everything for you.
Step 5: Design the App Layout
Before coding, you need a proper design. This means creating mock-ups or wireframes that show how each screen will look.
This design should be:
- Clean
- Simple to navigate
- Large text
- Easy checkout process
Avoid clutter. Show only what’s necessary.
Step 6: Start the Development Process
Once designs are ready, development begins.
You’ll create:
- User App
- Pharmacy Panel
- Admin Panel
This process can take anywhere from 2 to 6 months depending on the size of your app and features you want.
Step 7: Test the App Before Launch
Before you make the app live, it needs proper testing. Imagine someone orders fever medicine and receives cough syrup – that would be a disaster.
So test everything:
- Is the payment working?
- Are notifications going at the right time?
- Can users upload prescriptions easily?
- Is the medicine list loading properly?
Ask real people to use it for a few days and give feedback.
Step 8: Launch It & Promote It
Once the app is tested and working fine, launch it on Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Now spread the word:
- Run social media ads (target people above age 40, caregivers, etc.)
- Collaborate with doctors and clinics
- Offer first-order discounts
- Send flyers or brochures to clinics and local chemist shops
The goal is to get your first 100 users. Once people try the service and like it, they’ll tell others.
Step 9: Collect Feedback and Improve
Launching the app isn’t the end. It’s just the beginning.
Start collecting feedback from users:
- What do they love?
- What’s confusing?
- What extra feature would help?
Things to keep in mind
While building on-demand medical app, you must take care of following things:
- Legal Compliance
- Data Privacy
- Timely Delivery
- Inventory Management
How Will You Earn Money?
You would be wondering – how will your company make money? Here are a few ways:
- Commission
- Delivery charges
- Promotions
- Selling Health Packages
- Subscription Plans
Conclusion
Building an on-demand medicine delivery app is complex. You can break down this process in steps to make it manageable. There is no need for you to be a techie. You just need the right idea and a clear plan. Start small and improve it at the later stages. If you’re looking to launch in the market, you can partner with a good mobile app development company. They will help you to build a simple and user-friendly app. Remember the medicine industry is a growing space, and with the right app, you can help people while building solid business.
