Starting a new business can be a bit too challenging and when it comes to selling pharmaceutical products, it gets even challenging.
However, start an online pharma business could be a great idea because as per a study, it was found that the Indian pharmaceutical sector supplies around 50 percent of the global vaccine demand and 40 percent of the medicines. In fact the current valuation of the Indian pharmaceutical market is at $42 billion and is set to reach somewhere around $65 billion by 2024.
A couple of reasons why people prefer buying medicines online are:
- Access to a massive variety of products
- Convenience for people living far from pharmacies
- Easy for price comparison
- Easy to connect with a pharmacist in the comfort of your home
If you are someone who is hoping to sell medicines online, you are in for a treat. In this guide, we will help you learn the method to sell medicines/ medicines online.
However, let us first take a look at all what is mandatory to sell medicines in India.
Pre-Requisites of Selling Medicines in India:
As per the rules and regulations laid out by the Indian legislature, here are the things you must adhere to:
- Have a registered pharmacist
- Always ask for valid and authentic prescriptions
- Bills need to be signed by a registered pharmacist
- The pharmacist needs to oversee the shipment before it is delivered
- Medicines should be sent via chemist shop that as a retail licence
How To Sell Medicines Online
Selling medicines online is a great business venture and ever since the masses were affect by the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people have realise the importance of having access to medicines online. Here is how you sell them online:
Step 1: Get a Drug Licence and Register your Business
It is imperative to get your hands on all of the necessary certificates, licenses, trademarks and so on. It will give a sense of security to your customers that they are buying authentic products.
You will have to acquire a drug license from the Central medicines Standards Control Organization and State medicines Standard Control Organization.
The licenses you will need are:
- Retail Drug License
- Manufacturing Drug License
- Wholesale Drug License
Step 2: Partner with Pharmacists
Finding a qualified pharmacist will help in validating the medicines you are selling along with watching out for the quality.
The minimum qualifications you need to look for are a Diploma in Pharmacy D. Pharm or Bachelor/Masters in Pharmaceuticals.
Along with that, you can also partner up with doctors or chemists with licenses.
Step 3: Find an Online Platform
Finding a reliable platform to host your website or a marketplace to sell your products online.
Platforms like Fynd Platform could do wonders for you as not only do they help you in creating an online store but also equip you with features like a secure gateway, shipping partners, business monitoring and so on.
When you start an online drug store, here are a few things you must adhere to:
- Upload photos and detailed descriptions of the medicines.
- Add the doctor’s recommendations.
- Add licenses icons.
- Add customer testimonials.
Step 4: Tie-Up with Shipping/ Courier Service:
Medicines need to reach the patients on time. Hence, make sure that you have ample stock and a reliable courier partner so that you do not seem unprofessional and your customers are quite satisfy as well.
Step 5: Promote your Business:
A lot of brands promote their medicines in a way that is a bit too provoking for the customers to buy them.
Medicines are suppose to be an essential product. Therefore, you must promote your business in a way that it increases the overall awareness about general safety, healthy lifestyle products, safe health practices and so on.
With regards to an online drug business, you can reach out to people via social media, email campaigns, SMSs and so on. And always ensure that you are run a business that is as ethical as could be possibly expect.
These are the steps involv in selling medicines online. Along with that, here are two things that you must follow to run an even successful ePharma business.
Tips for Running a Successful Online Drug/ Medicine Business:
- Offer Doctor Consultations on Your Website/eCommerce Store:
A lot of online pharmacies offer online doctor consultations to their website visitors as it helps in increasing the customer interaction and improves the engagement as the customers and visitors would have more than one purpose to visit your website.
This will also help in building their trust in you.
- Request Prescriptions When Needed:
Certain medications like sleeping pills, psychiatry medicines and so on need a prescription from a certified doctor or a clinic. Before your team approves of the order, make sure that you ask the customer to upload a scanned copy of the prescription.
It will help you in reaching out to the right kind of customers who need the medicineurgently and it will also help you and refrain from any legal or medical malpractice issues that might come in the way in near future.
With that, we have now come to an end to our guide on How to Sell medicines Online. We hope our guide aids you in setting up your store and with platforms like Fynd Platform, your job becomes a lot easier.
