Cómo construir una aplicación de entrega de medicamentos como Mayd

Última actualización el 17 de mayo de 2022

If you are starting a business or want to run a healthcare business, then setting up an online medicine delivery business is the best option available.

You see, as technology is advancing day by day, it has become easier for people to sit at home and order anything and everything online. Thus, with the same technology and an On-Demand app ecosystem — you can even sell your medicines online.

But before you start selling, make sure you have all the necessary licenses. If you’ve been to the hospital, you’ve probably noticed that there are long lines to wait a couple of hours before making an appointment with the doctor. It gets tiring and boring and tough, especially if you are sick.

However, as many medical applications have been developed, it has become easier to consult with a specialist and order online for door-to-door delivery. Therefore, most doctors or pharmacies create apps or websites that allow them to sell their medicines online to patients who can’t get out of their place. 

So, suppose you want to start your own medicine delivery app, you should hire a mobile app development agency that is proficient in their work— because medicine delivery is something people are cautious about. Here is a guide to help you vet mobile app development companies.

Or perhaps you can check out the other major players in the industry to get some inspiration or even a new startup that is doing well. One such startup is Mayd.

Let’s talk about Mayd in detail.

What Is Mayd?

Mayd’s app allows shoppers to order medicine on demand and get it delivered through e-bikes. They started with over-the-counter products and moved to prescription medicines in January when regulatory changes took effect in Germany. Companies like Glovo y Deliveroo already offer over-the-counter products, but Mayd said it would be the first company in Europe to offer instant prescription delivery after January.

Need For Apps Like Mayd?

The global medicines or drug delivery market size was valued at $1021.29 Billion as of 2018 and is forecasted to grow with a CAGR of 7.4% and reach $1081.54 Billion in the year 2026, according to estudios by Fortune Business Insights. Demand is growing rapidly as doctors, physicians, and pharmacies are getting apps or websites developed to sell medicines. People can talk to their doctors, and order medicines online, and they’ll be conveniently delivered to their doorsteps.

In addition, the medicine delivery app has a notification feature that can help patients take their medications according to their prescription and dosage. Medicine delivery apps like Mayd and 1 mg also log patient data to a database to help improve user experience and set reminders.

Moreover, the medicine delivery apps allow customers to order pharmacy products by courier. The delivery app is a game-changer for pharmacies. Until recently, there was no alternative but to buy the medicine at an offline pharmacy. 

Customers can use the pharmacy app to view different medicine categories. When they find what they need, they can add it to their shopping cart and proceed to checkout. Users can then immediately make a secure payment and receive shipping updates. 

Such applications solve the problem for customers who need medicines but don’t want to wait in line at the pharmacy. Pharmacies can improve the quality of their shopping experience, retaining repeat customers and attracting new ones.

Why Do People Use Medicine Delivery Apps?

Our team found out why users choose medicine delivery apps. Here are five main reasons we identified. 

• Privacidad — Customers in traditional pharmacies often feel uncomfortable buying prescription and over-the-counter medicines in front of others. They prefer the privacy of online shopping. 
• Notificaciones push — Online medicine delivery apps provide scheduled reminders, so users don’t forget to refill their prescriptions when they run out of medication. 
• No Travel Costs — Shoppers can save on pharmacy visits because the medicines are delivered to their doorstep. This is especially convenient for shoppers in hard-to-reach areas. 
• Information About The Medicines — Customers can view detailed information about the medicine and study all instructions. 
• Better Competitive Prices — Buying online allows customers to quickly find more competitively priced, lower down for expensive prescription medicines.

Business Models Of Medicine Delivery Apps To Choose From

Medicine delivery companies primarily use two business models to operate and monetize their businesses. So, before you actually start developing your medicine delivery application — you must first decide which business model is right for your business. 

• 1st Model

This business model is suitable for large pharmacies with a plethora of medicines. These companies can create medicine delivery applications for their businesses and move into the offline and online worlds.

The main benefit of this approach to doing business is high brand awareness. However, this business model requires a huge range of medicines to deliver. 

• 2nd Model

 A second business model acts as an intermediary between medicine buyers and suppliers. These prescription delivery apps act as an order aggregation system and deliver medications from third-party pharmacies. 

This business model does not require application authors to store medicines. They are solely responsible for receiving, processing, and dispatching orders to medicine delivery drivers. 

Depending on your business type, you must choose one of the available business models before you start developing your medicine delivery application. This will help you better organize your development process, discover the best feature set, and find vendors with the right experience.

How Does The Medicine Delivery App Work?

1. For The Consumers

For using the apps, the users must do the following steps.

• Download the app and register first. Users can register for free in the app. They will be asked to enter details such as a contact number, email address and create a unique password. After completing the registration process, you will need to log in to the app using the same email ID and password. 
• Create a profile by adding all necessary basic information such as contact, name, address, etc. Also, include all the details of the medications you take every day. You must provide access to the pharmacy so the doctor can see your prescriptions. Then we deliver according to the desired dosage. Submit your doctor’s prescription by uploading documents online.
• Physicians can easily connect with patients through apps and real-time data from downloaded prescriptions.
• Choose your prescription medicine and order it online.
• If you do not wish to use it, you may cancel your order. 
• Once you have selected the medicine, you can add it to your cart to complete your reservation. 
• Select your preferred payment method to complete payment, and your medication will be delivered to your home. 

If you are confused, you can contact an experienced dietitian or doctor to discuss additional medications before placing an order. You can use the online map feature to find a pharmacy near you and visit a medical store in person. 

This will help you get your medication right away in an emergency. Administrators can also send alerts to remind patients when to take the appropriate medication. 

Also, the medical data must never be manipulated.

So the application should have the option of two-factor authentication protection for all user accounts. The app may also keep user data encrypted so that third parties cannot use this data to their advantage.

2. For The Administrators

For using the apps, the admins must complete the following steps.

• Panel — Admins need to see requests posted by customers and can easily find them on the dashboard. After registration, you can view customer requests on the dashboard.
• Tool — Administrators have access to marketing tools such as banners, posters, and more. The administrator must provide the same tools to the owner who requested them.
• Gestión de pagos — Administrators are responsible for managing clients and the various payment modes they create. You can also keep a list of all your customers.

Must-Have Features In Your Medicine Delivery App

1. For The Customers

Below you will find a list of key features that should be included in medicine delivery application development. 

• Registro e inicio de sesión — Users should be able to create an account in the application. This feature can be approached in several ways, the most effective being social login integration, which speeds up the registration and login process. 
• Gestión de perfiles — After a customer has successfully created a new user account, they should be able to add personal information such as name, credit card details, shipping address, etc. Profile management should also include “Forgot password.” 
• Add Prescription — Users should be able to add prescriptions for further review by the pharmacist. This feature should support loading receipts in various formats, such as PDF and other formats of device gallery images. 
• Medicine Discovery — The main reason customers use prescription delivery apps is to find medicines. Reliable medicine discovery must therefore be ensured as it helps customers find the product they need without spending a lot of time on the application. You can add other filters and allow searches by category, manufacturer, a similar medicine, and more. 
• Ordering Medicine — Customers must be able to order from the pharmacy delivery application.
• Integrated Payments — The number of mobile payments increases every year, and the pharmaceutical industry is no exception. Therefore, you need to provide the patient with the ability to pay for an order without exiting the application. You need to include various payment options for users to choose from. 
• Historial de pedidos — It is another great feature, especially for regular customers with chronic conditions. By visiting this section in the app, patients can quickly change their medicine orders without navigating to the app again. 
• Medicine Details — Before making a purchase, buyers usually scan the product and find all the information they need, especially if it is health-related. Therefore, you must provide a detailed description of each medicine, including information about the medicine’s ingredients and possible side effects.
• Calificaciones y reseñas — Customers should be able to report issues and rate the products and services you provide. So, you need to provide the ability to leave customer reviews. By providing an easy shopping experience, you can turn social attestation into a powerful tool for engaging and retaining users. 
• Pharmacy/Doctor’s Page — This feature is important for running a second business model. Users should visit vendor pages, view other products on offer, and leave reviews for those vendors. 
• Notificaciones push — There are different ways to implement this feature. You can remind your customers of new medicines, upcoming discounts and special offers, or use this feature even more to refill the medicines they regularly use to treat certain chronic conditions. 
• Refund Query — Refund Query is another feature that can show that the client is being protected while working with the application. The user should be able to request a refund, for example, if the order was not shipped or it was shipped in the wrong order. 
• Discount & Reward System — Remember, it costs 5x more to acquire a new customer than retain an existing one. Discounts can be a powerful weapon in user retention and help keep people interested in medicine delivery apps for a long time. You can also design a reward system to encourage users to continue ordering medicines through digital products and reward them for every successful purchase. 
• reordenando — Faster reordering is a great time-saving feature. Users can set automatic medicine replenishment for weekly, monthly, etc. The scheduled delivery feature is especially important for users with chronic conditions. 
• Search Alternatives — Increase your chances of ordering by suggesting similar medicines and allowing users to search for them in your pharmacy delivery application. 
• Built-in Chat — This feature allows users to ask questions about you and your partners about medications, shipping, ingredients and other important information. 
• Rastreo de orden — For busy people, this feature will be a lifesaver. Allows users to calculate delivery times by tracking purchases on a map. 
• Consulta en línea — Prescription Delivery App could be part of a larger system for online doctor consultation.

2. For The Pharmacies/Doctors

• Register/Login — If you decide to create an online pharmacy app where a third-party vendor sells its products, you cannot do without this feature. The seller should be able to create an account and provide basic information. 
• Account Management — After the vendor has created an account, you should be able to provide company details and add information as needed. 
• Gestión de pedidos — This feature helps pharmacies process and manage orders, returns, monitor refunds and verify prescriptions. 
• Order Notification — Notifying pharmacy staff when a new order is placed is critical for fast order fulfillment. 
• Digital Prescriptions — Pharmacies must be able to view and verify prescription files. Payment is one of the essential features. This is because the pharmacy needs to be able to receive payments directly from your application, receive information on all active payments, and control the flow. 
• Historial de pedidos — Provides pharmacy staff with history information for all orders. 
• Analítica — This feature should provide insight into sales and payments. Pharmacy workers need to be able to see information about products sold, identify bestsellers, a surge in demand for specific medicines, and other useful business ideas. 
• Notificaciones push — Push notifications allow pharmacies to interact with shoppers to report fulfillment status and offer discounts. 
• Discount Management — A strong discount system helps pharmacies sell more. You can create a system with built-in rules or have your pharmacy staff create your own. 
• Shipment Tracking — Helps pharmacies track the shipment of orders. 
• Related Medicines — Companion Medicines is another feature designed to help pharmacies sell more by offering similar medicines. 
• Chat en la aplicación — Regarding medicines, customers can ask many questions and help find the information they need. The built-in chat thus enables pharmacies to answer questions and provide expert advice to patients.

3. For The Admins

The admin panel is an essential part of any medicine delivery app. Here are the main features you can develop:

• Panel — A powerful dashboard for managing all your orders, shipments, customers, 3rd party vendors, and more, right from the checkout application. Integrating multiple solutions automatically increases your chances of reaching more customers. 
• Analítica — Real-time analytics provide insight into orders and order status, cancelled orders, chargebacks, payments, and more. 
• Rastreo de orden — Administrators need to view all customer orders at all registered pharmacies. 
• Atención al cliente — Ensure that customers do not leave their questions or concerns alone. The manager should be able to call the customer for an explanation. 
• La gestión del inventario is an important feature that helps you replenish inventory on time, track expiration dates, and prepare for seasonal spikes in demand. 
• User & Vendor Management — Administrators should be able to manage all users, pharmacies, vendors, etc.

4. For The Courier Delivery Partners

Couriers are an essential part of any shipping application. The development of medicine delivery applications should include creating a separate application for the driver.

Let’s take a look at the main features of the Medical Delivery Partner application. 

• Register/Login — Of course, this is the first feature of a medicine delivery article. The courier must be registered in the app. Again, the best solution is to incorporate social login. 
• Courier Profile — After registration, the driver must add personal information to the application. 
• Notificaciones push – This feature makes it easier for couriers to move around because they receive push notifications about new orders being placed and any changes with the order. 
• Navegación — Courier drivers need access to various map systems to find the best route to their destination without leaving the app. 
• Delivery Status — This feature allows the driver to change the order status from Received to Delivered. 
• Analítica — Provides analytics for all orders delivered and can track revenue by day, week, month, etc. and how customers rate each order. 
• Orders Delivered — Drivers should be able to see a complete history of all orders delivered.
• Job Status — This feature allows you to easily set the job status to “Work” or “Holiday.”

Monetization Models Of Medicine Delivery Apps To Choose From

The main goal of building a pharmacy delivery app is to benefit your business by reaching more customers and increasing sales. So How can you make money with the pharmacy delivery app? 

Well, there are several ways to monetize a medicine delivery app that can be used to transform on-demand medicine delivery into a profitable business.

• Fees — A small fee for each product to be sold or generate income. 
• Suscripciones — A subscription is another monetization strategy that can generate significant revenue. Customers who pay for a subscription may be offered free shipping or medicine discounts. 
• Anuncios — Another popular approach to turning online pharmacy delivery into a reliable source of income is placing ads inside the app. You may advertise medicines or other products from pharmacies or third-party health care providers. 
• In-App Promotions — This strategy is well suited for medicine delivery applications that serve as a marketplace for third-party vendors. You can get paid for promoting their business on your application, placing their company in the referrals section, showing medicines in the first place in search results, and more. 

You can use one or several combination strategies to generate revenue, depending on your business model. Before developing your medicine delivery application, you need to understand which application to choose.

This is because making radical changes during the development process can be expensive.

How To Build Your Medicine Delivery App

The process of creating a medicine delivery application consists of several steps. You need to find your unique selling offer, identify your competitors, find a trusted software provider, and launch and sell your application. 

Let’s take a closer look at the evolution of each pharmacy delivery application. 

• Market Analysis 

Any successful app development starts with a thorough market analysis. This phase includes several sub-steps where you need to determine the size of the market, learn about the feasibility of developing applications for medicine delivery in a particular region, learn about the various healthcare app trends, and identify potential challenges and competitors along the way. 

• Business Models & Monetization Strategies 

After you have successfully researched the Medicine Delivery Applications market, it is time to choose the best business model for your application. Return to the section that describes the different business models and monetization strategies. Decide what features your application needs to meet your chosen Model’s requirements.

• Find Mobile Application Development Companies 

Finding the best software vendor is just as important as developing a strong USP. There are many areas where you can outsource application development. There are several benefits of choosing Oyelabs as your app development partner. We are a global company with offices in the USA and India. Oyelabs provides world-class quality at the most affordable prices that very few can match.

• Determining the Function of Online Pharmacy Delivery Application 

Your chosen business model and monetization strategy should determine the capabilities of your application to deliver medicines from your pharmacy. You can start developing with the first version of your application, which contains only basic functionality.

Choose wisely, so you don’t get cluttered with features your users don’t want. Additional features can be added to the application after successfully validating the application idea and during further development phases. 

• Testing & Launching

The development of a medicine delivery application should include a testing phase where QA engineers test every part of the application, from UX and UI to code, interfaces, and more. The main goal of the tester is to ensure that the application runs smoothly, regardless of the load. 

• Continuous Development and Support Plan 

The work on medicine delivery apps doesn’t stop when they hit the market. Once your app is successfully launched, you should plan for the next version of the app and improvements that will help improve the user experience. 

• Marketing and Partnerships 

In addition to developing software, you need to spend time marketing your application to customers and finding partners, suppliers, shippers, and more. You can ask partners to advertise your app to attract new users.

Additionally, partnering with a reputable pharmacy chain and agreeing to advertise in your app will increase your app’s credibility among reputable pharmacy customers.

Terminando

The online healthcare market has a lot of scope and making a pharmacy delivery app is one of the best ways to leverage the profit potential of the market.

Oyelabs is an experienced medicine delivery app development company and we can help you successfully build your own world-class pharmacy app. Contáctenos today to learn more.