Health&Pharma eCommerce is one of the product sectors that has grown the most in the past year, driving the development and growth of the online sales market in Italy.
In fact, in 2021 alone, Health&Pharma eCommerce grew by 43.3 percent compared to 2020, reaching a total value of 1.5 billion euros, according to the latest data from the Netcomm Observatory’s Digital Health&Pharma 2021 Report.
Top-selling products
There are three product categories that have seen the greatest growth in the past year:
1. vitamins and supplements;
2. optical products (contact lenses and eyeglasses);
3. natural health products.
Out of almost 100 euros spent online on Healt&Pharma products, in fact, 46 euros are related to the purchase of products belonging to one of these three categories.
E-Shoppers
More than 18 million Italians have purchased products from the so-called Health supply chain online in the past year, which includes within it an extremely diverse set of products. Not only medicines, therefore, but also – and above all – medical devices, supplements, nutraceuticals, vitamins, cosmetic, homeopathic and optical products, right up to veterinary products.
The number of buyers defined as “habitual” is also growing by more than 20 percent, thus reaching 5.6 million, while those who say they already have an H&P eCommerce reference for their online purchases are more than 35 percent of the sample analyzed by the Netcomm Observatory.
Also undoubtedly favoring the growth process of eCommerce in the Health&Pharma sector has been the introduction of the Electronic Prescription, which provides for the complete elimination and dematerialization of the paper medium and which has allowed the process for all the actors involved: doctor, patient and pharmacist, to be moved entirely to digital. A change of pace that has inevitably boosted online sales of drugs and other products dedicated to Health that in the past required necessarily going to a pharmacy in person.
Not only products, services are also growing
In the past year, therefore, digital consumers have shown that they have become smoothly accustomed to using digital channels to purchase health-related products and services.
In fact, 62 percent of e-shoppers of Health&Pharma products have also used digital tools for booking visits or other health services, 29 percent have chatted with a specialist, and 22 percent have made an online health consultation.
In addition, 60 percent of the analysis sample believe that digital can make medical services and services easier, faster and better.
The future of the industry between omnichannel and logistics
As we have also recounted here, omnichanneling is a factor that will play an increasingly crucial role in eCommerce in the near future, allowing for greater flexibility and resilience of the supply chain. Think, for example, of the convenience of being able to order a medication online and only go to a pharmacy or Collection Point to pick it up at the time it is actually available.
Despite the fact that 40 percent of users have seen their loyalty grow thanks to the opportunity to be able to choose Home Delivery as their delivery channel, in fact, with the return to working life and “normal,” i.e., pre-pandemic, habits, the issue of receiving deliveries for purchases made online becomes crucial even for a sector such as Healt&Pharma in which logistics inevitably plays a fundamental role not only because of the urgency with which certain products need to be delivered, but also because of their proper transportation.
It is precisely the spread of Lockers and Pickup Points throughout the territory that could be the real “stable” answer, for a Proximity Logistics management that balances the efficiency of the distribution service with effectiveness in terms of perceived service level and satisfaction of the needs of the end customer, recipient of the delivery.
GEL Proximity is the only platform that to date is able to connect over 30 thousand Lockers and Pickup Points in Italy. If you own an eCommerce in the Health&Pharma sector and want to integrate your cart with thousands of Proximity logistics solutions that can help you and your customers, contact us now.
