The turnover of online pharmacies increased by 1% in the first half of the year, while in absolute terms it reached 145 million euros, according to figures from the Convert Group’s annual survey on a sample of 94 online pharmacies, with the participation of 13 of the 15 largest companies.
However, there are significant obstacles to the development of this market. These include inflation and also inherent difficulties, such as the explosion of the demographic problem, which negatively affect the sales of products driven mainly by the pharmacy channel.
According to analysts at Convert Group, the online pharmacy industry has historically experienced double-digit growth rates due to deep discounts compared to brick-and-mortar locations, ease of service, and greater selection compared to your local pharmacy.
The strong change in the market began in September 2023, due to harmonization with the instructions of the Ministry of Development on the way of listing and communicating discounts in physical and online stores, which affected the general public’s perception of the guidance of online store pharmacies discounts.
Furthermore, the significant decrease in births recorded in the last 2 years compared to previous years has led to a reduction in purchases in the baby items category in the first half of 2024 by 16% in value, creating yet another headache for pharmacists and companies operating in the sector. e-commerce.
The categories that monopolize consumer interest are cosmetics and personal care products, nutritional supplements and vitamins, baby products, health products and various individual categories.