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How to Start a Pharmacy Delivery Service

What is a pharmacy delivery service, why do patients choose a pharmacy delivery service, why do we need a pharmacy delivery service, the steps to creating your pharmacy delivery business, state laws and regulations around medicine delivery, additional considerations for your pharmacy delivery business.

Covid-19 flipped the world into a whole set of unknowns and led to many changes in the way we complete certain tasks. Where in the past we may have visited a store, we are now more inclined to order online, where we took a daily commute, we now work from home, and where we would visit the pharmacy to collect our medications, we are now having them delivered to us.

All three of those examples are constantly growing too, none more so than pharmacy delivery services. In 2020 the market was valued at just under $1.4 trillion and is now projected to be worth more than $2 trillion by 2025.

So, could this be an avenue for you to go down? If you already own an independent pharmacy, perhaps the delivery sector is one you haven’t yet explored, or maybe you have but just haven’t been able to negotiate your way through it well enough to turn it into a success. Or perhaps you are looking at how to start an independent pharmacy and want to explore delivery options too.

Well, today RxMile wants to show you how you can set up your own independent pharmacy delivery service so that you can provide your patients with the fastest, most efficient, and most reliable service possible. No longer will there be concerns over wasted medications, delayed collections, or customer complaints. Instead, you will be able to bring rapid benefit to your local community through a finessed process that gives patients full peace of mind, and you as a pharmacy owner, full clarity on how the market has evolved.

It may make sense to get the simple questions out of the way first. After all, you may feel that your operation may not benefit from utilizing this method of distributing pharmaceutical products to its patients. In its simplest form, a pharmacy delivery service is exactly what it says it is. A way for you as an independent pharmacy owner to have products delivered to patients in a safe, considerate and efficient way. 

Whilst there are regulations that vary from state to state, a host of medications can be delivered directly to the door whether they are prescription medications or not. This means less of a delay for the patients, a more efficient service from the pharmacy and a business model that, due to its expansion, opens up job opportunities within the community too.

There are several reasons people are turning to a pharmacy delivery service. Each benefiting the patient differently.

• Helps save time and ensure medicines are delivered as and when needed.
• Cheaper costs and more discounts
• Improved accessibility to medications
• Ensures adherence to a medication schedule

These are just some of the most common, but each patient may see other benefits too that are possibly unique to them.  There is an argument to say that the more personal touch of having a delivery driver come to your door is much better for your well-being than just being seen as just a number when collecting from a large chain store pharmacy.

This is a good question that many people come to RxMile with and that is understandable. If your pharmacy is working well, you may not feel there is a need to change it. Things can always be improved and finessed though, right?

To perhaps get a better understanding of why a pharmaceutical delivery service is important is to instead take the position of the patient. For someone that is immunocompromised or severely injured, attending a pharmacy is not an easy task. By having the medication delivered to the door at a pre-determined time, we allow the customer to get what they want when they want it.  Removed is the risk of a missed dose or a forgotten collection, instead, a road to recovery or urgent aid is provided exactly when it needs to be.

Not only does a pharmacy delivery service provide the much-needed medication but for some people, it may actually provide one of the only aspects of human interaction they have that day. Not only are patients benefiting physically from their prescriptions being fulfilled but many are also seeing small increases in positive mental well-being.

You can look at the incorporation of a pharmacy delivery service as bridging the healthcare gap as you offer a service on multiple levels.

So from the patient’s side, we see the assistance and the benefits a pharmacy delivery service brings but what about us? Those on the pharmacy side.

Your pharmacy needs a delivery service

Without one, no matter how well-run your pharmacy is, you will find yourself falling behind the other pharmacies within your village, town, city or maybe the state. Flexibility, transformation and change for pharmacy owners are a good thing and embracing them allows you to move with the change in demands.  With the “on-demand” world we now live in becoming more prominent, it would be very easy for customers that once used your pharmacy to select an alternate one. This not only harms revenue but could also harm the pharmacy's online reputation which then has a huge reverberating effect on the business.

If you have now begun to see that there could be some benefits to setting up a pharmacy delivery service then let’s start the process.

The steps to creating your own pharmacy delivery business, either as part of an existing pharmacy or as a service hired by independent pharmacies, should be worked through one at a time for the best possible launch into this sector of the business. Jumping ahead could compromise your end results or maybe make this venture unviable. You wouldn’t want to take on a contract with a prescription delivery service app that helps you plan your business, before assessing the local market for example.

Understand the pharmacy market in your area

Before you venture into offering a pharmacy delivery service, you need to have an understanding of whether this is a shape you can fit your business into. Is there competition in the local area? If so, who? Do you have your own pharmacy? Do you have contacts within the existing pharmacies?

Assess your business first

Are you in a position for expansion and change? If not, think hard about how this change could alter your business. Is the risk bigger than the reward? Or could the risk pay off so well that it transforms your business? If you don’t have your own independent pharmacy but are looking to start medication delivery, look at the local pharmacies to see if they could benefit from a delivery service.

Who would you deliver to?

As a pharmacy, most of your customers will be residential and as a result, you will have varied delivery routes with drivers delivering smaller packages to many different addresses. If delivering to hospitals, you will have fewer stops but larger consignments.  This is worth considering when you plan to set up this business. Do you offer delivery to both sectors or just one?

Will you be planning an expansion?

Whilst the initial plan may be medications, it has been well noted, especially since Covid, that other medical items are frequently required. Could there be a gap in the market for your pharmacy or independent business to facilitate this and become a market leader? This will incur further costs, training, and recruitment but if you can see that the market needs it, you could become the premium business for medical supply delivery.

Regulation and compliance vary from state to state and can become a pain point for pharmacies so before you decide that a launch in your area of the USA is worth going ahead with, you will need a clear and full understanding of what the rules are. With our country being so large, it would be hard to list every regulation for each state and region for every medical product here. However, the below list is a selection of some things you will almost certainly need to consider before launching your pharmacy delivery business:

• A pharmaceutical delivery driver needs to be at least 21 and have a high school diploma. In addition, they will require training on installing medical equipment should that be something your business expands into. Furthermore, they must be able to safely carry and maneuver packages that could weigh as much as 70 pounds.
• Delivery addresses will always need to match the patient’s address, this means you will not be allowed to deliver to PO boxes, friends’ houses or workplaces. In most cases, a signature will be required upon delivery of the medication too.
• Data handling is extremely important and within the medical field, there is a lot of data. Everything must be stored securely and the amount of documentation you need could vary from state to state. Just be aware that the protection of personal data is paramount. Some data is shareable, some is private, and failing to differentiate between the two could result in huge fines and possibly a suspension of your service if you commit a breach of data security laws.

To get the clearest understanding of the rules in your area, check the FDA website .

Asses what the customer needs will be

Your customers will want something simple, efficient and reliable. Can you provide this? The goal is to keep people fit and healthy, so minimizing risk is important but what if you have already done that? Then start to consider things from a customer perspective and mold your business around matching a patient’s needs. This could include, but certainly wouldn’t be limited to:

• Speed and convenience
• Automatic refills
• Free delivery
• Ability to track which medicine to take and when
• Money saving

If your pharmacy delivery service can offer the above, you will automatically appeal to a broader range of customers and retain those that may have been tempted to look for alternative providers of their medications.

Investigate the rules surrounding licenses and permits

If you own an independent pharmacy, you will be well aware of the need for specific licenses but branching out into the delivery of medication can mean a whole host more to contend with. If you do not have your own pharmacy, you are less likely to be as well-versed so may require the assistance of a lawyer or others that have experience with pharmaceuticals. Regardless of your current situation, there are specific permits and licenses for medications, and this can extend to their transportation. As this is a key asset to your business model, you will need to obtain all the relevant permits before going any further.

Investigate funding for your pharmacy delivery service

From software to vehicles, from couriers to packaging, there is potentially a lot of expense being added to your business in these early stages so you may need to secure funding to help this expansion. You should also factor in the need for additional storage should you need extra refrigeration for medicines for example and a marketing budget.

With a detailed business plan illustrating, with full clarity, your vision and its benefits to society you should hopefully secure funding in the way of a bank loan, angel investment or crowdfunding.

Sourcing the correct team

Delivering medication is not like delivering an Amazon package or a pizza. It is a carefully mapped process that must be carried out with care. You will want your drivers to match the requirements we set out earlier, but you should also be looking at their character and their experience. You will want people with knowledge but also compassion. That being said, knowledge of medical products is not a necessity for the driver. At the same time, you will want people confident enough in their knowledge of the local area too.

You should also factor in any relevant support for the customer. Using an online service to request their medication may at times run into confusion or difficulty so weigh up whether you need additional teams to help in an out-of-hours customer service role.

Delivery optimization for pharmaceutical deliveries

Perhaps the most important factor in the pharmacy delivery business is the delivery itself. Having your routes optimized for an efficient and consistent standard of service will be key to not only helping customers but also to building up your brand.

The drivers and the teams picking and packing the medicines will need to use tools that help facilitate the smooth-running process. With real-time results and tracking, your pharmacy delivery service can operate exactly how you want it to. But what can you put in place that makes it work so smoothly?

A service like that offered by RxMile gives users a premium piece of pharmacy delivery software so that those distributing the medication and those receiving it can be safe in the knowledge that there are no bumps in the road when it comes to sending out and receiving medication. With routes optimized to expedite a timely delivery, services can be altered as they need to be. If a patient is now likely to be out at their requested time, deliveries can be quickly adjusted to ensure that nothing is left sitting on a doorstep stored incorrectly. Patients unsure of the status of their delivery can also check the progress of their medication delivery giving total reassurance throughout the process.

With software that offers full audit and compliance support, including the collection of co-pays RxMile is set up purely to make the lives of your patients and your teams easier. Other benefits include:

• Patient retention management
• Live driver tracking
• Cost-effectiveness
• Easy integration with existing software
• Delivery synchronization
• Prescription delivery portal
• Captured proof of delivery

This type of software is what makes running a pharmacy delivery service worthwhile. You can learn more with our demo to see what you think!

With these things in place, you are almost ready for launch. You may just need one more thing….

Marketing your logistics company

As you work through the steps you will be gradually piecing together the framework of your pharmacy delivery business. You just need people to know it exists when it launches. Social media can be a strong tool when used correctly. The emergence of TikTok for example has seen a rapid rise in fast, simple-to-follow instructional videos. Perfect for when you want to show people how easy to use your service is. You can then complement this with local media advertisements, handouts and free trials. Possibilities with marketing are potentially endless and if you discover a niche that other pharmacies don’t yet have brand sitting in, you can utilize that to your advantage.

Following the above completes the framework for your pharmacy delivery business but you should also consider a few other factors to ensure you remain the market leader in your area.

Safe storage of medicines in transit

When your couriers are delivering medicines, you want them to arrive safely. This means that a temperature-controlled delivery will need to be in place. This could mean that you need to source vehicles for your couriers that are suitable. A drop of just 2 degrees in the temperature of a medicine can reduce it to waste. This is where cold-chain logistics comes in. A way in which items are delivered in a controlled manner every part of the way. From manufacture through to patient. It may come as some surprise that over half of the 50 top-selling drugs in the USA in 2021/22 must be constantly stored between 2-8 degrees and with live temperature data often required it would be beneficial to ensure you can match those needs.

Consider courier and product security

Whilst there are presently no laws relating to security levels for the transport of medical items, they are unfortunately a target for thieves. With a service like that provided by RxMile and its live tracking available, you may be able to spot an issue that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. Investigate ways you can keep your driver and products safe, alarms, tracking, and dash cams should all feature high on your list of priorities.

If you are now ready to start exploring the possibilities of a pharmacy delivery service, then contact RxMile . Our expert team has carefully curated a system that ensures patients and pharmacies are always connected. With all of the components to help create your own independent pharmacy delivery service let RxMile guide you the right way into the future of medicine delivery. With full onboarding and 24/7 customer support available, you are never alone when you choose RxMile.

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Everything You Need To Know About Pharmacy Delivery Business

Studies from Research and Markets show that the U.S. online pharmacy market by revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of approx. 19% during the period 2020-2026.

COVID-19 accelerated markets to shift toward the DTC model to meet customer expectations and increase their reach. The healthcare industry, especially pharmacies, has experienced increased customers switching to virtual consultation and ordering medicines online. 

So, if you are planning to start an online pharmacy delivery business, we have got you covered.

What Exactly is a Pharmacy Delivery Business?

A pharmacy delivery business is a service that allows customers to order medicines online. It is an e-commerce business where customers can shop online and have their medications delivered to their doorsteps.

Pharmacies offer this service because they can provide an easy way for customers to save time and money by avoiding the hassle of going to the local retail stores.  Pharmacists can also benefit from this service as it increases the number of people using it, eventually increasing their sales revenue. 

As a pharmacy delivery business owner, ensure that your customers have the best experience possible when ordering their medications online.

You may also be responsible for following up with customers after placing an order to ensure that everything went according to plan. This can include sending out reminder emails to customers who haven’t received their package yet and contacting them by phone if necessary. 

Finally, you will need to ensure that your website is easy-to-use and provides all the required information so that customers know what they are buying before placing an order.

How to Start a Pharmacy Delivery Business?

Here are the SEVEN steps to set up your pharmacy delivery business: 

Step 1. Understand the Rules and Regulations

Research the necessary permits and licenses you require to register your pharmacy delivery business. Also, identify the permits your employees and delivery agents need to deliver medicines. Ensure you adhere to the rules and regulations of your state or country.  You can seek legal help to understand them and to set them up. 

 Step 2. Define Your Target Market

The first thing you need to do is figure out who will be your target market. This can be challenging, but it’s important because it will help you determine what kind of business model and structure you should pursue. 

For example, if you’re looking to start a pharmacy delivery business , you must target people who live in certain areas or cities. For example, you might want to target people who live in San Francisco, Los Angeles, or New York because those areas have a lot of drugstores that can provide their customers with reliable service.

Step 3. Evaluate Your Equipment and Inventory

After identifying your target market, it’s time to consider the equipment and inventory required for your pharmacy delivery business . You need to ensure that everything is set up properly before opening for business, or else there is a high risk of losing money due to poor planning and implementation of critical elements.

Step 4. Create a Pricing Structure

Price is one of the most important aspects of your business, as it determines how much profit you will make. It is also the first thing people notice when they enter a pharmacy. Therefore, you need to set up a pricing structure that is fair and transparent, and easy to understand for both customers and pharmacists alike. For example, you can create a subscription plan for customers who regularly take diabetes, blood pressure medicines, etc. 

Step 5. Set up the Business Model

The business model of your pharmacy delivery service can be anything from a simple online platform that allows customers to order products online or even an app that will enable them to order products directly from their phone while waiting in line at the store. First, you need to decide what kind of business model will work best for your company, whether where you deliver products yourself or where you just sell products through an online platform.

Step 6. Get Ready to Deliver

If you haven’t already, now is the time to set up your delivery service. You might want to consider getting a truck or van so you can deliver prescriptions and other medical products directly to patients’ homes. Or, if you’re just starting, you can set up a small business that rents out a few delivery vehicles.

You will probably want to get insurance before getting started in this industry, as pharmacies are not allowed under some circumstances to dispense certain medications without a prescription. You can also leverage a third-party delivery partner to help you manage deliveries. Many e-pharmacies follow this model to save costs and ensure on-time deliveries. 

Step 7: Invest in Delivery Management Software 

The last step is to invest in delivery management software. This will help you track the status of your orders, manage your inventory, and optimize your sales channels.

You can either buy an all-in-one solution or a multi-channel software package. The all-in-one solution offers more features and comes at a higher price tag. Still, it does have some advantages over the multi-channel software as it allows you to customize your order management system according to your needs.

7 Top Features of Pharmacy Delivery Software and App

Pharmacy delivery software and apps can help you provide the best possible service to your customers. These five features will make your pharmacy a top-notch one.

• Order Management:  Integrate your existing ordering platform to connect orders seamlessly between platforms. You can also collect orders through customizable booking forms. Ensure you also collect customers’ prescriptions to avoid any discrepancies or misuse of drugs. 
• Flexible Payment Options: The checkout process should be simple, secure, and fast. The user should be able to navigate the checkout process easily and complete their orders. The software must also allow easy integration with third-party payment gateways and support multiple payment methods, including credit cards, PayPal, and other online payments.
• Auto-Assignment and Dispatch: Reduce delivery time with auto-assignment. You can set up assignment rules based on your delivery model. Some of the popular assignment rules are Send to all, nearest first m and round robin. 
• Notifications:  Ensure to send real-time order status notifications to your customers. In addition, you can send real-time tracking links via SMS or email. 
• Real-Time Tracking: Track all delivery agents in real-time on a single dashboard. You can identify the drivers who are idle and active. This will help you plan your resources better. 
• Proof of Delivery: Collect proof of delivery when the delivery is completed to avoid conflicts with customers and create a seamless delivery experience. 
• Reporting and Analytics:  Your pharmacy delivery software should track customers’ purchasing behavior to create personalized recommendations. In addition, it is crucial to analyze and optimize your overall delivery operations. 

NetworkON – A Comprehensive Delivery Management Software

NetworkON automates the entire process by providing an end-to-end solution for managing the delivery process from booking to tracking and reporting. It uses AI to predict how busy your couriers will be on any given day. It also learns from your couriers’ behavior patterns over time to provide more personalized recommendations for scheduling changes or rescheduling deliveries.

How NetworkON’s Route Optimization Can Help Improve Pharmacy Deliveries and Reduce Logistics Costs?

With the growth of e-commerce, customers are increasingly demanding faster delivery times. Their expectations can be difficult to meet, however, especially in the pharma industry, which is at a crossroads between traditional and digital retailing.

To help pharmacies deliver faster and more cost-effectively, NetworkON has developed a solution that optimizes routes for optimal efficiency. The software uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze traffic patterns on the most popular routes for a given pharmacy. It then uses machine learning algorithms to predict demand for each route and adjust where it sends shipments based on current traffic conditions.

NetworkON’s goal is not only to improve delivery times but also to reduce costs associated with logistics by reducing the number of stops along the way — which means fewer trucks need to be used and less fuel consumed.

Let’s Wind Up

Online pharmacies are good business. People who order prescription drugs online are becoming more conscious of the benefits of online pharmacies over conventional pharmacies. They get various medications, health products, and supplements that they need at their convenience and at the most affordable price.

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How to run a pharmacy delivery service

Pharmacies are undergoing a huge change in the way prescriptions are filled and delivered into the community. Learn how to start a pharmacy delivery service here.

Brendan Tobin

The way in which patients shop from their local pharmacy has changed. We no longer spend time in the pharmacy waiting for prescriptions to be filled and our busy lives mean that we want simpler options.

The eCommerce trend has moved beyond the realm of basic consumer goods like groceries and sneakers though, and home delivery services are now central to the way in which many people access medicines too. The reality is, that of those shopping online in  the U.S,  62 percent of online buyers shop at least once per month (Episerver, 2019). The likelihood is, you’re seeing a lot more of your local UPS or Fedex truck than you did in the past.

If it’s a physical product, it’s most likely being delivered direct-to-consumer now. And that goes for pharmaceutical products too. But it’s not likely to be UPS or Fedex delivering prescription medication.

The transit and delivery of pharmaceutical goods is much more tightly regulated than that of ordinary consumer goods. There are also further considerations such as patient confidentiality, data privacy and specific transit conditions like temperature control to be considered.

Delivering medication to people's homes can be a lucrative business though. So whether you’re starting a pharmacy delivery business from scratch, or looking to add the service to your existing delivery business, this guide will help you to get started.

Why is pharmaceutical delivery important?

Can prescription drugs be delivered, the rules and regulations for delivery services, the risks and rewards of pharmacy delivery.

Unlike regular consumer products, pharmaceutical products are critical to the health and wellbeing of a significant cohort of the population. For anyone suffering from an illness or injury, getting timely delivery of medicine can be a literal lifeline.  

Since the emergence of the Corona Virus in 2019, pharmacy deliveries have played an even more important role for those that need regular delivery of medication. For those that are immuno-compromised, getting their prescriptions delivered to their home was the only way to ensure their well being.

The reality is, we can all likely wait a bit longer for delivery of a new kitchen appliance for example, but someone that requires life-saving medication does not have the same luxury.

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Yes. While the delivery of prescription drugs is a tightly regulated space, they can be delivered directly. Drug delivery is basically like any other delivery service, save for the difference in the product being delivered. In fact, with the rise in subscription services, many people have now turned to subscription services that deliver their medicine directly to their home at specific time intervals. In fact, many of the larger pharmaceutical retailers in the United States like CVS and Walmart now offer home delivery management services for prescriptions.It shouldn't come as a surprise that the big chains are ahead of the curve in terms of delivering medication to people. After all, they have the means and the knowledge to provide these services to their clients.

But it’s not a closed shop. In recent times there have been other entrants into the pharmacy delivery market such as Pillpack (an Amazon venture). Critically, Pillpack sorts your daily dosage into separate containers and delivers them to your door.  

The thing with pharmacy delivery is that it can be a lucrative side to a delivery business. After all,   almost half of all Americans use at least one prescription drug at any given time .

If you own a delivery business and you;re thinking of branching out into pharmaceutical deliveries, you might be put off by the strict conditions and regulations that need to be satisfied first.

Likewise, if you’re a small independent pharmacy, you might be wondering what you need to do in order to start your own delivery service.

That’s what we’ve put together a quick and easy list for you below to move you one step closer to providing it. To clarify, we’re not saying that it is the easiest delivery venture to start, and it definitely does require some prior knowledge of the field. But this should get you moving in the right direction:

1. Temperature-control for pharmacy deliveries

When it comes to medicine, the in-transit conditions required are far more stringent than those required of ordinary consumer goods. Like foodstuffs, medicine needs to be transported in temperature-controlled vehicles. In fact, for many medicines, a change in temperature of just 2 degrees can quickly spoil the delivery and render it ‘waste’.

The first thing you need to have at your disposal for pharmacy deliveries is a fleet of temperature controlled vehicles. If you’re acting as a third-party delivery service for a pharmacy, it is even likely that they will require you to provide live data on the temperature of their goods in transit. For some context, 27 of the 50 top-selling drugs require transport at 2 degrees to 8 degrees celsius.

The delivery of drugs and medications is part of the wider ‘cold chain delivery’ sector where the product needs to be temperature controlled from every step in the supply chain from creation to human consumption.

The thing with cold chain logistics, is that it is significantly more expensive than ordinary logistics too.

2. Adherence to data privacy regulations

Despite what many think, the US does have data privacy laws. Yes, they may not be a as stringent or centralized as the EU’s GDPR regulations, but they do have a particular role in federal law.

In particular, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a piece of legislation that governs the patient confidentiality and protected health information (PHI).

Although the delivery of pharmaceutical products is a bit of a grey area under the HIPAA regulations, if you’re a third-party delivery business, your pharmacy clients may well dictate that you get HIPAA compliance certification. You can check out more about HIPAA on the CDC website .

While it is possible to secure, you might want to start thinking about vetting employees, putting reporting mechanisms in place, and securing your customer data before splashing out on the cold chain fleet.

3. Security of fleet in transit

While there are no specific regulations around security standards for pharmaceutical goods in transit, you do need to consider it and ensure that your operation is adequately prepared to keep products and your drivers safe. Pharmaceuticals are high-value products and are prey for specialist criminals. Ensuring that your fleet is equipped with trackers, locks and emergency alarms is a standard pre-requisite.

While isn’t an insurmountable hurdle, it is one you need to take into accounts factoring the costs and responsibilities of such a service.

4. On-time delivery is key for pharmacy delivery

Like with temperature control, getting products to customers on-time is critical to the success of any delivery service. Again, the reality of delivering drugs is that they are a vital part of many peoples lives. Unlike the delivery of a new gadget from UPS, getting medication on-time, every time is critical for people.

At SmartRoutes , we have helped pharmaceutical companies to ensure that deliveries are made on time, whilst keeping missed deliveries to the very minimum. Route planning and optimization can take a lot of the uncertainty out of deliveries with accurate ETA’s attached to every delivery. Furthermore, the ability to automate SMS messages to customers in advance of delivery with the planned ETA, and a link to a live tracking portal for their delivery is key.

In routine delivery services, we label this ‘ delivery experience ’, but in pharmacy delivery, it is something much more important. It’s the guarantee of communication that ensures customers get their medication every day without fail.

As of 2021, the cold-chain pharmaceutical market is forecast to be worth $16.6 billion, which implies a five-year CAGR of 6% .

There’s no doubt that it is a burgeoning market for any delivery business to get involved in. And there's no reason you can’t.

But you need to make meticulous plans before entering the market. Unlike other areas of the last mile delivery market, it requires that every single product is delivered as promised. It also requires that you have a contingency plan for everything that can possibly go wrong in the course of delivery.

At SmartRoutes, we have helped delivery businesses to successfully enter the pharmaceutical delivery market. If you’re interested in learning more about how we can leverage our experience and software to help you, try it out for free over the next 7 days . No commitment!

Frequently asked questions

1. how does a pharmacy delivery service work.

A pharmacy delivery service functions by allowing customers to place orders for their medications remotely. Upon receiving an order, pharmacists process it, ensuring accuracy and verifying prescriptions. Once the medications are ready, a dedicated delivery team dispatches the order to the customer's provided address. This process involves secure packaging, transportation, and delivery confirmation to ensure the safe receipt of pharmaceuticals.

2. What are the advantages of offering delivery as a pharmacy?

Offering delivery services as a pharmacy provides numerous advantages. It enhances customer convenience, especially for individuals with limited mobility, busy schedules, or those unable to visit a physical store. It also enables pharmacies to reach a broader customer base beyond their immediate locality.

3. What privacy regulations should I be aware of?

When offering pharmacy delivery services, it's crucial to comply with various privacy regulations, notably HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) in the United States and GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) in the EU. This means safeguarding patient information, ensuring secure transmission of data, and implementing strict confidentiality measures. Pharmacies must have secure systems in place to protect sensitive patient data during the ordering, processing, and delivery stages.

4. What safety measures should I put in place when delivering pharmaceuticals?

Ensuring the safety and integrity of pharmaceuticals during delivery is paramount. Pharmacies should implement several safety measures, including secure packaging that protects medications from damage or tampering during transit. Temperature-controlled packaging might be necessary for certain medications that require specific storage conditions. Trained delivery personnel should handle medications following strict protocols to prevent mishandling or errors. Additionally, implementing tracking systems and obtaining delivery confirmations further enhances safety measures and provides accountability throughout the delivery process.

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How to Start a Pharmacy Delivery Service: A Go-To-Market Guide

The market of pharmacy delivery services exploded during the pandemic as many people were forced to stay at home and did not have access to traditional pharmacies. The research from Zion shows that the market of healthcare products delivery services is expected to reach $107.5 billion by 2025 . Even after the COVID situation normalizes, the market of on-demand applications will remain relevant as customers will most likely continue to utilize delivery services in the future. How to start a pharmacy delivery service that saves time for both customers and pharmacists, streamlines the transactions, and gives people direct access to pharma experts via applications?

In this article, we will explore the success stories of the best e-pharma applications and try to figure out how they won over their customers. Furthermore, we will talk about the process of app development , discuss the core features, additional functionalities, technical stack, as well as app development costs. As a bonus, you will enjoy 7 things to consider before building a drug delivery application from our top specialists, including insights from real-life cases. We will share our process, budget estimates, screenshots, tips for monetization, business model guidelines, and more, to help you build a great tool. In other words, during the course of this helpful guide, we will answer the question of how to start a pharmacy delivery service.

Planning to create an app?

How do pharmacy delivery apps work.

On-demand applications have revolutionized the shopping experience throughout many industries, and pharmaceuticals are no exception. Until very recently, consumers did not have a choice but to use traditional pharmacies, but now they have the opportunity to use various tools and apps, including those powered by pharmaceutical software , to purchase prescription drugs at any time.

Customers can use apps for prescription delivery and over-the-counter drug purchasing to get access to a huge database of pharmaceuticals in their area. Such apps are very intuitive and easy to navigate, as they function similar to familiar shopping applications. Customers can browse through categories, add items to the cart, and then proceed to payment. Modern on-demand medicine delivery apps are highly secure and provide advanced safety payment options.

Before we talk about how to start a pharmacy delivery service, let’s answer the following question:

Why do customers prefer home delivery medicine apps to the brick-and-mortar experience?

• Online applications provide much-needed privacy when it comes to healthcare products. Patients prefer not to disclose their private medical information in front of strangers in the line at a pharmacy, and medical supply deliveries ensure more privacy.
• Pharmacy delivery services also enable push notifications for their users to let them know when and where they can pick up their prescriptions. On top of that, notifications can inform your customers to refill their prescriptions.
• Especially for customers who live in remote areas, saving on travel expenses is a great advantage. The pharmaceutical courier services will deliver the drugs to the customer’s doorstep.
• Customers can get access to detailed information about the medications, precautions, side effects, etc. Besides that, they can get in touch with the pharmacists to ask questions about the drug and its effects.
• Finally, the variety of apps allows customers to browse through them and find the most competitively priced healthcare product.

Top Pharmacy Apps in 2024

Where there is demand, there is supply, and more and more pharmacy courier service applications emerge every day. We will talk about the top five pharmacy apps that have already made a splash on the market. And how do you to start a pharmacy delivery service like a pro?

Total funding amount: $ 270 M Features: Receive prescriptions directly from physicians; refills transfer; chat with pharmacists. Business Model: Brick-and-mortar with online presence via website and application. Monetization: In-app ads, sales revenue, delivery fees. Downloads: Android: 1,000+, iOS: undisclosed

In 2015, Eric Kinariwala and Sonia Patel cofounded Capsule and made a significant breakthrough in the on-demand pharma market. Capsule is the Uber for the pharmacy industry as it is the most established medicine delivery mobile app there is. It operates in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Austin, and Minneapolis, and it continues to expand every year.

The company opens a single location in each city of the app’s availability, where it stores the pharmaceuticals. The stores are open to the customers, but they can also use the application to order healthcare products. The company will contact your insurance provider for you, to take care of the copayments, as well as get in touch with your doctor to collect the prescriptions. Available on both iOS and Android , the Capsule team also provides access to their top-notch pharmacists in order to answer any of your questions.

Planning to create a pharmacy delivery service?

Total funding amount: $ 300 M Features: Purchasing healthcare products and drugs; booking medical tests; drug delivery. Business Model: Mediator between users and pharmacies. Monetization: In-app ads, delivery fees. Downloads: Android: 10,000,000+, iOS: undisclosed Price: $50,000+

PharmEasy is a game-changer in the pharma market in India. Launched in 2014, PharmEasy has become the number one delivery app for medicines in India, with 90,000 retailers across the country. Besides offering over-the-counter and prescription drugs through the web and mobile app services, PharmEasy also provides direct bookings of various diagnostics tests.

The app for medicine home delivery always connects customers with the best offers, and provides discounts up to 15%. The delivery occurs 24 to 48 hours after placing the order. PharmEasy also gives access to detailed information about the drug, including side effects, instructions, warnings, and recommendations.

Total funding amount: $ 3 M Features: Drug purchase and delivery; notifications; ExtraCare rewards; refill prescriptions; pill identifier Business Model: Brick-and-mortar with online presence via website and application. Monetization: In-app ads, sales revenue, delivery fees. Downloads: Android: 10,000,000+, iOS: undisclosed

CVS is a company with a half-century history that has launched an application in 2012 to make its services available to more customers. CVS Pharmacy App is an over-the-counter and prescription delivery app that allows American residents to purchase drugs online. Besides providing access to their stores, experts, and detailed information about pharmaceuticals, the company has added a feature for visually impaired customers. The feature enables customers to read the label out loud to understand what exactly they are about to purchase.

The company has recently launched the CVS ExtraCare Program that provides loyal customers with rewards and extra offers to ensure the best experience and lowest prices. Depending on the location, CVS delivers on the same day or within 48 hours and offers both mobile and web applications.

Total funding amount: $ 117.8 M Features: Personalized roll of pre-sorted medications; notifications, dashboards; chat with pharmacists. Business Model: Mediator between users and pharmacies. Monetization: In-app ads, delivery fees. Price: $50,000+

PillPack is an Amazon medicine delivery app that takes the user experience to the next level.

Not only do they provide same-day delivery and competitive prices, but the company also takes it a step further. The pharmaceuticals are sorted out in separate packages with the day and time of intake. This practice prevents accidental overdoses and saves customers their time.

Patients can enter in their information, physician’s contact information, and insurance data, and the company will take care of the rest. Customers will receive the packages with everything they need, and on any day they want. The expertise and reputation that Amazon brings makes this online pharmacy delivery service application stand out and provide the ultimate customer experience.

Develop with DOIT Software

Features: Drugs purchase and delivery within 1 hour; access to a big variety of pharmacies. Business Model: Mediator between users and pharmacies. Monetization: In-app ads, delivery fees.

Saydl is the biggest prescription delivery app in Saudi Arabia. This company is a service that connects pharmacies and customers to guarantee the best experience for both. Saydl operates via a mobile app, where customers can find the medicine they need, upload a prescription, and order it for delivery to their homes. The tool also allows cash on delivery as a payment option and one-hour delivery.

Features: Encyclopedia with detailed description of drugs; pill identifier. Business Model: Model based on donations and revenue from site advertisers. Monetization: In-app and website ads, in-app upgrades Downloads: Android: 1,000,000+, iOS: undisclosed

Drugs.com is a pharmaceutical Wikipedia where you can find detailed information about every type of medicine.

Features: Drug purchase and delivery within 24 to 48 hours; loyalty rewards; pill reminder. Business Model: Mediator between users and pharmacies. Monetization: In-app ads, delivery fees. Downloads: Android: 50,000+ Price: $30,000

Another prominent Indian pharmacy mobile app is Medsonway . This service allows you to upload your prescription, place an order, and receive your drugs within 24 to 48 hours.

Features: Healthcare and drug purchase and delivery; communication with doctors via app. Business Model: Mediator between users and pharmacies. Monetization: In-app and website ads, delivery fees. Downloads: Android: 500,000+, iOS: undisclosed

Yodawy is an Egyptian portal for healthcare and medical products that connects customers to over 4000 stores around the country.

Pill Reminder

Features: Reminders for refilling, medical appointments, drug taking Business Model: Freemium model Monetization: In-app ads and upgrades. Downloads: Android: 50,000+, iOS: undisclosed Price: $30,000 to $60,000

Pill Reminder is an easy-to-use app that helps users take their medicines on time via notifications.

The list goes on, with Ukrainian Liki24 that delivers pharmaceuticals across 27598 locations. This pharmacy service operates in Ukraine and Poland and helps customers find the most affordable product.

If you want to learn how to start a pharmacy delivery service like Liki24, Yodawy, or make your own unique app , keep on reading. Later in the article, we will talk more about features, technology stack, cost of development, and mention a few tips from our top experts.

The Main Features of Pharmacy Delivery Apps

Every medicine delivery app has a set of functional features, as well as non-essential ones that make an application unique. In this section, we will cover the core features on four sides of the application: customer, courier, pharmacist, and admin. Based on our previous experience and concrete projects, we will walk you through the guide of how to start a pharmacy delivery service.

For Customers

In this section, we will focus on how to start a pharmacy delivery service and build the customer side of the application.

Signup and login

Users should be able to manually register an account and/or sign up via social media platforms like Google, Facebook, etc. Later, users are able to log into their accounts using their credentials such as email addresses or phone numbers. Modern apps should be easy to understand and sign up for, as users tend to abandon applications that require a long learning curve.

User profile

Users should be able to create a profile and fill it out to the extent that they need. The information should entail home address and payment details, as well as personal data like allergies, prescriptions, pregnancy status, and order history. It is very important to guarantee utmost data protection and compliance with laws like HIPAA.

Prescriptions upload

The app should include a prescription pickup and delivery service, and have an easy way of uploading prescriptions to the database. The system should be able to gain access to the device’s gallery for a simple image upload. The function should be intuitive and easy to grasp, as without a prescription customers will not be able to order the drug that they need.

Search filters

Create a medicine delivery app that provides an expansive search engine and allows customers to find the exact product they need. Customers should be able to browse through the entire list of medicines, sort them out by certain criteria, and provide recommendations. The list of products should be searchable by price, relevance, alphabet, category, and rating. Nowadays, medical supply delivery applications need to be inclusive and provide a voice search for visually impaired customers.

The product should be searchable, using keywords for both the brand and it’s components. On top of that, the search engine should begin to provide options after three symbols have been typed. Finally, users should be able to gain easy access to offers and discounts to get the best deals.

The Catalog is the inventory that your online store has to offer. Users must have easy access to the catalog and be able to browse through items, search for a specific product, sort and filter, as well as be able to read drug descriptions. To offer a more personalized approach, your app should look for similar products and offer them to the user as recommendations.

Detailed product description

Users need to be able to tap into each product’s description and receive detailed information about the drug. Whether or not the drug may contain allergens, or there is a pregnancy warning, users with the relevant profile information should be immediately informed. Besides warnings, every product should be assigned an expiration date, manufacturer information, instruction, price, etc.

Shopping cart & payment

The shopping cart should be easy to spot and access, and include every item that was added. Customers should be able to change the number of the items, remove and add them. The information about the delivery fee, price per item, and the total of the cart should be visible and clear. Users should be able to add, remove or modify the delivery address and proceed with payment.

The application should redirect the user to the payment page once the cart has been confirmed. It is a good practice to provide several payment options, for example: PayPal, GPay, ApplePay, debit and credit cards, etc., to ensure that your customers can make a purchase using your tool.

If you want to learn how to accept recurring payments, check out this helpful guide from Chargebee:

How to Set up and Accept Recurring Payments – Chargebee

Notifications

Notifications are the best way to keep your customer base engaged and incentivize them to make purchases. You can notify them about new products, special offers, discounts, share medical articles and blogs, and provide coupons. Besides that, you can inform your recurring customers when it is time to refill their prescriptions.

Obviously, drugs cannot be returned, however, mistakes can happen and a pharmacy may send the wrong item, or the pharmaceutical courier may misplace and lose a product. In these unfortunate cases, your application needs a refund policy and customer support service. If a customer notices a mistake, they can quickly contact your customer support and receive immediate help.

Most users prefer to access customer support via chat rather than phone, which is why you need to create an easy-to-use communication tool that allows users to send direct messages to customer support personnel. Users should be able to send a voice message, attach files, images, and videos, as well as get a push notification in real-time when they receive an answer.

If you have more questions about the requirements for a user app and would like to clarify them with professionals, or you want to know more about how to start a pharmacy delivery service , please contact us at [email protected] .

For Pharmacies

Here, we will dive into the pharmacy side of the solution and learn how to start a medical delivery service that helps pharmacies to increase their sales revenue, as well as reach a wider user base.

Catalog management

A pharmacy owner or manager should have easy access to the catalog to make certain modifications in case they run out of some products or the prices change. The owner should be able to access information about any products they sell and modify the description. The app could also be integrated with an inventory management tool to automate and optimize supply chain processes.

Order tracking

Pharmacists should be notified the second a new order comes through, which is why they need an order tracking system, as well as the notification system. The notifications may be sent through text messages, pop-ups, or any other way they deem convenient.

Access to prescriptions

Order management.

Order management involves receiving and processing the order as well as ensuring compliance with patient data protection regulations like HIPAA. Providing the utmost confidentiality when it comes to personal user data is always important, but in the medical industry it becomes the cornerstone. Non-compliance with HIPAA regulations may not only lead to financial burdens, but even legal repercussions.

Payment information

The pharmacist should be able to access payment information to make sure that the order has been paid for in full. The payment information should be sufficient for the pharmacist to know whether the payment has been made, but without details like card number, to ensure the security of the user data. If you would like to develop a medicine delivery app for a less digitally advanced country, where cash payments are still prevalent, you can also add a cash-on-delivery option.

Pharmacies need a clear communication channel with users to clarify their orders. Pharmacists should be able to reach their clients via chat, send images and documents, as well voice recordings to keep users up-to-date.

Review management

Pharmacists and pharmacy owners should be able to access reviews and ratings to receive proper feedback from the customers. Regular feedback collection will help them improve their services and increase the user experience. In case there is a bug in the program, pharmacy owners can get in touch with their prescription delivery app development partner to get it fixed as soon as possible.

Analytics and visualization tool

Pharmacists need an analytics tool to keep track of sales, promotions, customer base, etc. Business analytics tools can give visual insights into the trends and market changes and identify opportunities. Besides, they allow a clear overview of the pharmacy's inventory, to guarantee that the stock is always sufficient.

For Couriers

How to start a delivery service for medical supplies and build the courier part of the pharmaceutical delivery service application? What features should it consist of?

Couriers should be able to get an account and enter all the information necessary for this job, including their bank account information to receive salary and tips. This is where the courier’s ratings, reviews, and order history will be stored in order to be accessed in case it’s needed.

Push messages

When a customer places an order, the nearest courier should get a notification on his or her phone to proceed with delivery.

Maps and GPS

The Courier's side of the medicine delivery service app needs to have access to accurate navigation. It can be implemented in two ways:

1. Build a Route Management system with a custom map inside the app. It will take more time and require a bigger budget.

2. Integrate 3rd-party service API and use existing navigation solutions (like Waze, Google Navigation). It will be cheaper and faster to develop, but couriers should use both apps at the same time: navigator + pharmacy delivery app.

The main goal of both options serve - to track couriers' location as well as to help them find the right address and the optimal routes.

Status changes

Every step of the delivery process, couriers need to be able to update the status of the delivery to keep the customer posted.

And finally, let’s discover the admin part of the solution, and learn how to start a pharmacy delivery service that entails sufficient managerial tools for inventory and marketing, as well as comprehensive dashboards to help businesses make better decisions.

The Admin’s side of the application requires a dashboard with all the relevant information, such as orders, deliveries, customers, external vendors, and so on.

Inventory management

Admin is in charge of making sure the physical stock correlates with the app selection. The Admin panel should contain the information about the current stock, as well as the expiration dates of each product to ensure the sale of valid drugs only.

Marketing tools

Admins are in charge of marketing tools to promote products and attract more customers. Besides that, they should be equipped with business analytics tools to make data-driven business decisions.

Supply and customer management

Admins should have access to supplier and user information to collect relevant data and manage these relationships. If a supplier or customer has an issue, the admin is the one who will be contacted to solve it.

Report generation

The Admin’s side of the medical delivery service app is responsible for making reports, which is why they need a comprehensive tool to collect important data, analyze key metrics, and generate visual reports.

Advanced Features

How to start a medical courier service with advanced features that will stand out from the competition? Advanced features are the so-called “nice-to-have” features that are optional, especially in the early days, but they will make a difference in the long run. These include in-app chat options so that customers can get in touch with pharmacies and ask their medical questions. Another additional feature could be multi-currency support, especially if you operate in several countries. Having multi-lingual support will help you attract tourists and visitors who cannot get proper help at a traditional pharmacy.

Planning to develop an App?

Machine learning (ML) is a prominent technology that is being widely adopted across industries. For example, if you would like your app to send personalized recommendations based on previous purchase history, ML technology is for you. Predictive analytics is another ever-growing technology that helps companies recognize trends and act on them. By using predictive analytics, you can be ahead of the competition and make smart business decisions. Deep Learning is utilized for document recognition, and in this case, prescription recognition, to quicker and more accurately extract important information. The most technologically advanced apps offer a pill recognition feature that is also driven by Deep Learning.

AI-driven chatbots are also user experience boosters, and they simplify the way users interact with the app. Chatbots are usually capable of answering basic questions about the app, services, products, policies, etc., so that your customer support can concentrate on more serious problems.

Using our extensive experience, we will help you understand how to start a pharmacy delivery service that brings something unique to the market. Your decision depends on your budget and resources, but we suggest that you try to focus on functional features before moving on to non-functional ones.

Technical Stack for Pharmacy Delivery App Development

Before choosing the right technology stack, you must decide on the type of application development you want to use. You can build a native solution or a cross-platform one. The difference is vast and will affect your technology stack, budget, HR resources, and timeline. When should you go for native application development and when should you opt for a platform-independent process ? How to start a pharmacy delivery service with a native solution and also with a cross-platform tool?

How to start a home delivery pharmacy with a native solution?

Native app development is on average more expensive than a cross-platform one. This type of development requires medical delivery companies to build two separate solutions: one for iOS and one for Android. Launching two applications requires two development teams, coordinated timelines to ensure simultaneous release, and a 25-30% increased budget.

On the other hand, native development creates online medicine delivery apps with better user interface, higher performance, and stability, as well as an elevated user experience. Besides that, developers have access to native device’s features like camera and GPS and utilize them to make their solution better.

How to start a pharmacy delivery service using cross-platform development?

As we’ve already discussed earlier, a lot of factors determine the price and timeline of your project, including a number of platforms, custom interfaces for each app or universal design, etc. But usually, cross-platform app development enables faster development, reduces costs, and delivers two apps from a single code source. Even though you will need some native developers on your team to tweak the application to fit the platform-specific requirements, this type of development is more cost-effective and less time-consuming.

But cross-platform app development also has its drawbacks, and in this case, it is the overall performance levels of your app. Platform-independent apps are usually slower, provide limited functionality, and a poor user experience.

You can discuss your project with your software development partner and choose the corresponding technology stack. Depending on the development type, we can recommend the following technologies.

Application development:

Native Development:

• Swift for iOS and Kotlin for Android
• NodeJS for backend development (server-side)

Cross-platform App Development

Admin Panel development:

Front-End development

ReactJS or Flutter

Back-End development

API development

Third-Party Services:

Stripe or PayPal for payment integration.

Google or OpenStreetMaps.

Delivery API (FedEx, UPS, USPS).

Twilio or Firebase messages, etc.

The Costs of Pharmaceutical App Development

Platform choice, features: number and complexity, team location.

Eastern Europe

How to start a pharmacy delivery service with a small to medium budget? Narrow down your search to companies from Eastern Europe or Asia, countries that offer lower prices. However, sometimes a lower fee might also mean poor quality, which is why you should be careful and choose your partner wisely.

So, how much does it cost to develop a pharmacy delivery service? Here, we divide the entire process into four steps, and calculate the timeline for each. Based on our projects, we can offer the following app development duration:

Discovery phase

First release, second release, admin panel.

Both cross-platform and native development take roughly 31 weeks (7-8 months) to finish, however, native apps cost more: about $98,000 against about $88,500 for a cross-platform solution.

Let’s dive deeper into the pharmacy delivery service features costs:

Discovery Phase

The project discovery phase includes:

• the collection and systematization of client requirements;
• research of the target audience’s needs;
• analysis of the product's efficiency for potential TA;
• mind map and Prototype creation;
• the architecture of the solution creation & defining the technology stack;
• functional requirements described in a user-story format, and software requirements specification creation;
• evaluation of the project's timeline with the delivery stages and budget, and the resources that should be attracted.

The discovery phase may take about 2-3 weeks and have a budget of about 6-8K USD.

Competitors analysis, detailed description of the main features' logic

Mind map creation

Prototype creation

The architecture of the solution creation & defining the technology stack

Proof-of-concept (Integration with pharmacy database)

Functional requirements (user stories)

Software requirements specification

Development plan creation

Resources & communication plan

Accurate estimation

Communication

Total hours

Mobile app development

The cross-platform app can be developed in 15-17 weeks and may cost you about 47-51K USD. Native app development will take the same 15-17 weeks but will have a higher budget of 55-61K USD.

Authorization

• Splash screen
• Login screen
• Authorization with social networks
• Forgot password screen
• Fill personal info screen
• Personal data
• Change password option
• Communication preferences (call/chat)
• About, terms & conditions, etc.
• List of notifications
• Add/edit/remove notifications
• Notifications confirmation
• PUSH-notifications setup
• Order History (Upcoming/Passed)
• List of orders
• Order interface with all data
• Order status
• Cancel order option
• Online chat with support
• Attachments (photo, docs, voice messages)
• PUSH Notifications setup
• Product list
• Product page
• Update quantity
• Proceed with payment
• Payment system integration (Stripe)
• Add /remove credit card (an account can have any amount of credit cards attached, the user should be able to select which to use)
• Make a payment from the credit card
• Payment cancelation logic

Init, app’s architecture and navigation

• Project init

Environment setup

• API documentation creation
• Push notifications setup
• Mobile stores account setup

Total, hours

Admin panel development

It may take about 12 weeks and a budget of 28-31K USD.

• Forgot pass screen
• List of admins (Search, filter, sort)
• Admin profile(edit/deactivate)
• Change password
• Add new admin
• Send invite
• List of pharmacies
• Pharmacy profile (edit mode)
• Pharmacy database integration
• Pharmacy products
• Import, search, sort, filter products
• Product page (to update data)

Project Init

Tech documentation

To sum up, the pharmacy delivery service development with the described above functionality will cost you about $89-98K USD and will take 7-8 months. To get an accurate estimate based on your medical supply delivery product functionality, contact us .

Things to Consider Before Starting a Delivery Business in the Pharma Industry

As a software development company that has delivered a good number of various on-demand applications, we have accumulated a large knowledge base that we are ready to share. You can’t learn how to start a pharmacy delivery service without going through a few important steps, such as writing a prescription delivery service business plan, conducting market research, ensuring compliance with laws, etc. In this part, we will reveal our tips on how to start a medical supply delivery business.

Business Model

Much like with any other business, at first, you will need a business blueprint with detailed plans for monetization strategies, acquiring capital, advertising, medicine delivery services, and so on. The plan should entail every aspect of the business for the next five to ten years. Essentially, a business plan should communicate your company’s vision and goals and serve as a foundation for a potential financial investment. Engaging OGS business plan writers early in this process can ensure that your blueprint is not only comprehensive but also tailored to meet the unique challenges and opportunities in the pharmacy delivery industry.

Depending on your company’s model, your medical supplies delivery business plan can look very differently: you can be a third-party service that connects pharmacies to end-users or you can be a registered pharmacy that sells your own products. DOIT Software can offer a customer-oriented service and answer your questions on how to start a pharmacy delivery service, regardless of the business model you prefer.

Food Delivery App Development: features, budget, and tech stack

Market Research

To open a medical courier business, you need to thoroughly research the market. No matter how original your idea is, you will be penetrating some sector of the market and you need to learn all about the competition. How to start a pharmacy delivery service that stands out from the competition and offers something unique to the customers? Study your competitors, their strengths and weaknesses, and develop a unique value proposition to win over your potential audience. If you don’t know where to begin, take a look at our extensive market research at the very beginning of this article to get some pointers to how to start a pharmacy delivery service.

Have a project in mind?

Compliance with laws and regulations takes a new meaning when it comes to the medical industry, as the cost of non-compliance can be someone’s health. So before you learn how to start a medicine business, make sure you know every law and regulation in the industry. As you will be processing and storing confidential information about customers’ health issues and prescriptions, you must ensure compliance with patient data regulations, such as HIPAA (US).

Besides that, your medical supply delivery business will be collecting and storing personal user data, such as address, contact information, and payment data, which also needs to be protected. Depending on your country, these laws vary, with GDPR in Europe, CCPA in the US, etc., so make sure you know which data privacy law is in effect in your region and ensure compliance with the law. Ask DOIT Software how to start a pharmacy delivery service that is compliant with all the regulations and rules.

If you are opening your own pharmacy to provide medical delivery services, you will need to obtain a formal license. For example, depending on your LLC location , the laws and regulations may differ, but you will most definitely need to be a professional pharmacist with a certification or degree. Contact the proper legal services to learn more about the specifics of the medicine delivery business in your country.

Hiring Process

Find drivers who will work as pharmaceutical couriers at your company and provide proper training for them. It is especially important to teach them how to use your pharmacy delivery driver app so they can ensure smooth delivery services.

Storage Facility or Tie-Up

This section depends on your business model: if you are opening your own pharmacy, you will need to rent a storage facility, and if you are acting as a third-party service for an existing pharmacy, partner up with them to ensure a successful medical supply delivery service.

Looking for a storage facility with the right conditions might take some time, so use real estate agency services to find a proper place. If you decide to act as a mediator between pharmacies and consumers and provide only medical courier services, find a trustworthy pharmaceutical partner.

Transportation

Finally, find the vehicles you would like to use for your medical courier services. The means of medical supply transportation are up to you and contingent on the location. Some towns are perfectly reachable by bicycles, some are better with the use of cars or maybe even public transportation, such as buses or the subway.

Read also: Healthcare Application Development: Features, Costs, and Compliance

Learning about how to start a pharmacy delivery service is a long path, but today you took the first step toward building your own pharmacy app. Pinning down the entire journey from the business plan and taking it all the way to completion is a lengthy and cumbersome process. However, if you find the right software development partner, you will definitely get there much faster.

DOIT Software is a software development company that is ready to offer its extensive expertise in medical courier service development. Our best software engineers and business analysts will help you gather the essential information, guide you through the discovery phase, requirements collecting, development, testing, etc., including the ongoing support after the launch. Contact DOIT Software to receive a free consultation, quote and begin your new project. We will help you build the next Uber pharmacy delivery app.

Frequently Asked Questions

Have an idea to build an app.

Transform your idea into a successful product with the DOIT Software team.

How does a pharmacy delivery app work?

A medicine delivery service app has four sides: customer, pharmacy, courier, and admin. Every side of the application has its own set of features that work together to see the whole process through: from the order placing to delivery.

How do I create a medicine delivery app?

This is how to start a pharmacy delivery service:

• Conduct a market analysis
• Choose the suitable business model (third-party service or pharmacy)
• Prepare a monetization strategy
• Hire a mobile app development company with proven experience in the pharmacy industry.
• Write down the app’s functionality and core features
• After your technical partner writes the code, test the application and release it to the public
• Ensure that your app receives ongoing technical support
• Launch marketing and promotional campaigns

How do medicine delivery apps make money?

The most common monetization strategy for online pharmacy delivery is charging delivery fees. Besides that, third-party medical courier companies can advertise certain pharmacies in return for compensation. Finally, you can charge a commission to the pharmacies you deliver for.

How much does it cost to develop a pharmacy delivery app?

The costs of the development of a medicine delivery driver app depend heavily on the location, complexity of the features, and your choice of platform. At DOIT Software, our high functional custom applications cost on average $88,500 for a cross-platform app and $98,000 for a native solution.

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Home › Blog › How to Start a Pharmacy Delivery Service: A Go-To-Market Guide

Straightaway Route Planner

Everything you need to start your new pharmaceutical delivery business.

Straightaway

May 13, 2021

There’s never been a better time to build a pharmaceutical delivery business. In 2020 the pharmaceutical delivery market sat at 1,430 billion USD and is projected to reach more than 2,015 billion USD by 2025. This growth is partially due to government measures during the Covid-19 pandemic that prevented many people from purchasing their pharmaceuticals in a traditional way. However, it is clear that demand for pharma delivery isn’t going away any time soon. It can be more convenient, safe, and reliable than visiting pharmacies in person, which are critical benefits as health is a top priority.

In this article, we will cover everything you need to know to start your own pharma delivery business. Read on to learn what questions you must ask yourself, how to discover your niche, and which laws you should be aware of when entering into this business. ‍

How Do I Start a Pharmaceutical Delivery Service?  

Starting a pharmaceutical delivery service can be divided into four separate but crucial steps.

1: Knowing your Market.

2: Laws and Regulations.

3: The Hiring Process.

4: Routing Software. Understanding the market is key to figuring out how to maximize sales. Familiarizing yourself with the laws and regulations is critical as the pharma delivery industry revolves around sensitive information and high-priority products. The hiring process is fundamental for optimizing your business as you’ll need a team of trained, trusted couriers. Last but not least, every successful pharmaceutical delivery service runs on route planning software to get deliveries where they need to be. ‍

Step 1: Knowing Your Market

The better you understand the market, the more effective your business plan will be. The first thing you must do is self-analyze to see where your business would fit into the market. Knowing where you fit in the market can help you visualize where you would like your business to go and how to get there. Some questions you may ask yourself are: 1.   What is the current state of my pharmaceutical business?

Your current state will determine how you should set up your future plan. Is your pharmaceutical business already running? Are you looking to add an additional delivery service? If you already have a pharmaceutical business which is up and running then your customers are your pre-existing clientele. If you’re starting from scratch, you might consider partnering with established pharmacies to access their customer base. 2.     Who would you be delivering to? Individuals or hospitals? 

Hospital deliveries will be much larger and will require constant need of refilling on a regular schedule, meaning they’re a consistent client. On the other hand, if you are delivering to individuals, the job can become more complex. The package delivery size will be considerably smaller and variable, and the route for the delivery will be longer and require more frequent stops. 3.     Is my market restricted to medications only?

Covid-19 has shown us that there is not only a high demand for pharmaceuticals but also for medical equipment, namely in this case, ventilators. You may want to consider expanding into these sorts of deliveries as well. Delivering medical equipment such as oxygen tanks, beds, ventilators, rehab equipment and more will incur additional startup costs and driver training, but could pay off if there is an opening in your market for such equipment. ‍

Step 2: Laws and Regulations

The laws and regulations governing pharmaceutical delivery businesses vary greatly by state and region. Here are some questions you should ask yourself regarding the laws and qualifications. 1.    Is my delivery driver qualified?

A pharmaceutical courier needs to have a minimum of a high school diploma and be at least 21 years old. They must be able to lift packages weighing from 30-75 pounds, and have the tenacity to sit for long periods of time. Additionally, drivers handling medical equipment should be trained to transport and install medical equipment safely and accurately. 2.     Where can I deliver the pharmaceuticals?

It is important to note that deliveries cannot be made to P.O boxes as signatures from the recipient are almost always required. Further, the delivery addresses must match the addresses on the medicine without any variation. This means you can’t drop off medication at the client’s friends’ or family’s houses either. 3.     What kind of database do I need to maintain?

Delivering medicine will require you to deal with confidential information, and this may require you to have written documentation on what prescriptions are being filled. The degree of documentation will vary based on the laws in your area. In most cases, private medical information must be stored securely so not every employee can easily access it. 4.     Where can I find my local laws and regulations?

Below are some resources you can use to look up the laws and regulations in your area.

• FDA Code of Regulations (for the United States)
• NHS Specifications and Guidance for Delivering Pharmaceuticals (for the United Kingdom)
• Transportation of Controlled Substances (For Canada) ‍

Step 3: The Hiring Process

Finding a good pharmaceutical delivery person is not as simple as finding a qualified FedEx or UPS driver. Your employees will have to attain specific licenses which will allow them to do this job.

Some of the required knowledge for a medical courier include: ‍ 1.     Knowledge about setting up oxygen equipment

2.     Instructing the patients how to use the equipment

3.     Cleaning and resetting the equipment

4.     Setting up the CPAP machines To find couriers with these skill sets, we recommend using job search websites that filter applicants by credentials. You can find the right drivers for your pharmaceutical delivery company on sites like Indeed , Glassdoor , and LinkedIn . ‍

Step 4: Optimization

Now that you have attained some knowledge on setting up your medical courier company, it is time to discuss route optimization. You may work harder than any of the competition, but if you do not have your routes optimized, you’ll likely fall behind. This is where Straightaway comes in. Straightaway is the preferred route planner for pharmaceutical delivery as it optimizes for as many customers as possible in the smallest amount of time. Here are some of the tools and integrations used by Straightaway which will help you optimize yourself while simultaneously outperforming your competition. ‍

• Snap Photo Scheduling: With this modern tech, you can simply take a snapshot of your list of addresses, and Straightaway will map the fastest route between those locations.
• Stop Order Optimization: Straightaway’s algorithms are capable of organizing the fastest order of stops on the routes. This capability can analyze up to 250 different stops in a matter of seconds. This algorithm, which is an industry leader, will also take into account speed limits, weather, road closures, and of course traffic, all in real time!
• Navigation: Straightaway realizes the dangers of having a distracted driver switching between apps. This is why Straightaway has incorporated hands-free, turn-by-turn navigation. This approach to navigation eliminates the need for switching app screens while on the road. ‍

The average delivery driver who utilizes Straightaway will be able to shorten their route by more than an hour. Saving time will mean saving money on mileage, more satisfied customers, and an increase in volume of stops per day, to name a few benefits. ‍

Let Straightaway Lead the Way

The pharmaceutical delivery business is booming on all fronts, and you can become a leader in your local delivery market. To achieve this success, remember to study your market, know the regulations, hire the right people, and utilize the best technology. In this arena, the best technology is Straightaway route planner. You can learn more about the pricing for Straightaway here !

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Zach is the co-founder and CEO of Straightaway.

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A Guide to Starting an Independent Pharmacy Delivery Service

by Mallorie Barabas | May 31, 2022 | Blog , Industry Insights

Starting an independent pharmacy delivery service is a great way to break into the pharmaceutical industry. Over the past few decades, the way patients purchase from their neighborhood drugstore has changed. They no longer spend time waiting for prescriptions to be filled at the pharmacy, and thier busy lives demand easier solutions. 

However, there are far stricter regulations for the transit and delivery of pharmaceutical commodities than conventional consumer goods. Additional factors to consider include patient confidentiality, data privacy, and specific transit conditions such as temperature control.

Still, delivering drugs to people’s homes can be a profitable business. So, whether you’re beginning an independent pharmacy delivery service from scratch or adding it to an existing delivery service, this guide will help you.

What is Pharmaceutical Delivery?

Pharmaceutical delivery involves transporting and delivering medications and pharmaceutical products to end customers or patients. Pharmaceuticals are delicate and temperature-sensitive, therefore requiring special handling.

Why is Pharmaceutical Delivery Important?

Unlike ordinary consumer goods, pharmaceutical products are vital to the health and well-being of a large segment of the population. Getting drugs delivered on time might be a lifeline for anyone suffering from an illness or accident.

The reality is that while we can all probably wait a little longer for a new kitchen gadget, someone who requires life-saving medication does not have that luxury.

Considerations and Regulations Around Pharmaceutical Delivery

If you are considering starting an independent pharmacy delivery service, you will need to check off the stringent conditions and regulations required. They include:

Temperature Control

Medicine, like food, must be delivered in temperature-controlled carriers. In fact, for many drugs, even a 2-degree temperature shift can swiftly ruin the delivery and turn it into “waste.”

A fleet of temperature-controlled trucks is the first thing you should have on hand for pharmacy delivery. If you’re working as a third-party delivery service for a pharmacy, you’ll almost certainly be asked to provide real-time temperature data on their goods in transit. 

Data Privacy Regulations

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law that regulates patient privacy and protected health information (PHI). Although delivery of pharmaceutical supplies is a bit of a gray area under HIPAA standards, your pharmacy clients may insist on HIPAA compliance certification if you’re a third-party prescription delivery service.

While it is possible to secure, you should consider vetting staff, implementing reporting procedures, and safeguarding your customer data before investing in a cold chain fleet.

Security of Fleet in Transit

While there are no specific rules regarding security standards for pharmaceutical goods in transit, you should think about it and ensure your organization is ready to keep products and drivers safe. Pharmaceuticals are high-value items that are targeted by specialist criminals. Ensure your fleet is fitted with trackers, locks, and emergency alarms. It is also essential to incorporate security features like proof of delivery , ID scanning, and more.

The Basics of Understanding Your Market

Understanding your market will help you develop your business plan more effectively. This assists you in determining the number and frequency of deliveries required as well as the resources required. 

Because hospitals are continually receiving medicine refills, you may have larger delivery orders that are delivered on a recurrent route and timetable. On the other hand, individual customers may necessitate a more diverse route with more stops but fewer packages per delivery. Once you’ve identified your target market, focus on building a relationship with them by ensuring reliable service.

Launch Your Independent Pharmacy Delivery Service With Elite EXTRA

At Elite EXTRA, we have assisted prescription home delivery companies in effectively entering the pharmaceutical delivery market. If you’d like to learn more about how we can put our experience and tools to work for you, reach out to us today.

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Pharmacy Business Plan

Many pharmacists dream of opening their pharmacies. But more often than not, the collection of funds and resources becomes an overwhelming and off-putting process.

But it doesn’t need to be. A pharmacy business plan can help you at every step of setting up your pharmacy business.

If you are planning to start a new pharmacy business, the first thing you will need is a business plan. Use our sample Pharmacy Business Plan created using Upmetrics business plan software to start writing your business plan in no time.

Before you start writing a business plan, spend as much time as you can reading through some samples of medical and health-related business plans .

Industry Overview

The pharmaceutical industry stood at a market value of 1.27 trillion dollars in 2020 and has shown remarkable growth in the past two decades.

The advancement of research and development in the medical field has played a significant role in the growth of the pharmaceutical industry. Also, better production and distribution have changed the way people get medicines.

From online pharmacies to home deliveries, the face of the pharmacy industry has changed and become more convenient.

Also, with the growth of access to information, it has become more competitive too. But if done the right way, the pharmacy business is an extremely profitable one as well.

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Things to Consider Before Writing a Pharmacy Store Business Plan

Check your legal requirements.

A pharmacy business requires a fair amount of licenses and permits. It is good to have a checklist of all the required licenses and to see if you have to get any of them.

Research what permits your state requires as well as the ones mandatory for everyone. It helps you stay on the good side of the law.

Pick a good location

A pharmacy setup requires a fixed minimum area. Also, a pharmacy that is easily accessible is more likely to succeed than one which is unreachable during emergencies. Hence, picking a good location is important .

Also, you can pick between starting a physical store or going online. Both business structures would have their pros and cons. You should pick the one that is the best for you.

Have a proper storage facility

Different medicines and formulas have different storage requirements. You’ll keep most of them in cool and dry places though. Bad storage can cost a pharmacy business dearly, even if you do everything else right.

Hence, it is important to have a good and ideal storage facility before you get started.

Check if your staff has the proper technical knowledge

You need technical knowledge and attention to detail to fare well as a pharmacist and so does your staff. As dealing with medicines is quite a critical job and can have consequences if not done right, it is important to find staff who know what they are doing and are well-trained and up to the job.

After you figure out some of the technical requirements, it is essential to figure out the business side of running a pharmacy. Planning, in the beginning, can save you from a lot of trouble later on.

Chalking Out Your Business Plan

A business plan helps you stay prepared for challenges, make better decisions, and formulate better business strategies. A pharmacy business takes a fair amount of legal procedures and competitive strategies, a pharmacy business plan can help you with that.

Reading some sample business plans will give you a good idea of what you’re aiming for. Also, it will show you the different sections that different entrepreneurs include and the language they use to write about themselves and their business plans.

We have created this sample pharmacy business plan for you to get a good idea about how perfect a pharmacy business plan should look and what details you will need to include in your stunning business plan.

Pharmacy Business Plan Outline

This is the standard business plan outline which will cover all important sections that you should include in your business plan.

• Keys to Success
• Business Ownership
• Summary Chart
• Business Model Description
• Mail order customers
• Walk-in customers
• Target Market Analysis
• Target Market Segment Strategy
• Competitive Edge
• Marketing Strategy
• Sales Forecast
• Development Requirements
• Personnel Plan
• Important Assumptions
• Break-even Analysis
• Projected Profit and Loss
• Projected Cash Flow
• Balance Sheet

Let’s understand how you can write each section of the pharmacy business plan.

1. Executive Summary

The executive summary section forms the first page of your business plan. It summarises all that your business stands for.

The executive summary section consists of the following subsegments:

• Objectives : This segment consists of the reason you started your business in the first place. What is your idea behind it and what problem do you plan on solving with it?
• Mission : Your mission statement should reflect how your pharmacy business can help people, apart from providing them with medicines. It reflects how your idea can deal with a problem more optimally.
• Financial Summary : This section would consist of the funding requirements of your business, and how the said funds would be put to use. It serves the main purpose of the executive summary, which is to get your business funded.

As a pharmacy business, your executive summary would consist of the type and size of your pharmacy business, your team, your qualifications and licenses, and a summary of your financial plan.

2. Products and Services

This section consists of a description of all the products and services your pharmacy offers.

For example, apart from your general products, this section can also consist of services your pharmacy offers like home delivery of medicines, subscription packages, online orders, etc.

3. Market Analysis

Market analysis helps you understand what you are getting yourself into. It also helps you make sense of all the research you have done and how you can put it to use for your business.

It consists of the following subsegments:

• Market Segmentation : Through market segmentation, you separate your target audience from the rest of the market based on their age, gender, income, occupation, medical conditions, etc.
• Market Positioning : In this segment, you can add an analysis of where you stand in the current market. And what would be the best marketing strategy for you as per your position?
• Target Market Analysis : In this section, you’ll write down an analysis of your target market, and their tastes and preferences.

As a pharmacy business, you can list down the type of pharmacy you own, your target customer base, the kind of services they like, the location they’ll prefer, and how they buy their medical supplies.

4. Strategy And Implementation

After you carry out market analysis, the next step would be to create a marketing strategy based on the same. This section helps you promote your business to your target audience.

This section consists of the following subsegments:

• Competitive Edge : Include your competitive advantage in this section. Include how your product is better than your competitor’s and how you’ll use that to your advantage.
• Marketing Strategy : Your marketing strategy should speak to your target audience. Your campaign should show your customers how your business solves a pressing problem.
• Sales Strategy : A sales strategy should be formulated after surveying what works best for your specific industry.

As a pharmacy business, you can center your marketing around safe products, better service, and availability. According to various surveys, KAM, clinical sales force, and service rep model are three of the most successful strategies for pharmacies.

5. Web Plan

With everything going online, a website strategy is of utmost importance. With online pharmacies like mail, my prescriptions, and Amazon pharmacy coming up, having an online presence is crucial to being seen by your consumers.

Moreover, an eCommerce website can also serve as a good alternative if you don’t want to go through the hassle of owning a physical store.

Nonetheless, building your online presence can help you in getting noticed. It is also a good method of promoting your brand idea.

6. Financial Plan

This section would consist of everything about your company’s finances. From your financial history to your projected profits, your financial plan would cover it all.

A good financial plan helps your business survive and thrive.

This segment consists of the following subsegments:

• Financial Resources : This segment would consist of the investment you can put in your business, as well as other resources for meeting your funding requirements.
• Funding Requirements : This would consist of the funding requirements to set up your pharmacy and keep it going.
• Projected Cash Flow and Profits : This section would consist of your business’s expected cash flow and profits in the long term.

Download a sample pharmacy business plan

Need help writing your business plan from scratch? Here you go;  download our free pharmacy business plan pdf  to start.

It’s a modern business plan template specifically designed for your pharmacy business. Use the example business plan as a guide for writing your own.

The Quickest Way to turn a Business Idea into a Business Plan

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Pharmacy Business Plan Summary

In conclusion, though a pharmacy business might take a lot of work, you can make running your business a lot easier and smoother with a business plan.

A business plan helps you stay organized and updated as per market trends and changing environment of the industry.

After getting started with Upmetrics , you can copy this sample pharmacy business plan template into your business plan and modify the required information and download your pharmacy business plan pdf or doc file.

It’s the fastest and easiest way to start writing your business plan.

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About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

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Pharmacy Business Plan

Identify and study the market needs for pharmaceuticals.

• 1 Hospitals and clinics
• 2 Individual consumers
• 3 Long-term care facilities
• 4 Healthcare organizations
• 5 Pharmaceutical wholesalers
• 1 Strong competition
• 2 Changing regulations
• 3 Limited access to medication
• 4 Lack of awareness
• 5 Logistics challenges

Research on the regulatory requirements for setting up a pharmacy business

• 1 Complex licensing process
• 2 Cost of obtaining permits
• 3 Stringent security measures
• 4 Regular inspections and audits
• 5 Maintaining accurate recordkeeping

Prepare a business model and revenue plan

• 1 Prescription medications
• 2 Over-the-counter medications
• 3 Healthcare products and supplements
• 4 Consultations and services
• 5 Compounding medications

Create a detailed marketing and sales strategy

• 1 Digital marketing (website, social media)
• 2 Print advertisements
• 3 Radio and television ads
• 4 Direct mail campaigns
• 5 Partnerships with healthcare providers
• 1 Brochures
• 4 Business cards
• 5 Digital advertisements

Draft a detailed organizational structure

• 1 Pharmacist
• 2 Pharmacy technician
• 3 Front-end staff
• 4 Inventory manager
• 5 Marketing manager
• 1 Communication gaps
• 2 Staff turnover
• 3 Employee conflicts
• 4 Performance management
• 5 Training and development

Approval: Organizational Structure

• Draft a detailed organizational structure Will be submitted

Develop a business operation plan

• 1 Ordering and receiving medication
• 2 Storing and organizing inventory
• 3 Monitoring and restocking inventory
• 4 Managing expiration dates
• 5 Implementing quality control measures
• 1 Inventory shortages
• 2 Medication errors
• 3 Supply chain disruptions
• 4 Unforeseen emergencies
• 5 Staff scheduling conflicts

Research and decide on an ideal location

• 1 High rental costs
• 2 Limited availability of commercial spaces
• 3 Zoning restrictions
• 4 Competition from existing pharmacies
• 5 Accessibility issues for customers

Estimate initial setup and ongoing operating costs

• 1 Negotiating bulk purchase discounts
• 2 Energy-efficient lighting and appliances
• 3 Automation of manual processes
• 4 Staff cross-training for multi-functional roles
• 5 Optimizing inventory management

Identify potential sources for investment

• 1 Business plan
• 2 Financial projections
• 3 Market analysis
• 4 Legal and regulatory compliance documentation
• 5 Track record of the management team
• 1 Limited access to capital
• 2 Competitive investment landscape
• 3 Uncertainty in the healthcare market
• 4 Regulatory changes impacting investment decisions
• 5 Market saturation in the pharmacy industry

Approval: Investment Sources

• Identify potential sources for investment Will be submitted

Create a detailed risk management plan

• 1 Limited resources for risk mitigation
• 2 Complex regulatory requirements
• 3 Resistance to change from staff or stakeholders
• 4 Inadequate risk monitoring and reporting systems
• 5 Emerging risks in the healthcare industry

Draft a proposal for partnership with pharmaceutical suppliers

• 1 Price fluctuations in the pharmaceutical market
• 2 Dependence on a single supplier
• 3 Quality control issues
• 4 Supply chain disruptions
• 5 Maintaining competitive pricing for customers

Approval: Pharmaceutical Suppliers Proposal

• Draft a proposal for partnership with pharmaceutical suppliers Will be submitted

Develop a training plan for employees

• 1 Limited resources for training programs
• 2 High staff turnover impacting training effectiveness
• 3 Keeping up with changing regulations and industry standards
• 4 Practical application of training concepts
• 5 Staff resistance to training initiatives

Create a customer service and retention strategy

• 1 In-person interactions
• 4 Website chat support
• 5 Social media platforms
• 1 Long wait times
• 2 Communication barriers with non-native language speakers
• 3 Patient confidentiality concerns
• 4 Managing customer complaints and queries
• 5 Ensuring accurate medication information

Plan for the pharmacy layout

• 1 Accessibility for customers with disabilities
• 2 Space constraints
• 3 Ergonomic design for staff
• 4 Compliance with building codes
• 5 Effective utilization of retail space

Develop a digital strategy including e-prescriptions, home delivery, etc

• 1 E-prescriptions
• 2 Online ordering
• 3 Home delivery
• 4 Mobile app for medication reminders
• 5 Virtual consultations
• 1 Technological infrastructure requirements
• 2 Integration with existing systems
• 3 Training staff on digital platforms
• 4 Protecting customer information from cyber threats
• 5 Managing customer expectations and feedback

Outline a plan for future growth and expansion

• 1 Competitive landscape in new markets
• 2 Acquiring adequate funding for expansion
• 3 Managing increased operational complexities
• 4 Adapting to changing industry regulations
• 5 Maintaining consistent quality across multiple locations

Create a final draft of pharmacy business plan

• 1 Executive summary
• 2 Company overview
• 4 Marketing and sales strategies
• 5 Organizational structure
• 6 Operational plan
• 7 Financial projections
• 8 Risk management plan
• 9 Partnership and supplier strategies
• 10 Training and development plans
• 11 Customer service and retention strategies
• 12 Digital strategy
• 13 Growth and expansion plan

Email Subject: Final Draft of Pharmacy Business Plan

Approval: Pharmacy Business Plan

• Create a final draft of pharmacy business plan Will be submitted

Take control of your workflows today.

More templates like this.

Pharmacy Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Pharmacy Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your pharmacy business plan.

We have helped over 10,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their pharmacies.

Pharmacy Business Plan Example

Below is a sample pharmacy business plan and template to help you create each section of your pharmacy business plan.

Executive Summary

Business overview.

Healthy1 Pharmacy is a new independent retail pharmacy located in Charleston, South Carolina. The company is founded by Stephen Harris, a licensed pharmacist who has spent more than fifteen years working in the pharmacy industry. Stephen is confident that his strong communication skills combined with his keen attention to detail when preparing prescriptions will help him quickly grow a loyal customer base for his new pharmacy. Stephen has recruited a team of highly qualified professionals to help manage the day-to-day complexities of running a retail pharmacy including marketing, sales, customer service, financial reporting, and operations management.

Healthy1 Pharmacy will provide all of the products and services that are available at large retail chains, only with a better price and a small-town atmosphere. At Healthy1, sales associates and pharmacy technicians will get to know each customer by name and be able to offer a more personalized service not typically offered at larger pharmacies. Healthy1 Pharmacy will be a one-stop shop for any customer in need of a prescription, flu shot, OTC medication, and more.

Product Offering

The following are the services that Healthy1 Pharmacy will provide:

• Over-the-counter (OTC) medications
• Prescription medications
• Immunizations
• Travel medications
• Point-of-Care (POC) Tests
• Compounding

Customer Focus

Healthy1 Pharmacy will target all individuals in Charleston. The pharmacy will target multiple age groups from pediatric to geriatric. Healthy1 will also target patients needing prescriptions filled on a regular basis. No matter the customer, Healthy1 Pharmacy will deliver the best communication, service, and prices.

Management Team

Healthy1 Pharmacy will be owned and operated by Stephen Harris. He has recruited Emily Jackson, an experienced retail pharmacy manager to be his Store Manager and help to supervise the staff and run the day-to-day retail operations.

Stephen Harris is a licensed pharmacist with a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree and more than fifteen years of experience working in the pharmacy industry. Stephen has been recognized by his former employer as a top performing pharmacist for five years in a row.

Emily Jackson has been a store manager at a local retail pharmacy for over a decade and has garnered a positive reputation for her exceptional organizational skills and leadership. Emily has worked in the pharmacy industry for so long, she understands all aspects required in running a successful retail pharmacy.

Success Factors

Healthy1 Pharmacy will be able to achieve success by offering the following competitive advantages:

• Friendly, knowledgeable, and highly qualified team of sales associates and pharmacy technicians who will assist customers, answer questions, and provide a personalized approach not found in larger pharmacies.
• Comprehensive array of products and services that includes everything you would expect from a large pharmacy, only with attentive customer service and lower prices.
• Healthy1 Pharmacy offers the best pricing in Charleston. The pharmacy’s pricing structure is the most cost effective compared to the competition.

Financial Highlights

Healthy1 Pharmacy is seeking $400,000 in debt financing to launch its new pharmacy. The funding will be dedicated towards securing the retail space and purchasing equipment, inventory, and supplies. Funding will also be dedicated towards three months of overhead costs to include payroll of the staff, rent, and marketing costs. The breakout of the funding is below:

• Pharmacy and retail space build-out: $100,000
• Equipment, supplies, inventory, and materials: $100,000
• Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, rent, utilities): $160,000
• Marketing costs: $25,000
• Working capital: $15,000

The following graph below outlines the pro forma financial projections for Healthy1 Pharmacy.

Company Overview

Who is healthy1 pharmacy.

Healthy1 Pharmacy is a newly established independent retail pharmacy located in Charleston, South Carolina. Healthy1 Pharmacy will provide all of the products and services that are available at large retail chains, only with lower prices and a small-town atmosphere. At Healthy1, sales associates and pharmacy technicians will get to know each customer by name and be able to offer a more personalized service not typically offered at larger pharmacies. Healthy1 Pharmacy will be a one-stop shop for any customer in need of a prescription, flu shot, OTC medication, and more. Healthy1 Pharmacy will be able to provide Charleson customers with the experience of a friendly, neighborhood drugstore while ensuring each prescription is handled with the highest standards of quality and care. The team of pharmacy technicians and sales associates will be highly qualified and experienced in helping customers find the right over-the-counter solutions for their individual needs as well as ensuring each prescription is filled accurately and efficiently.

Healthy1 Pharmacy History

Healthy1 is owned and operated by Stephen Harris, a licensed pharmacist with over fifteen years of experience working in the pharmacy industry. Stephen has worked for a large pharmacy chain and managed a team of pharmacy technicians for several years. Stephen’s tenure with the pharmacy chain combined with his pharmaceutical education has given him the skills and knowledge required to start his own pharmacy.

Since incorporation, Healthy1 Pharmacy has achieved the following milestones:

• Registered Healthy1 Pharmacy, LLC to transact business in the state of South Carolina.
• Has a contract in place to lease the retail storefront he will use for his pharmacy.
• Reached out to numerous contacts to include experienced pharmacy technicians and sales associates to advise them of the upcoming opportunities at his new pharmacy.
• Began recruiting the management team members including a store manager, an accountant/bookkeeper, and a marketing director.

Healthy1 Pharmacy Services

The following are the pharmacy products and services that Healthy1 Pharmacy will provide:

Industry Analysis

The pharmacy industry in the United States is valued at $534.2B and is projected to grow to $862B by 2028. Major market drivers include a growing number of types of diseases, an increasing percentage of people with chronic illnesses, an aging population, and higher healthcare costs.

There are more prescription medications being developed, and the demand for more prescriptions is growing faster than ever before. In 2020, there were an estimated 860M medications prescribed by physicians and 336M prescribed by hospitals. This prescription demand is resulting in more pharmacies opening across the U.S. The National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) reports an estimated 20,400 independent pharmacies in 2010. This number has grown to over 23,000 by 2019, a 12.9% increase in the number of independent pharmacies for that time period.

Industry operators in the pharmaceutical market can benefit from providing above average customer service, lower prices than competitors, and products or services that aren’t being offered elsewhere.

Customer Analysis

Demographic profile of target market.

Healthy1 Pharmacy will target all individuals in Charleston, South Carolina. The pharmacy will target multiple age groups from pediatric to geriatric. Healthy1 will also target patients needing prescriptions filled on a regular basis.

The precise demographics for Charleston, South Carolina are:

Customer Segmentation

Healthy1 will primarily target the following customer profiles:

• Parents of pediatric patients
• Geriatric patients
• People taking medications on a regular basis
• People needing compounding services
• People looking for vaccines or immunizations
• People who need lab tests

Competitive Analysis

Direct and indirect competitors.

Healthy1 Pharmacy will face competition from other companies with similar business profiles. A description of each competitor company is below.

Charleston Care Pharmacy

Charleston Care Pharmacy provides a wide variety of pharmacy products and services including OTC medications, lab testing, and compounding. Located in a senior neighborhood, Charleston Care Pharmacy specializes in serving the geriatric population, but welcomes customers of all ages. Charleston Care Pharmacy’s promise is to deliver effective communication, honesty, and integrity in every transaction. Charleston Care Pharmacy’s team of experienced pharmacy technicians assures customers are well taken care of and prescriptions are filled quickly and correctly.

FeelBetterNow Pharmacy

FeelBetterNowPharmacy is a Charleston-based neighborhood pharmacy that provides a full suite of services including compounding, vaccines, lab testing, local delivery, and more. The owners of FeelBetterNowPharmacy are licensed pharmacists who have extensive experience working for independent retail pharmacies so they understand what customers are looking for in a neighborhood pharmacy. Customers who choose FeelBetterNowPharmacy can rest assured they are getting the best quality products at reasonable prices.

Care Better Pharmacy

Care Better Pharmacy is a trusted Charleston pharmacy that is known for providing superior customer service. They are able to provide a one-stop shop for customers looking for convenient OTC and prescription medications, durable medical equipment, vaccines, and immunizations. Care Better Pharmacy is also able to serve customers in need of compounding, recurring prescriptions, and lab testing. They have expert pharmacy technicians to provide information about each medication and answer all of their customers’ questions.

Competitive Advantage

Healthy1 Pharmacy will be able to offer the following advantages over their competition:

• Healthy1 Pharmacy offers the best pricing in Charleston. The pharmacy offers its customers low prices on all of its products and services compared to the competition.

Marketing Plan

Brand & value proposition.

Healthy1 Pharmacy will offer the unique value proposition to its customers:

• Highly-qualified team of skilled pharmacy technicians and sales associates will be able to provide personalized customer service and ensure all prescriptions are handled with care.
• Unbeatable pricing to its clients – Healthy1 Pharmacy does not mark up its products and services at a large percentage. The pharmacy will offer the lowest prices guaranteed. If a customer finds a cheaper price elsewhere, Healthy1 Pharmacy will give the customer a better price.

Promotions Strategy

The promotions strategy for Healthy1 Pharmacy is as follows:

Healthy1 Pharmacy will create and maintain a company website that is well organized, informative, and lists all the products and services that Healthy1 is able to provide. The website will also list promotions and discounts, informative healthcare articles, and pharmacy-sponsored community events.

SEO/Google Marketing

The company’s marketing director will manage Healthy1’s website presence with SEO marketing tactics so that any time someone types in the Google or Bing search engine “Charleston pharmacy” or “pharmacy near me”, Healthy1 Pharmacy will be listed at the top of the search results.

Social Media Marketing

Healthy1 Pharmacy’s marketing director will also manage the company’s social media presence on several platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn. The goal of the social media strategy is to attract new customers while engaging with current customers to encourage referrals, reviews, and feedback.

Content Marketing/Email Marketing

The company will post blogs and other promotional content on a regular basis with informative health and wellness information to keep people coming back. Healthy1 will post informative content on the website, social media platforms, and through email newsletters.

Professional Associations/Networking

Healthy1 Pharmacy will become a member of professional associations such as the Independent Retail Pharmacy Association, the National Community Pharmacists Association, and the Tennessee Pharmacists Association. The company will focus networking efforts on expanding its customer base.

Print Advertising

Healthy1 Pharmacy will invest in professionally designed print ads to display in programs or flyers at industry networking events, in magazines, direct mailers, and in local newspapers.

The pricing will be lower than competitors so customers feel they receive value when they choose Healthy1 products and services.

Operations Plan

The following will be the operations plan for Healthy1 Pharmacy.

Operation Functions:

• Stephen Harris will be the Owner and Lead Pharmacist. He will oversee pharmacy technicians. Stephen has spent the past year recruiting the following staff:
• Emily Jackson – Store Manager who will oversee all retail operations, sales associates, supplier relations, and inventory management.
• Jessica Johnson – Staff Accountant/Bookkeeper who will provide budgeting, tax payments, and financial reporting.
• Tim Thompson – Marketing Director who will provide marketing and sales campaigns for Healthy1 Pharmacy.

Milestones:

Healthy1 Pharmacy will have the following milestones complete in the next six months.

9/1/2022 – Finalize contract to lease the retail space.

9/15/2022 – Finalize personnel and staff employment contracts for the Healthy1 Pharmacy team.

10/1/2022 – Finalize contracts with suppliers.

10/15/2022 – Network at industry events and initiate the marketing and promotional campaign.

10/22/2022 – Begin moving into the Healthy1 Pharmacy storefront.

11/1/2022 – Healthy1 Pharmacy opens for business.

Stephen Harris is a licensed pharmacist with a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree and more than fifteen years of experience working in the pharmacy industry. Stephen has been recognized for his commitment to excellence in filling prescriptions accurately and efficiently as well as his communication skills and positive rapport with customers.

Emily Jackson has been a store manager at another retail pharmacy for over a decade and has garnered a positive reputation for her exceptional organizational skills and leadership. Emily has worked in the pharmacy industry for so long, she understands all aspects required in running a successful retail pharmacy.

Financial Plan

Key revenue & costs.

The revenue drivers for Healthy1 Pharmacy are the fees charged to customers in exchange for the pharmacy’s products and services.

The cost drivers will be the overhead costs required in order to staff a pharmacy. The expenses will be the payroll cost, rent, utilities, inventory, supplies, and marketing materials.

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

Healthy1 Pharmacy is seeking $400,000 in debt financing to launch its pharmacy business. The funding will be dedicated towards securing the retail space and purchasing equipment, inventory, and supplies. Funding will also be dedicated towards three months of overhead costs to include payroll of the staff, rent, and marketing costs. The breakout of the funding is below:

Key Assumptions

The following outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and in order to pay off the startup business loan.

• Number of prescriptions filled per month: 2,000
• Average fees collected each month: $50,000
• Retail lease per year: $100,000

Financial Projections

Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, what is a pharmacy business plan.

A pharmacy business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your pharmacy  business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections.

You can easily complete your pharmacy business plan using our Pharmacy Business Plan Template here .

What are the Main Types of Pharmacy Businesses?

There are a number of different kinds of self storage business , some examples include: Pharmacy, Home Care Pharmacy, Mail Order Pharmacy and Compounding Pharmacy.

How Do You Get Funding for Your Pharmacy Business Plan?

Pharmacy businesses are often funded through small business loans. Personal savings, credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding.

What are the Steps To Start a Pharmacy Business?

Starting a pharmacy business can be an exciting endeavor. Having a clear roadmap of the steps to start a business will help you stay focused on your goals and get started faster.

1. Develop A Pharmacy Business Plan - The first step in starting a business is to create a detailed pharmacy business plan that outlines all aspects of the venture. This should include potential market size and target customers, the services or products you will offer, pricing strategies and a detailed financial forecast.  

2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your pharmacy business. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your pharmacy business is in compliance with local laws.

3. Register Your Pharmacy Business - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your pharmacy business with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws. 

4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to start your pharmacy business, so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms. 

5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations. 

6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events. 

7. Acquire Necessary Pharmacy Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your pharmacy business, you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation. 

8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your pharmacy business. This includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising.

Learn more about how to start a successful pharmacy business:

• How to Start a Pharmacy Business

Where Can I Get a Pharmacy Business Plan PDF?

You can download our free pharmacy business plan template PDF here . This is a sample pharmacy business plan template you can use in PDF format.

Don't bother with copy and paste.

Get this complete sample business plan as a free text document.

Pharmacy Business Plan

Start your own pharmacy business plan

The Discount Pharmacy

Executive summary executive summary is a brief introduction to your business plan. it describes your business, the problem that it solves, your target market, and financial highlights.">, opportunity.

People need to be able to buy prescriptions at reduced prices. We make that possible by carefully maintaining efficiencies in our operations. So we can target a specific segment of the market – those customers who pay for their prescription medications themselves. They are poor, they are sick, they deserve the same care as those who can afford healthcare and full price prescriptions. 

The Discount Pharmacy’s mission is to provide our customers with the best prices for their prescription medications. Our convenience and services will exceed the expectations of our customers.

The Discount Pharmacy’s target market consists of two different groups, local customers or walk-ins, and mail order customers.

Competition

Competition takes many different forms in the pharmacy industry. They are: chain pharmacies, local pharmacies, mail in pharmacies, canadian pharmacies. 

The Discount Pharmacy’s we have superior pricing. To do that we must maintain our position as the low cost provider by painstakingly ensuring that costs are kept low through operating efficiencies.

Expectations

Costs will be minimized by maintaining only one pharmacist and filling the void with pharmaceutical techs. We expect to reach profitability by our third year and will generate substantial sales by year three

Financial Highlights by Year

Financing needed.

We will need $115,000 to start, we will be able to pay the investment back at the end of year 4

Problem & Solution

Problem worth solving.

People need to be able to buy prescriptions at accessible prices. We make that possible by carefully maintaining efficiencies in our operations. So we can target a specific segment of the market – those customers who pay for their prescription medications themselves. They are poor, they are sick, they deserve the same care as those who can afford healthcare and full price prescriptions. 

Our Solution

The Discount Pharmacy’s main goal is to provide prescription medications for our customers at the lowest prices on the market. We will be able to sell prescriptions at reduced prices by carefully maintaining efficiencies in our operations and by targeting a specific segment of the market – those customers who pay for their prescription medications themselves. By focusing on this segment it gives us additional efficiencies – we avoid disruptions in cash flow often associated with insurance payments and we can eliminate unnecessary services for the type of knowledgeable, repeat customer taking maintenance-type medication.

The Discount Pharmacy will operate from one store that will serve both mail order customers and those who visit in person. We will thrive by employing friendly and knowledgeable personnel, which, along with our great prices, will drive the repeat business that we will rely upon. We only expect that as the price of medication continues to skyrocket, The Discount Pharmacy will appeal more and more to the customer’s sense of value and convenience.

Target Market

Market size & segments.

The Discount Pharmacy will seek to attract two different groups of customers and will thus have two strategies to attract them.

We anticipate that by far our largest group of customers will be those who order through the mail. These customers will be targeted through an advertising campaign in magazines and newsletters that have an older (>55) audience who regularly need medication and are aware in advance of their needs. For example, one of the main advertising vehicles will be the A.A.R.P monthly newsletter.

Walk-in customers will be targeted through advertisements in the local paper, "The Oregonian."  Ads will raise awareness for the The Discount Pharmacy and our low prices.

Current Alternatives

Competition takes many different forms in the pharmacy industry.

• Chain pharmacies.  These are state or national chains such as Rite-Aid.  The advantage to these chains are better prices through economies of scale, as well as personalized service.  The personalized service takes the form of the chain having a record of your medication purchases as well as any allergies that you have disclosed to them.
• Local pharmacies.   These are the pharmacies where you typically know the pharmacist and they know your medical history.  This option is high in personalized service and convenience, and high in price.
• Mail order and Internet pharmacies.  These are similar to The Discount Pharmacy.
• Canadian pharmacies.  These pharmacies are located in Canada where the cost of drugs is lower than in the U.S.  These pharmacies can be accessed through mail order, the Internet, or via travel.  Recently there has been the trend for trips arranged for senior citizens in Northern States to travel up to Canada for the day to pick up their medicines.

Our Advantages

The Discount Pharmacy’s competitive edge is superior pricing. To do that we must maintain our position as the low cost provider by painstakingly ensuring that costs are kept low through operating efficiencies.

We will be able to do that by eliminating some of the services traditionally offered by pharmacies. For example, we will employ only one pharmacist and use pharmaceutical technicians to fill the void. As long as a pharmacist is on site during the hours of operation, we can use the pharmaceutical techs for all other capacities where other pharmacies use pharmacists. Other efficiencies are created by having only a small store front and conducting most of our business through mail order.

Finally, The Discount Pharmacy is not designed to hold the patient’s hand during their purchase. We expect that the vast majority of our customers will already be informed of how to take the medication, and any side effects or drug interactions that should be avoided. We will simply provide each patient with a print out of all the relevant information for consumption of the medication.

Keys to Success

The keys to success are:

• Satisfy our customers so they will return again and again
• Maintain low overhead and operating costs
• Provide better prices than all our competitors

Marketing & Sales

Marketing plan.

The marketing strategy will be based on social media, mainly Facebook and Twitter, offering useful information and opinion while quietly appealing to the customer’s sense of value. The marketing campaign’s goal will to be increase awareness of The Discount Pharmacy with their target market.

The sales strategy will be based on generating long-term relationships with customers. To facilitate that, we will provide medications at superior prices, have medicines in stock for both quick shipment and store front pick up, and provide superior customer service. All sales agents will be trained to provide friendly, knowledgeable customer service. By keeping to these simple, yet effective, business practices, we expect that our customers will make The Discount Pharmacy their exclusive source for medications. For some, medications are an integral part of their lives, so establishing long-term relationships will ensure a large, loyal customer base

Milestones & Metrics

Milestones table, key metrics.

Our key metrics are: 

• The # of customers that walk in to the pharmacy 
• The # of customers that choose to mail in 
• The # of reviews saying that people could go to our pharmacy 
• Facebook page views, Twitter retweets  and website shares 
• Total customer traffic on the website 
• Total customer traffic in and out of the store 

Ownership & Structure

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Management Team

John Reeleaf has experience working with a major drug manufacturer, Eli Lilly, as a drug representative. He was able to see first hand the profitability associated with the prescription drug industry, as well as the inefficiencies with which most companies are plagued.

John graduated with an MBA from the University of Oregon’s innovative entrepreneurship program. While there he was awarded a $50,000 no interest loan through a business plan competition. That seed money will be parlayed, along with some other investments, into start up expenses for The Discount Pharmacy. John received an undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of Oregon.

Personnel Table

Financial plan investor-ready personnel plan .">, key assumptions.

Key assumptions: 

Of course our main assumption is legality. Regulations affecting our business can change very fast. 

People appreciate:

• The mail in order option for their convenience 
• Prescription at affordable prices 

Revenue by Month

Expenses by month, net profit (or loss) by year, use of funds.

The Discount Pharmacy will incur the following start-up equipment costs:

• Office equipment including chairs, file cabinets, and desks.
• Front counter, storage bins, cash register.
• Three computer terminals.
• Main computer server with a laser printer, and back-up system.
• Software: Microsoft Office, QuickBooks Pro, drug interaction software, Physician Desk Reference software detailing side effects and other information pertinent to the customer.
• Assorted bottles, boxes, envelopes, etc. for dispensing and shipment.
• Scales for shipping.
• Telecom system.
• Storefront build-out.
• Start-up inventory.
• Rent, utilities, insurance.

Please note that these items will be used for more than one year and will therefore be labeled long-term assets, depreciated using G.A.A.P. approved straight-line depreciation.

Startup expenses – $24,100 listed as net earnings in dec 2017 

Start-up Expenses

Legal $1,000

Rent $2,000

Utilities  $400

Telecom System $400

Insurance $300

Storefront Build-out $15,000

Expensed Equipment $4,000

Website development $1,000

TOTAL START-UP EXPENSES $24,100

Sources of Funds

Planned Investment

Seed Funding $50,000

John $51,000

Friends and Family $82,100 

Projected Profit & Loss

Projected balance sheet, projected cash flow statement.

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Pharmacy Delivery Business Statistics & Trends to Consider in 2024

• Last Updated: March 24, 2022

With digital transformation helping multiple business industries scale and create a substantial impact on the audience, the pharmacy industry is also one of those.

Online pharmacies have surged drastically over recent years, and the global impact of COVID-19 also fuels the growth. The online pharmaceutical market can grow at a compound annual growth rate of 20% by 2025 .

So if you are wondering whether to grab the opportunity in the online pharmacy space or transform your local pharmacy with the power of delivery, then you are at the right place and at the right time.

We have helped you with the research phase and filtered out the top Pharmacy delivery business statistics & trends for 2022.

Table of Content

• Increase in spending on medicines
• Importance of patient engagement
• Digital adoptions
• Save time and get medicines delivered
• Heavy discounts and lower prices
• Improve accessibility
• Improve patient adherence
• Agile and contact-free delivery
• How are Delivery Routing and Optimization Important for Your e-pharma Business Success?
• Upper Route Planner is Your Savior

3 Important Pharmacy Delivery Business Trends 

During and after the COVID-19 pandemic period, the boost on the online pharmaceutical industry has been staggering. These are noticeable trends in the pharma industry that can help you set the foundation for your next venture. Have a look:

1. Increase in spending on medicines

Source: iqvia.com

The growing spending on medicines globally during 2019-2023 is rising on an upward trajectory. People are buying medicines with the touch of their smartphones and can get easy access to medical equipment and medicines.

By the end of 2022, the spending will cross $1.4 trillion.

Staggering numbers, right?

Multiple reasons are responsible for the increasing demand for the online purchase of prescription drugs. 

The ease of accessibility and home delivery of medicines has increased spending in the medical industry and paved the way for multiple businesses to enter and fulfill the demands of the industry.

Multiple online pharmacy businesses offer heavy discounts to the patients compared to online pharmacy stores, which also shifts the consumers towards online medicines.

These spending numbers are just the start of the new revolution in the pharma industry, and they will rise steadily in the future.

2. Importance of patient engagement

There is an increase in patient engagement as people use self-help platforms for getting different medical services and medicines. Patients can now search for doctors online and can access customer reviews.

The digitization of the pharmacy industry has helped patients bypass the barrier of medical access in their nearby areas and opened doorways to access medical services globally.

Multiple patient engagement tools can help reduce waste, lower costs, and minimize the burden on the medical staff. 

With enhanced patient engagement, people can get better health outcomes with regular appointments and essential medicines.

3. Digital adoptions

The digital adoption wave has transformed the medical infrastructure of the world. With a swift last-mile medical delivery service, people can get instant medicines delivered to their doorsteps.

Patients can book appointments and get online prescriptions using their smart devices without the requirement of stepping out of their homes. 

With increased digital penetration globally, the impact of digital adoption of patients will increase in the future. It will help online pharmacy delivery businesses to bridge the gap between the existing pharmaceutical industry and changing consumer behavior.

These are some key trends you can consider before tailoring a business strategy for your pharmacy delivery business.

Now let’s understand the core elements of why pharmacy delivery services have become a real deal in the pharmacy business.

Plan Effortlessly, Execute Minutely!

Significant Reasons for Why Customers Prefer Online Pharmacy Delivery Service

There can be different reasons that have caused the digital adoption drive amongst the patients towards the purchase of medically prescribed drugs but here are a few of the significant ones:

1. Save time and get medicines delivered

The global pandemic forced patients to purchase medicines from the ease of their smart devices for same-day medicine deliveries. It has helped patients save time and energy to purchase their prescription medications cost-effectively. 

The agility and accessibility to medicines have increased drastically, which has helped patients take care of their chronic conditions and get their supplies of generic drugs.

With the introduction of the latest technologies in pharmacy automation, pharmaceutical companies focus on delivering a personalized purchase experience that enhances the buyer’s journey. With a few clicks, a patient can get their prescribed medicines at their doorsteps in just a few hours.

Who doesn’t want that, right?

Much emphasis is also being paid to vital home delivery services to match the patient’s expectations and adapt to the changing business ecosystem.

2. Heavy discounts and lower prices

Online purchase of medicines enables the patients to get heavy discounts and cost-effective medicines compared to offline retail pharmacies. Online delivery ventures focus on alluring the patients to become regular online purchasers by offering medications at a discounted price.

And the growing number of online pharmacy delivery business sales proves that businesses can achieve their mission.

But still, there’s a considerable gap when it comes to quick and instant delivery of medicine. If you want to change the ecosystem, try focusing on minimizing the delivery time of the medications.

3. Improves accessibility

The accessibility of medical care and infrastructure has helped transform the world towards a better healthcare ecosystem and patient care. 

Pharmaceutical companies are focused on building intuitive web and mobile-based platforms to improve their reach and availability to patients.

The aim is to minimize the store-to-home delivery span with an immediate purchase journey and enhanced logistics and transportation. 

Healthcare providers are also focused on dispensing medications with increased warehouse space and numbers at different places to make lightning-fast deliveries for their patients.

4. Improve patient adherence

The improvement in patients’ behavior in taking medication, making lifestyle changes, following a diet, according to the recommendation of a healthcare provider, can be witnessed because of digital adoption in the pharmacy business. 

People get notified that they need to refill their medication stack if they face a chronic ailment. They can minimize the chances of skipping their medication and adhere to their doctor’s prescriptions.

Patients can bypass the procrastination or feelings that prevent them from going to a physical pharmacy store to purchase their prescribed medication and get them delivered at their doorsteps.

The ease of availability and accessibility to online pharmacy stores has helped improve overall patient adherence.

5. Agile and contact-free delivery

People are looking to get their medical supplies within no time for a quality customer experience and address their health issues swiftly. With the global pandemic making people more prudent about their health, online pharmacy businesses are focused on agile and contact-free delivery.

Although many businesses can match the patient’s expectations, there is still a massive gap. This gap is due to the rising demand in the pharmacy delivery sector and inefficiencies in the delivery process.

Many pharmaceutical businesses rely on traditional route planning and optimization strategies to deliver effective results but don’t succeed in delivering the desired results to help their customers get the right medication.

That’s where proper route planning and optimization come into the picture.

So why are delivery route planning and optimization important for the online pharmacy delivery business? Let’s find out.

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How are Delivery Routing and Optimization Important for Your e-Pharma Business’ Success?

The changing consumer behavior and industry demands have increased the demand for fast and effective medical supplies. People want to purchase their prescribed medicines from the quickest and most reliable online pharmacy store.

And dedicated route planning and optimization are critical to improved logistic and transportation processes. 

Many businesses use Google Maps or just pen and paper to address the most vital and time-consuming part of the delivery process, but is it practical to match the modern requirements?

Of course not. With advancements in different sectors and adaptation to new technologies, route planning and optimization require advanced route planning software to deliver optimized routes in seconds.

A route planner helps you eradicate the drawbacks of traditional route planning methods and gives your drivers a holistic delivery path considering multiple elements beforehand. 

The algorithm checks the weather and traffic conditions, destinations of multiple orders, priority levels, drivers’ previous performance, and vehicle cost to minimize the delivery time and maximize delivery effectiveness.

It enables you to outshine your competition and fix patients’ inconvenience due to slow and ineffective medicine deliveries.

But which route planning and optimization software is the best for you?

Out of hundreds of them, we have made things simpler for you and selected one tailored for your business requirements and effective delivery process.

There are multiple ways to start a pharmacy delivery business depending on your target audience, niche of business, vision, and area of operation. But there are some fundamentals that you need to consider before starting your pharmacy delivery business:

• Understand the competitors, industry, and customers
• Finish with the legal process, permits, and licensing
• Setup your online and offline setup
• Work on the logistics and transportation aspect
• Optimize your operations

There are multiple factors that depend on starting a pharmacy delivery business. Still, you need to concentrate on the online ecosystem building, logistics, transportation, storage, and procurement cost to set the basics of a pharmacy delivery business. But on average, you need around $300,000 to kickstart a robust pharmacy delivery business.

Yes, the pharmacy delivery business is profitable because of the rise in popularity and the added fuel of COVID-19. The profitability also depends because consumers find it easy, convenient, and cost-effective to purchase medicines online compared to visiting an offline medical store.

The pharmaceutical industry’s future is bright because of the rise in healthcare infrastructure globally. People want an instant supply of prescribed medication with cost-effective purchase options at their doorsteps. Multiple new opportunities are being created in the pharma business because of modern technology and infrastructure penetration.

The trend in the pharmaceutical industry is the fastest last-mile delivery, pharmaceutical research, clinical trials, and connecting patients to the best medical facilities within a few clicks. Modern technologies play a vital role in the popularity of these trends in the pharma industry.

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Pharmacy Business Plan Sample

Apr.29, 2017

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Table of Content

When someone is found doing workouts at home how to start a pharmacy, he must need relevant information, charts, table of content, independent pharmacy business plans, pharmacy business plan as well as few sample templates for pharmacy business branding. So, the entire business plans for pharmacy must include the most important points which must be well covered to start pharmacy business in full fledged.

Pharmacies must have stock of the best medications, and valuable healthcare accessories including sanitary pads, contraceptive pills and many more. Be modern and try to design a good pharmacy marketing plan before going for investment of financial resources in the industry. Get more new pharmacy business plan ideas from different sources.

Diseases, infections and virus attacks are very dangerous to shorten up the span of life of a guy. So, medications are needed to remove injuries, reinforce the immune system and increase the life expectancy to a great extent. For this reason, pharmaceutical agencies and drug manufacturing companies supply new drugs to people to resist the diseases in advance. Pharmacy business is really lucrative and profitable to an entrepreneur. Drugs are needed in hospitals, clinics, healthcare centers and in residential houses for preventive care.

Drugs are used to cure feeble patients. Children need a number of boosters and antibiotic shots to overtake a number of complicated health hazards. In large scale, medications and potions for patients are required in hospitals. Therefore, pharmacies have the jobs of selling drugs to customers. As an entrepreneur you can also start a small pharmacy or drug store in your locality. Sample pharmacy business plans and template will guide you. We, at OGSCapital, help you with this. Our executives have all the expertise for helping you to develop an appropriate strategy to fulfill your all objectives. If you wish to initiate the process, you just need to fill a contact form.

Choose Top Pharmacy Business Plans to Start Pharmacy Successfully

Well, are you a pharmacist to have licenses for running pharmacies in any town? This question is asked by many enthusiasts who are eager to know whether anyone has the permission to open a local drug store in the vicinity. Certainly, opening local drug stores, you must have an experienced pharmacist to check the prescribed drug lists. Pharmacists have the ability to read the prescriptions and identify the drugs at a first glance. His expertise in prescription reading, drug list checking and familiarity with new drugs helps the vendor to sell drugs comfortably.

If you are not a pharmacist, you need a specialist to hire in the case of inaugurating pharmacy in any popular area. He will help you to read prescriptions, handpick particular medications and understand the medical terms. Drug manufacturing companies in America have to sell only FDA approved medications. They must get authentic papers, citations and drug selling licenses from FDA as well American government.

Therefore, be familiar with local rules to starting a retail pharmacy business plan commercially. Go through a top sample pharmacy business plan and free template for more information.

Basic Requirements to Start Pharmacy Business

• A complete retail pharmacy business plan
• A preliminary financial budget
• Specific site for posting retail pharmacy business plans
• A specialist/experienced pharmacy
• Good stock of new drugs in
• Healthcare accessories like sanitary pads
• Basic amenities like refrigerators, electricity, water and good air vents
• Pharmacy needs to have a site for industry promotion
• Site map with a sample Pharma business plan as well as template
• Information brochures
• Medical aids kits to supply
• Initial affordable drug selling packages to attract customers to have drugs at low price
• Free quotes to do comprehensive studies for opening up a pharmacy.

Understand the Innovation in Pharmacy Business

Pharmacies must not be dirty and poorly managed. Expensive drugs should be stored in safer place which is much more eco-friendly. Heat, fire, rain water and bacteria destroy life saving drugs. The drug store should have excellent air ventilation, clean ambience, least toxins inside the shop and soothing ambience. Refrigerators keep stored medications in good condition.

Internet browsing is not harmful. So, regular data checking must stand you in good stead. The more you research the more you will get new ideas to launch a compact pharmacy business project with bright expectation to have excellent returns. Initially, as a newbie, your ability to design a pharmacy business plan must be limited. You are an educated person with enthusiasm to stand resilient financially. You went for getting advices from seniors to open pharmacies.

Maybe you have had dream of becoming a good pharmacist with your own outlet to sell qualitative drugs. Fake and spurious medications, potions and medical aids are destructive. These fake drug dealers must be punished. In the open market, low quality, sub-standard medications and expired healthcare tonics are sold at low prices. Therefore, every year, the death toll increases due to the exposure to the drug adulteration. Perhaps you have the setback or previous caustic experience. Someone might have died due to consumption of bad drugs. Your dream must be fulfilled.

Online planners in pharmaceutical industry have pre-designed samples, fact sheets, research papers and documents to train newcomers. Novice financers have no industry expansion ideas. Especially pharmacies are different projects to highlight. Drug is the most valuable product as it saves lives. So, definitely lot of care is needed to run pharmacies or drug stores in the city. What type of pharmacy business do you need to opt for? Basically, drug retailers, individual sellers and small size company partners like to have free consultation before establishing a start-up drug store in any known area. The advantages of opening drug stores or local pharmacies in the residential areas include

• Known ambience
• Good familiarity with local citizens
• Be accustomed to local administration
• Good relationship with doctors, patients and oldies
• Easy to find customers
• Better options to enlarge pharmacy business in the home town

However, most probably, you are trapped because you must struggle to find more genuine options to expand your drug stores to have lot of money. So, geographical barrier must not be a problem. Often, it is a lucrative business for you in case you have the plan and templates to take your drug store to backcountry. There are not many drug stores. Competition is low. You can buy and sell expensive drugs to rich persons. Poor people will get affordable medications from your shop.

So, it is good business to manage in the rural areas. However, drug stores in cities are always dazzling in vanity. The buying strength of local people is obviously higher. City based pharmacies are equipped with modern infrastructures. In villages, poor people are not able to buy costly drugs. The availability of sumptuous medical aids packages is also not good in rural belts. Urban areas are developed. Therefore, locate the place and start evaluation. Pros and cons must be checked before deciding to deal with pharmaceutical industry. Retail pharmacy business plan writers are also helpful to people to have guidance in designing the independent plan for starting retail drug store business plan .

Brand medications are not cheaper. These drugs have qualitative components used by manufacturers to produce standard medications in the market. The effect of intake of brand medications is really awesome to help patients to avoid disaster. Doctors prescribe brand medications. Great. Well, one of the best ways to sell brand medications is to find the high profile class. Online ventures must bring a new customer to you. This is a different industry for entrepreneur as there is little chance to meet vendors face to face.

Customers hit the online sites to check the pharmacies for buying the branded drugs recommended by experts. All are not financially sound to buy brand drugs. Pack of Viagra (branded) costs a customer around $1000. Or a pack of 60 pills of Soma is equivalent to $400 inclusive of overnight shipment cost. So, economical buyers find generic medications which are affordable to some extent. Therefore, your drug stores must have both branded medications for the rich and generic medications for the economical class.

It will be a strategy to win customers by providing alternative medication buying option. Generic medications are cheap and components used in manufacturing these affordable drugs are not low in quality. The impact of consumption of generic medications is equal to the effect experienced by a person who takes brand medications. Retail pharmacy business plan writer has many ideas/ template to precise the process of industry inauguration smoothly.

Discount Pharmacies

In the pharmaceutical industry, scientific probing, research and deep analysis are inseparable. Scientists in the medical arena are trying to invent more cost efficient products which must be vehicles for economical customers to save money. Pharmacists will emulate new technologies to increase the cost effectiveness and quality of the drugs. So, doctors, scientists and pharmacists are closely connected for making a convenient customer support portal for better drug supply at low cost. Discount pharmacies are byproduct of the innovative thoughts nurtured by experts.

The collaborative venture in the pharmaceutical industry has made a strong platform for pharmacy business owners to sell affordable medications at discounts. Customers get promotional codes on different types of generic medications. It is much more cost efficient. It is much affordable to a young guy. Result is also same. So as a pharmacist, offer your customers what you have in stock. Discount pharmacies are the places for buying cheap generic medications. Brick and mortar discount drug stores reduce the cost of buying valuable medications.

Well, think whether you are fitted to drug selling industry. A discount drug store needs to have only cheap medications which must be good. Customers will get their drugs by showcasing prescriptions. Now, tailor a business plan identifying the trend in the market. You have handful options to use. As a local guy, you can apply for loan for industry running. Banks will give you support to invest in the pharmaceutical industry.

Next steps include the easy refinancing, recruitment of competent employees, assistants , the availability of good medications at discounts and drug safety programs to minimize the threat. People need proper medical assistance from a vendor. As being a professional pharmacist, it is your concern to prioritize the table work/ground work to inaugurate the drug store in your residential area. Innovation can’t be stopped. Americans are habituated to consume sleeping pills, anti-anxiety drugs and self-boosting capsules to have energy in excess.

They are fast, sophisticated and crazy to travel for exploration. Well, most of American customers are seen buying drugs from online pharmacies which offer discounts. These online discount pharmacies assist busy Americans to have affordable qualitative medications at considerably cheap prices. So, you must have a compatible optimized online shop with an inventory storing only new drugs/ prescribed medications/non prescription medications at discounts. The local stores for drug selling are not permitted to sell non prescription drugs.

They need prescriptions. However, comparatively online pharmacies have good options to help customers to purchase non prescription drugs. Customers don’t need to send the scanned photocopies of prescriptions to pharmacists to buy packet of Soma or Viagra. Buy medications from vendors at any point of time. So, if you want to modernize your retail drug store, design an affordable business plan to start selling generic medications at discount drug stores without putting a band of legal obligation. The online pharmacy is not a local departmental store.

Customers don’t need to visit the store for product purchasing. The virtual shopping cart or pharmacy is actually run through internet. Its customers place orders at the shopping cart and complete transactions instantly. Vendors are liable to ship products to the customers. Now you must have a site which supports mobile phones, computers and different smart devices. Consumers will cross check list of drugs available in their areas. You have a group of employees who manage customers online. Usually, online pharmacies have no go-down or small warehouses.

They are professional and hire moving companies for product shipment. It is a chain for drug supplying. No manual paperwork is conducted. Nor is there any option for meeting customers physically. So, the whole transaction is done via internet. E-commerce infrastructure is easy to operate. This marketing strategy is extensive to help local traders to go for vast venture to reach million customers on a single go. Around $829 billion is invested in global pharmacy business. So, this opportunity is also open to you to have scum of the profits to upgrade your own life.

Online discount pharmacy is open regularly round the clock. Customers from different locations hit the online drug store and buy medications. Prices of these lifesaving drugs, sanitary pads, healthcare pills and antibiotic pills are affordable. Discounts of these medications are attractive to impress economical class. Like Rite Aid, you can also have a chain meds service to bring more fluent drug delivery options to customers. Give individualized service by keeping personal records of patients after clearing transactions.

In future, if the customers have allergies or infections, try to avoid supplying medications which are not prescribed. Besides, help them to choose the prefect meds from the inventory. Unlike local drug store, online discount pharmacies have multi channels to get customers. If you have licenses or permit to export medications to market abroad, strategy vastly. Then, you are also a good exporter with permits to deal with overseas clients. Online platform for medication selling is now modernized.

The shopping carts online must have fast content management, instant credit checking while making payment, quick transactions and free registration. The prescription refill process must be fast and easy. On the other side, the non prescription generic or brand medications should be supplied to have more positive visitors to hit your e-commerce website.

So, you will also have lot of sources to track the best retail pharmacy business plan/ templates, pharmacy start up business plan, pharmacy business plan pdf and innovative pharmaceutical sales business plans. Go through ins and outs of pharmaceutical business plan, pharmaceutical business plans sample, and retail pharmacy business plan including new templates.

Product Quality – Must

In the pharmacy business, the product quality is a must. A vendor or pharmacist should not earn money by delivering expired meds to patients. He should have social obligations to maintain for fairness in pharmacy business. Same way, he is also responsible to process the orders. If meds are delivered late then patients can die. If it is urgent, then shipping process must be fast. Overnight drug supply is not cost effective. Extra processing charges are borne by the buyer.

When your pharmacy business blooms, you must have some better options to make your customers happy. Your online pharmaceutical has few exceptional features which are unbeaten to take your pharmaceutical to million customers outperforming rivals. Pharmaceutical companies must facilitate customers to have their drugs at discounts. Quality of the drugs must not be low. For this reason, there must be analysts and experts to make their comments based on the products meant for sale. Customers will talk to consultants for getting pharma template.

They will go through reports, comments and reviews to have ideas about the quality of meds kept for being sold. Your online med supply stores should be compatible with multiple devices including smart phones. Customers are interested to cross check regular information and updates on their mobile phones. Your e-commerce portal is connected with vast network to support such a sophisticated device. Online customer management center assists new customers to buy products.

For this reason, people feel free to go for buying expensive brand meds from the best pharmacy online. Jot down pros of running a discount pharmaceutical online. Why do people want to buy products online? What is the difference between a local med store and the pharmaceutical on internet? What type of med is sold online? What are the most important pros of buying meds from online pharmacies? Is it cost effective or less time consuming to make deals with online vendors? Well, there are more such questions which can be highlighted for discussion.

Basically, internet based online med stores don’t need manual paperwork. Nor is there any need to entertain customers at the shop. So, investors are not required to buy the land for constructing a big set-up to sell packets of life saving meds, boosters, and health tonics. Online meds stores are operated by pharmacists through broadband. It is a different setting to attract people for business related transaction. Many people don’t understand how to buy meds online. They must be educated.

Well, your pharmacy business promoting campaigns should encourage customers to know about the good aspects of online transactions. First of all, post few blogs, photos, slide shows and of course glossy video clips on home screen to lure newbie customers to have a fast look at the site. After visiting the site, they will be energized to read content, check photos, videos, slide shows and navigate in the site. Online free start-up pharma template will make you more confident.

Site accessibility, information delivery, transaction method, registration, product buying as well as packing for shipment, prices of medications, and way of billing must be innovated. Therefore, ask your website designers to upgrade the site nicely to make it much more compatible with the latest i-devices. Ask them to assist you to change the old policy. Crazy customers in America, Canada, the UK and other parts in Europe have tendencies to buy non-prescription drugs which are not recommended or prescribed by doctors.

They have to pay higher prices to get packets of sedatives or anti-anxiety pills from the local market. Often they are addicted to spurious drugs which enhance the scope of faster deterioration in the health management. They don’t need prescribed drugs as they are not permitted to consume multiple sedatives within 24 hours. They are drug addicted and therefore proper counseling is needed. However, when they hit the online sites or med stores on internet, the surprising gifts are waiting for them.

At a time, it is possible to buy different meds from stores without providing prescriptions. Secondly, they have facilities to deal with a number of drug stores in this online drugstore industry. Promotional offers and discounts are offered to customers as well. At first, when you establish a small size pharmacy, you require the base to stand. It is the ground for you to start building up a strong long lasting structure. It is a dynamic policy to enhance the much faster business promoting.

New Policy for Starting Pharmaceutical Company

Minimum investment is needed to run a pharmacy business. So, the product selling base is required first to ensure the good prospect in this meds supply industry. How to achieve success depends on the strength, resilience, willing force, and lot of energy to do the hard work out. Maybe, it is time consuming but success will come through devotion, hard struggles, and meticulous research to find the best opportunities to be successful entrepreneur with a solid pharmacy business structure.

Invest in the best market where there is excellent ambience to gear up the money earning. It is one of the best things for you to locate the area where you will open the small drug store with innovated structure, and other facilities to tempt customers. It stands to reason; you require lot of plans to design. When you have the dream projects to implement for the business expansion, you must have someone to take you to the last resort successfully.

Many of start-up entrepreneurs are not well organized due to the lack of experience in pharmacy business planning as well as endorsement policy. Well, in this case, a professional business planer needs to be hired for innovating the business plans before investing in the pharmacy industry. Money is needed but you should have excellent projects which have lot of information, data, template, strategy, table of content and resources to let the pharmacy business run smoothly.

Research, probing, intuition and self-discovery study are important to aspiring pharmacy entrepreneurs. To become an experienced entrepreneur, you will have to have strong desires to probe deeply. This research oriented mind will give you a booster to scale up in the industry with success. That’s why, when you have new innovative commercial management plans, policy, programs and glossy projects to implement, you must not stop. The start-up pharmacy business must be expanded.

The profits must be generated. The mobility in the business promotion should be uninterrupted. The longevity of the pharmacy business should be surprisingly longer. Therefore, concentrate on different aspects of commercial management. Go to professional business consultants, experts and business analyzers to have new guidelines/instructions/ plans for extensive analysis.

Brand Business

Brand name of your business works as a booster. It is the workforce. It is the vehicle with a new strategy for you to start the business smoothly. Who will track your business? Brand name is the sign of identification. People will be familiar with your company through the brand name. So, choose the most suitable name for your pharmacy. Well, maybe you have lot of confusion how to configure the brand name and logo.

Really it is much important to you. A cumbersome brand name is not easy to understand. If the name of the pharmacy is long and technically intricate, people are not able to read the brand name easily. So, select the relevant short and attractive words to name your med store. Obviously you need a strategy to conduct more productive business branding.

Invest Money in Promoting Products

Million dollars are overspent in the business promotion campaigns. Giant entrepreneurs have lot of money and they spend financial resources to promote business. Gifts, discounts, and promo codes are offered by these multinational companies. Well, you are a small entrepreneur and you need to earn more money. In the beginning, you have few attractive projects to inaugurate the small business. Well, strategically, you must advertise your products. Advertisement agencies can make your dream productive through lot of ground work, plans, programs and tips.

Hire the top notch advertisers who will make a brief-up covering the most important areas of pharmacy business. Your online advertisements, ads and video clips showcase the med store to impress customers. Certainly, you must have some awesome product endorsement publicizing projects. How to promote the pharmacy business? The objective of your promotional expedition lies in the expansion of the customer management platform with more opportunities to build up the foundation for rejuvenating the business.

Business branding through internet is the weapon for you to convey the best message to people. Your strategy to run business must be effective. What type of medication do you need to sell? Are you a drug retailer? Are you able to sell cheap generic meds? What sort of med do you have in stock? People need better price tags. They are economical. They have the least interest to buy brand meds. Well, your discount drug pharmacy is very much modernized with the stock of high caliber generic medications, life saving meds and qualitative drugs at discounts.

Next step is to have all legal papers, and documents. The paperwork must be done step-wise. First of all, you have to apply for a license. It is the passport for your pharmacy to run. Certainly, it is not easy. Drug licenses are approved only after several surveys, cross verifications and probing. You can’t damage one’s precious life by supplying low quality spurious meds. Right now, government and FDI are not flexible to issue drug licenses easily. Drug addiction is now accelerating to make young generation incompetent.

They have lot of drug buying options. Fake dealers and spurious drug suppliers are seen tempting customers. That’s why; fake licenses and wrong documentation are severely increasing to threaten up people to a great extent. Therefore, you must be fair and honest to have your licenses legally. In this connection, meet an attorney who will advise you how to get the drug license from the superior authority. Smartly speaking, it is not entirely difficult. The legal power will assist you to convince the concerned authority to have the original drug license.

In the beginning, it is the most unavoidable assignment to contact a group of legal experts to ensure the advertising project completion successfully. Pharmacy business must not be dried up after few weeks. You should not backtrack in shame. Bold and strong entrepreneurs must have energy to prioritize the collection of important components to format a new strategic version of business plan to nourish the pharmacy outlet dynamically.

It is a must to maximize the vast media exposure, business branding, meticulous analysis and study to probe deep with good motif to locate the most fruitful niche to speed up the business promotion. Your decision must not be obscure because of the disorders created by your subordinates. Therefore, organize your team to finalize the business branding program and innovative commercial management strategy with the resolution of giving thousand horsepower to your small med store to gain speed.

Tailor Futuristic Advertising Projects

Design futuristic advertising projects. Calculate how much fund is required to establish a single compartment as a small street outlet for selling generic meds. Money you need must be available. If you are not so lucky to arrange fund immediately to overtake hurdle, you must not be found being in lethargic state. Business loans, short term financial aids, and good financial support from different agencies are obtained without complicated paperwork. So, search for this type of secured/unsecured business loan to finance the med store. Financial assistance must be required to buy packets of brands drugs, install computers, and other tools to decorate the drug store.

Basic Components of Discount Pharmacy Business Plan

• Basic indoor furniture pieces like table, chair, desks, small file storing cabinets
• Cash registering systems
• Front counter
• Computer terminal
• Printer for billing
• Electrical goods
• Small data storage server
• Shipping accessories
• Good insurance coverage
• Storing bins

Important Facts to Remember

Customers are different in nature. They don’t have similar mindsets. Nor are they on same strings. Well, study and then evaluate the mindsets of customers. Choose the area where you will get positive customers to sell drugs. Reinvent new strategy to promote pharma. Specific groups of customers need to make walk-in visits to the outlet to purchase meds. This sort of customer has the habit to go to the local med store to buy meds. They are literate.

However, many laymen in the lower middle class are interested to buy prescribed meds from the pharmacies. Secondly, there is another group of people. They are online buyers. They have money to go to the online pharmacy to purchase drugs. Basically, generic medications, and different types of stress management pills they buy from online stores. Prescriptions are not a must for them to buy Viagra, Cialis, Soma or any cheap generic medication to consume.

Apart from this economical class, the enriched and affluent high profile buyers opt for brand meds. Now these medications are very expensive. Even vendors of publicizing portal are not capable of storing different types of brand medications for sale. So, tailor a compact financial budget which must include the overall cost of storing brand, generic and local meds at discounts. The product sale must be fast. Drugs which stored in your refrigerator must be qualitative.

Top Strategies to Expand Pharma

Strategies are applicable to the drug selling. Promotional campaigns are conducive to the faster development of the business. However, forecast is needed to evaluate the vision of yours in the long run. In the first year, estimate the profit percentage. Then you must compare whether you are a gainer or loser. Moderate revenue collection is also good as you are a novice entrepreneur. Well, you need to improve by hook or by crook. Commercial management is not a new thing. Even local traders and informal entrepreneurs know this term.

When your pharmacy business will be launched, your target must concentrate on the store management. Employees should be duty bound. Your pharmacist must be responsible. Drugs kept in your refrigerator must be hygienic. Temperature inside the drug store must be eco-friendly. Apart from this, documentation, billing, registration process and other paper work must be carried out properly. At present, computer application is very urgent. Your tiny med store must be renovated with a set of computers, laser printer and printable papers.

Customers will get bills and invoices through automated bill generated machine. So innovation in the decoration of the med store is certainly essential. Commercial management is also done via internet. Online documentation is undoubtedly smooth. Contact customers on online chatting platform. Talk to them over phone. Make video calls to have advices from experts if required. Permit your employees to use cell phones to send emails to your inbox. Oracle based commercial management portal must be installed into your pharmacy store for taking care of back office jobs smoothly.

Operational and Strategic Planning

Understand competition and reset your marketing strategy.

You are not alone in the pharmacy advertising portal. Regularly minimum 1 million visitors check over thousand sites to buy medications in the world. Billion dollars are hovering in the med manufacturing trade. The advancement in the med field is the turning point and slowly people are showcasing their interest in buying drugs from the online pharmacies. Rivalry, competition, and struggles are basic things for a trader. To make your pharmacy business/ marketing profitable, be proactive to be much more competent.

Emulate new strategies. Borrow much innovative marketing plans and imitate successful sample business templates to bring innovation to the pharmacy business/ pharma marketing. Who is your rival in the market? Well, rivalry doesn’t mean hostility. You must not have impatience to kill someone. Nor are you a militant to spray venom for terminating the city. So, don’t be misled. Competition means the fair rivalry in advertising trade. You should upgrade your trade structure.

You should be efficient to sell drugs at more affordable prices. You should have dozens of futuristic plans to enlarge the trade faster. The cost efficiency is the objective of a newbie to reduce the cost of drugs. Similarly he will not violate the FDI law to sell drugs at lower prices. Competition is needed for the betterment of the service. Fancy how to bring a result oriented business promotion strategy to expect a sound financial structure by operating a small pharmacy store.

Be a creative person. You are budding pharmacy entrepreneurs. So, recycle your raw energy embedded in mind. Go through periodicals, brochures, and magazines to have authentic information. Research materials need to be gathered for making a giant project to enhance the superb commercial management. Therefore, create a different business plan for pharmacy. It is your draft. You have quality to express what you need. You have bundles of new concepts, and ideas to use.

So in draft assignment, feel free to describe the goals, objectives, business starting plans, budget related issues, sources of arranging fund and basic requirements and marketing to start the drug store. Well, the finishing touch needs to be added to the draft. An experienced pharmacy business planner has over hundred samples. He is a professional business plan writer for pharmacy.

He has solved complicated problems. He is one of the most successful planners in the field. So he can give you a summary of the business plan. Even his instant business plan writing backup must be fruitful to you. Do more probing in the modernized med manufacturing and pharmacy company.

Upgrade your basic knowledge for the sake of good familiarity with the pharmacy field/ marketing. Online library, data and million tons of samples boost up novice traders to track their loopholes in upgrading futuristic strategy. Through compact SWOT analysis, he is able to find the negative factors which are not helpful to him to run the small size drug store. Strength of the entrepreneurs must be identified. It is also applicable to you as well. Track where are going? If you have no vision, the area will not be resilient. You should find the niche in which you will cultivate the land for flourishing the pharmacy business dynamically.

Install Plan Software

Conventional planning needs to be replaced. Computers minimize the jobs of taking care of customers. Well, few years back, drug stores have to keep large space for entertaining customers who were found standing for buying medications. Separate counters for billing were open to all consumers. Drugs were not sold through a single counter during emergency. So, there must be extra space for drugs storing, supplying and customer management. Besides, lighting fixtures, indoor furniture pieces and other important accessories must be installed in the drug store.

Simultaneously, change the traditional billing system. Commercial management/ marketing process must undergo vast innovation. Compact highly advanced SAP software for management/ marketing software is on display in Google. Experts have reset this SAP model to help entrepreneurs to complete handful jobs perfectly. Billing, customer care, marketing, data management, invoice processing, and company analysis are conducted. You have the fast software to take decision within short span of time.

Your marketing trade must be perfectly integrated into a unique platform. Monthly you must analyze the trend. Is your pharmacy running fast or any downtime is likely to happen? Profit ratio, and revenues collected for the particular year must be cross checked. Industry remodeling must be done. However, it is really urgent to go deep and find more facts to compare. Is your drug store compatible with new technology? For instance, virtual pharmacy industry is now much sought-after.

Many American guys buy drugs from online med stores. However, in South Africa, Nigeria, and many countries located in Asia are not perfectly tuned up to run online med stores. Mail order delivery system is not innovative in the remote places as well. So, before opening a new drug store online, once again study to understand the mindsets of local people. However, online mail order marketing system is a vast business expansion portal. You will get more customers in this pharma industry.

Even if you have authentic permits and licenses to export expensive meds to overseas customers, you are a successful entrepreneur with good prospect. Drugs are not useless things. Patients must need medications to save their lives. So, the importance of online pharmacy business will not go down even after a millennium. So, slowly you must have command over the pharmacy commercial management/ marketing. Newbie entrepreneurs should do experiments to be much acquainted with the latest industry operating ethics.

It is obviously time consuming but with technical innovation, and advancement in the commercial management, it is wonderfully much more convenient for a newcomer to learn how to open a good pharmacy store in this specific industry. Starting a pharmacy business plan designed by experts is basically a tool for a newcomer to get a roadmap to innovate the pharmacy in much more dynamic way.

In this connection, OGS capital consultants online are experts to guide newcomers how to chalk out futuristic pharmacy business projects fantastically. Take valuable business promoting tips, modern strategy and free advices from these consultants. Chat with OGS capital business consultants to have new strategy, and ideas to remodel the entire corporate portal successfully.

Download Pharmacy Business Plan Sample in pdf

OGS capital writers specialize in business plan themes such as massage business plan , medical clinic business plan , cannabis dispensary business plan , nursing business plan ideas , transportation corporation health services business plan , reiki business plan and many others.

OGSCapital’s team has assisted thousands of entrepreneurs with top-rate business plan development, consultancy and analysis. They’ve helped thousands of SME owners secure more than $1.5 billion in funding, and they can do the same for you.

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Delivery Service Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Delivery Service Business Plan

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 500 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their delivery service companies.

If you’re unfamiliar with creating a delivery service business plan, you may think creating one will be a time-consuming and frustrating process. For most entrepreneurs it is, but for you, it won’t be since we’re here to help. We have the experience, resources, and knowledge to help you create a great business plan.

In this article, you will learn some background information on why business planning is important. Then, you will learn how to write a delivery service business plan step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What is a Delivery Service Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your delivery service business as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategies for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.  

Why You Need a Business Plan for a Delivery Service

If you’re looking to start a delivery service business or grow your existing delivery service company, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your delivery service business to improve your chances of success. Your business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.  

Sources of Funding for Delivery Businesses

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a delivery service business are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans, and angel investors. When it comes to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to ensure that your financials are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business. Personal savings and bank loans are the most common funding paths for delivery service companies.

How to Write a Business Plan for a Delivery Service Business

If you want to start a delivery service business or expand your current one, you need a business plan. The sample below details the necessary information for how to write each essential component of your delivery service business plan.  

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your executive summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the kind of delivery service business you are running and the status. For example, are you a startup, do you have a delivery service business that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of delivery service businesses?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan.

• Give a brief overview of the delivery service industry.
• Discuss the type of delivery service business you are operating.
• Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers.
• Provide a snapshot of your marketing strategy. Identify the key members of your team.
• Offer an overview of your financial plan.

Company Overview

In your company overview, you will detail the type of delivery service business you are operating.

For example, you might specialize in one of the following types of delivery service businesses:

• Courier Delivery Services : This type of business provides air, ground, or combined courier delivery services.
• Express Messenger Services : This type of business provides express messenger and delivery services.
• Package Delivery Services : This type of business delivers parcels, documents. and packages.
• Packing and Sorting Services : This type of business prepares items to be delivered.
• Transporting and Trucking Services : This type of delivery business transports items via truck.

In addition to explaining the type of delivery service business you will operate, the company overview needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to questions such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of delivery drivers you employ, the number of items delivered, reaching X number of clients served, etc.
• Your legal business structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry or market analysis, you need to provide an overview of the delivery service industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the delivery service industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your marketing strategy, particularly if your analysis identifies market trends.

The third reason is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section:

• How big is the delivery service industry (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential target market for your delivery service business? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your delivery service business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: individuals, schools, families, and corporations.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of delivery service business you operate. Clearly, individuals would respond to different marketing promotions than corporations, for example.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, including a discussion of the ages, genders, locations, and income levels of the potential customers you seek to serve.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can recognize and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

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Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other delivery businesses.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t directly competing with your product or service. This includes other third-party delivery services, ship-to-store services, and other types of delivery services. You need to mention such competition as well.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their business and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as

• What types of customers do they serve?
• What type of delivery service business are they?
• What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you provide options for local and long distance delivery?
• Will you offer products or services that your competition doesn’t?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.  

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a delivery service, your marketing strategy should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type of delivery service company that you documented in your company overview. Then, detail the specific products or services you will be offering. For example, will you provide express delivery, air transit courier services, or long distance delivery services?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your plan, you are presenting the products and/or services you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the site of your delivery service company. Document where your company is situated and mention how the site will impact your success. For example, is your delivery service business located in a busy retail district, a business district, a standalone office, or purely online? Discuss how your site might be the ideal location for your customers.

Promotions : The final part of your delivery service marketing plan is where you will document how you will drive potential customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Advertise in local papers, radio stations and/or magazines
• Reach out to websites
• Distribute flyers
• Engage in email marketing
• Advertise on social media platforms
• Improve the SEO (search engine optimization) on your website for targeted keywords

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your delivery service business, including answering calls, scheduling pick up and delivery of items, managing drivers, etc.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to reach your X number of deliveries made, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your delivery service business to a new city.  

Management Team

To demonstrate your delivery service business’ potential to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally, you and/or your team members have direct experience in managing delivery businesses. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act as mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in managing a delivery service business.  

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statements.  

Income Statement

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you schedule 5-10 deliveries per driver per day and have 6 drivers? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.  

Balance Sheets

Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your delivery service business, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a lender writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.  

Cash Flow Statement

Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and ensure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt.

When creating your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a delivery service business:

• Cost of equipment and office supplies
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Other start-up expenses (if you’re a new business) like legal expenses, permits, computer software, and equipment

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your office location lease or a list of geographic locations you serve.  

Writing a business plan for your delivery company is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will have an expert delivery service business plan; download it to PDF to show banks and investors. You will understand the delivery service industry, your competition, and your customers. You will develop a marketing strategy and will understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful delivery service business.  

Delivery Service Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my delivery service business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily write your delivery service business plan.

How Do You Start a Delivery Service Business?

Starting a delivery service business is easy with these 14 steps:

• Choose the Name for Your Delivery Service Business
• Create Your Delivery Service Business Plan
• Choose the Legal Structure for Your Delivery Service Business
• Secure Startup Funding for Your Delivery Service Business (If Needed)
• Secure a Location for Your Business
• Register Your Delivery Service Business with the IRS
• Open a Business Bank Account
• Get a Business Credit Card
• Get the Required Business Licenses and Permits
• Get Business Insurance for Your Delivery Service Business
• Buy or Lease the Right Delivery Service Business Equipment
• Develop Your Delivery Service Business Marketing Materials
• Purchase and Setup the Software Needed to Run Your Delivery Service Business
• Open for Business

Learn more about how to start your own delivery service business . 

OR, Let Us Develop Your Plan For You

Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.

Click here to see how Growthink’s business planning advisors can create your business plan for you.  

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