Online Pharmacies: Growing Data and the Regulatory Framework

In recent years, e-commerce has conquered more and more people. Online shopping has affected various sectors, including pharmacy. First due to the social restrictions imposed by Covid and, subsequently, for reasons of convenience, many people have purchased online drugs that do not require a doctor's prescription, but also supplements, cosmetics, and pet wellness products.

The Rise of Online Pharmacies

To demonstrate how purchases of over the counter drugs online, supplements and other products related to health and wellness have grown so much, it is possible to attribute this to the increase in sites having ministerial authorization for the aforementioned sale.

It is pharmacies, web parapharmacies and other portals authorized to sell online, as per the decree of 6 July 2015, SOP (drugs without prescription), OTC (Over the Counter), supplements and cosmetics.

As of December 31, 2022, in fact, there were 1427 sites with the appropriate ministerial logo. Compared to the previous year, this is 96 more portals.

As already mentioned, it is all part of a boom that has been going on for some time now. Data from a well-known provider has highlighted that, in the first six months of the year we have just said goodbye to, the Online turnover of SOP, OTC, food supplements and cosmetics was 12% higher than in 2021, a golden year for the cluster also in question due to the social restrictions still in place.

With a turnover of several billion euros, online pharmacies in Italy must, as previously mentioned, make a specific identifying logo visible on each page of the site. When the user clicks on it, he is redirected to a page of the portal salute.gov.it where he can find all the information on the business, from the company name, to the references of any physical point of sale up to the identification code.

The reasons for success

Once the health emergency was over, online pharmacies' revenues continued to grow. What is the reason for this success? There are several reasons. First of all, practical convenience must be considered. Secondly, convenience must not be forgotten. Several pharmacies, through online, have proposed and continue to propose advantageous promotions – we must not forget that we are talking about businesses that must optimize their response to competition from large marketplaces – on supplements, over-the-counter drugs and other products.

A dutiful mention must be made of the possibility for the end user to inform themselves on aspects related to health and well-being through quality content disseminated especially through blog articles.

An undoubtedly relevant aspect behind the choice to buy from an online pharmacy rather than in a physical store is linked to the desire for privacy. In many cases, talking about your health in front of a virtually unknown person can prove uncomfortable.

There is no doubt about it: when we talk about the success of pharmacies that sell online, it is necessary to call into question several factors that are the result of a social change that exploded after the health emergency but which has roots long before its outbreak. To realize this, just think about the importance, for companies that sell on the web, of interacting with an informed user, who takes into consideration several aspects, including technical ones, before finalizing his purchase decision.

When talking about the trend of online pharmacies, it is also necessary to mention the hybrid purchasing method. Since, for many people, the transition from physical interaction with the trusted pharmacist to the web was a real disruption, numerous companies, as soon as they had the opportunity to do so, gave their customers the possibility of ordering online and picking up at the point of sale.

In any case, through the website you always have the opportunity to interact with the pharmacy experts via instant messaging apps.