Application of E-Pharmacies in India

Abstract

Consumer convenience and access are improved through E-pharmacy. This will mostly benefit chronic old patients living in nuclear families, as well as people who are unable to travel to a pharmacy. E-pharmacy also offers competitive prices, making drugs more affordable to those who are less well-off. Consumers in India focused on staying indoors after the COVID-19 lockdown was announced, which forced people to go digital, whether to pay bills or contact doctors. There are no exceptions when it comes to e-pharmacies. Brick-and-mortar pharmacies' home delivery of medicines has also increased. The aim of this paper is to discover and experimentally validate the many characteristics that influence customer acceptance, usage, and intent to suggest E-pharmacy for pharmaceutical purchases. This paper also aims to identify the factors that influence customers on choosing between the various e-pharmacies (PharmEasy, Tata 1mg, Net Meds, Apollo 24x7) providing their service in the market. For this research, the information from 106 respondents was collected and it was found that factors like ease of buying, discounts, user experience, customer care, and availability of the medicines/healthcare products influences their buying behaviour.