Researchers surveyed pet owners* to identify which factors send them to the internet and which keep them close to home. They found it’s not just about price and convenience. Katie Berlin, DVM, comments on the article by Natalie Young, PharmD, BCSCP, FACVP, FSVHP, and offers her own take on the opportunity for veterinary clinics with their own pharmacies.
Young shares that providing practice-affiliated online pharmacies with competitive pricing while maintaining personalized service can help capture a larger share of the online pharmacy market. She says to emphasize that making purchases through the clinic ensures a more personalized experience and guarantees safe handling and chain of custody of medications. Surprisingly, the convenience of home delivery was not emphasized.
Source: Clinician’s Brief, 2-Minute Takeaways, January 2025. Link.
It’s so much easier to get my pet’s Rx filled through my veterinarian’s online pharmacy.” – Katie Berlin, DVM
Commentary
*We noted this takeaway. “Clients 31 to 45 years of age are most likely to use online pharmacies. Communication with this client group should emphasize convenience and quality of care.” It begs some questions, “Does a PMS capture owner demographics by age, gender, multi-pet households and so on?” And if so, is it sortable for targeted marketing communications as suggested in Young’s article?