Emily Shiver, CVPM, CCFP, provides a thought-filled article about competing with online pharmacies. She focuses on using in-clinic inventory, adjusting retail prices to market prices, abandoning umbrella markups and upping customer service elements, including reminders on refills. Shiver is correct when she identifies writing a prescription for little or no money as an issue.
Source: DVM 360, May 17, 2020. Link.
Online pharmacies aren’t going anywhere, and all your resentment is doing is pushing your clients farther away” – Emily Shiver, CVPM, CCFP
Commentary – includes complimentary content from VetSource®
Compared to the market in the early 2000s, ‘online pharmacy’ is now better defined as a rapidly growing category, ‘alternate sources.’ It better represents the multiple channel options from which veterinary products, including prescriptions are now shipped. These sources are not new. Before the internet, mail-order catalog companies dealt directly with animal owners.
The challenges of managing a mail-order pharmacy and communications business from a veterinary clinic created an opportunity for entrepreneurs to construct home delivery platforms as a service and deploy rapidly expanding digital and internet technology.
Fast forward to July 2020
Veterinarians can now service clients’ animals with prescriptions, wellness and therapeutic diets, as well as some OTC products allowing the client to choose how to get the product.
- Directly from clinic inventory at the clinic
- Directly from clinic inventory and ship the product to client homes
- Take the prescription to a pharmacy location of their choice
- Agreeing to get home delivery from the clinic-offered and managed service
INSIGHTS: In a recent post < link >, we shared auto-ship and online projections from Chewy. With few exceptions, veterinary clinics cannot ignore pet owner preferences for convenient online shopping, home delivery of pet products including prescriptions, chronic care medications, diets, toys and accessories.
Choosing a home delivery service is important. The right partner will expand revenues and increase client loyalty. One proven, trusted solution dedicated to providing flexible home delivery and product communications services only to veterinary clinics is VetSource®. It provides services to more than 9,000 practices in the U.S. Client data is kept private. Service fees are transparent. Each clinic chooses the product catalog, pricing and email marketing support.
This short video shows what VetSource does < link >. VetSource team members provide ongoing support to clinic personnel to ensure they meet client and clinic expectations. Learn more here < link >.