Pharmacy advice yes, buy rather online

More and more customers are choosing to buy in the internet pharmacy

09/11/2014

Only the advice in the pharmacy, then the purchase on the Internet: So runs according to a survey among pharmacists apparently at more and more customers the purchase process. According to this, 80 percent of the respondents report this development, which is even felt to be particularly serious in a fifth of the cases. In particular, this affects the area of ​​vitamins, minerals and dietary supplements, because here, a majority of customers now decide to buy in a mail-order pharmacy.

Personal advice from the perspective of pharmacists irreplaceable
Customers are increasingly being advised in detail at the pharmacy and then, in the end, buy the product online. This emerges from a recent survey of the Institute for Trade Research (IfH) in Cologne among 277 pharmacists. More than 80 percent of respondents said that about one in ten respondents did so, and just under 20 percent experience this in almost every third case. A difficult development, because around 96 percent believe that personal advice in the pharmacy can not be replaced by telephone or electronic information.

For 10 years, medicines can also be bought on the Internet
Informing offline, buying online - a trend that has become increasingly widespread in the last 10 years, according to more than 60% of respondents, because since then, medicines in Germany can be bought not only in inpatient pharmacies, but also over the Internet , For many consumers apparently an attractive alternative, because online are over-the-counter medicines and cosmetics often offered at cheaper prices than the stationary competition. Correspondingly, more than three quarters of the respondents would already assume that after the consultation on self - medication and OTC (English for „over the counter”: „sold over the counter“) or non-prescription products, these later order at a mail-order pharmacy.

Above all, vitamins and supplements are ordered online
As the IfH reports, this would be particularly common among pharmacists in the field of vitamins, minerals and nutritional supplements (57%). In addition to the but are also the areas „Skin, mucous membrane, wound healing, nails“ and „Heart, circulation, veins“ affected, where no purchase would take place in 30% or 28.2% of cases after Likewise, this would affect the fields of „pain on movement“ (25.6%) and „Sleep, reassurance, psyche“(22.4%) apply. Accordingly, a much more negative business expectation compared to the previous year is also evident: In August 2013, just under one in four pharmacists still manage the situation „rather positive“ estimated that currently only 13% of respondents think so. Instead, according to the IfH, the business situation would now even be less than 30% „rather negative“ (previous year: 19.1%). (No)