The relaunch will allow users of tablets and mobile devices to more easily find the price of their prescribed medication, place an order and have it delivered to their home. The move points to mobile’s role in helping pharmacy operators meet the consumer’s demand for affordability, legitimacy and convenience when paying out of pocket for medication, a market expected to grow to $80 billion this year.

“With our transparent pricing visible on our main Web site and accessible with a mobile device, we are clearly providing a service for users of mobile devices that does not exist when it comes to purchasing their prescription drugs,” said Lalit Dhadphale, CEO of  HealthWarehouse.com.

Out of pocket
Consumers who pay out of pocket for their prescriptions include those with no insurance coverage, with high insurance deductibles or copays, with Health Savings Accounts or Flexible Savings Accounts, with insurance through the Affordable Care Act with high deductibles, with Medicare Part D plans with high deductibles and with drug exclusions and quantity restrictions placed by insurance companies.

Easy to use, easy to read.

The new design splits pages into 12 columns that collapse down to one column with the limits of the browser or device size.

“Why this is convenient is it doesn’t require the user to zoom, move left to right, or miss content that might not be visible on their screen,” Mr. Dhadphale said. “All of the content is visible, no matter the size of the screen.

“This is very important because medications have medical information attached to them, so it is imperative that the user see all the information when making a purchase. This is a key requirement of selling prescription medications online.”

The redesign was necessary for the site to evolve with its customer base. Its typical customer is older, increasingly tech savvy and wants to access the Web site from a mobile device as well as a desktop computer, Mr. Dhadphale said.

Approximately 30 percent of the site’s traffic comes from a tablet or mobile phone.

Price sensitive
“Consumers who buy prescriptions out of pocket tend to be price-sensitive consumers because they are bearing the burden of paying for the medication,” Mr. Dhadphale said.

“This customer tends to have insurance already, but after visiting a retail pharmacy find their co-pay or deductible is too high.  At this point, having HealthWarehouse.com accessible via a mobile device with our transparent pricing allows the consumer to check on the price and make a sound buying decision.”

Catering to market for out-of-pocket prescriptions.

Retail pharmacies allow the consumer to see drug information or manage a refill after he or she goes to their store with the prescription.

“We are the only VIPPS accredited pharmacy licensed in all 50 states that allows the user to see the price of the drug online and with a valid prescription from the doctor, have the medication shipped to your home,” Mr. Dhadphale said.

“In addition, we deliver directly to the consumer’s home, so there is a convenience factor as well of not having to wait in pharmacy lines.”

Final Take
Michael Barris is staff reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York.