E-commerce done right

CHICAGO - Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in mid-March, pharmacies and HME providers have been rushing to court online shoppers, but just because you build an e-commerce website, doesn't mean they will come, says Kamal Haddad.

“As an industry, we can't catch up with e-commerce giants,” said Haddad, CEO of Health Mobius. “Look how hard it's been for Walmart to compete with Amazon and you want to take an independent chain of 30 or 40 stores, and you want him to go up against Amazon? It's hopeless.”

Health Mobius offers an out-of-the-box e-commerce platform that includes website hosting, maintenance, design, branding, product pricing, payment processing, detailed reporting and customer service, and integrates with a pharmacy's or HME provider's existing website.

So if pharmacies and HME providers can't beat Amazon on their e-turf, how can they compete? By treating their e-commerce websites like cash registers, says Haddad.

“You already know you have a patient—you just got a script for them to get a wheelchair—you know they need a cushion, you know they need a toilet seat, you know they need a grab bar," he said. "Help them add these additional items to the shopping cart. Then take their credit card and process the order right there.”

Pharmacies and HME providers also have one big advantage that Amazon and Walmart will never have: a personal connection with their customers.

“If your they can offer you the same online convenience, then you would buy from your pharmacy, from your local HME/DME dealer,” he said. “People don't just buy online or just in stores, they buy both and we're missing all the online sales because we're not giving our customers the convenience that they want—yet.”