Amazon Pharmacy Online Drug Store Announced; Can It Take On Flipkart?

Amazon already has its presence in areas including web services, e-commerce, and more. Now, Amazon is set to launch an online drug store in India, starting from Bengaluru. Dubbed as Amazon Pharmacy, the move aims to widen the company's presence in the country even more.

Amazon Pharmacy Details

The new Amazon Pharmacy will provide customers with over-the-counter and prescription-based drugs. The new drug store will also provide health devices and traditional Indian herbal medicines, Amazon said in a statement. However, there's no word on when the online pharmacy will launch in the country.

At the same time, authorities are working on finalizing the regulations for online drug sales. Presently, e-pharmacies are still in infancy, but there's been a steady rise in the number of online drug sellers. For instance, there's Netmeds, PharmEasy, Medlife, 1mg, and more. And now, Amazon Pharmacy will add to the list. Amazon notes that it will comply with all the regulations and laws.

The new move by the global online retailer comes when there's a steady rise in competition from other e-commerce giants. Amazon has been facing strong competition from Walmart-owned Flipkart and the new JioMart by Reliance. Many small players have also risen in popularity during the lockdown. It remains to see how successful the new Amazon Pharmacy will be.

Amazon Pharmacy: Will This Benefit?

As e-commerce ventures rose in popularity, especially during the lockdown, they've also threatened the existence of offline retailers. The same extends to traditional pharmacies and drug stores. Several traditional drug stores and pharmacies have raised their voice against the growing number of e-pharmacies.

They claim that online drug stores would lead to the sale of drugs and other medicines, without proper verification. Moreover, the high customer base that Amazon has is another threat to their business, chemists and druggists have complained. It's reported that the protestors will raise these objections against Amazon with the government.

At the same time, it should be noted that Amazon is likely to partner with drug stores and chemists regionally. Despite its partnership directly with manufacturers, Amazon will still require local drug stores for its supply chain.