Amazon becomes a pharmacist

Amazon is now also a pharmacist: the online giant delivers medicines to homes in the United States, including prescription medication. In doing so, Jeff Bezos’ company gains insight into the medical condition of its customers.

Pills along with your groceries

Two years after the takeover of Pillpack, Amazon is integrating the drug delivery service into its range. Amazon Pharmacy is now live in the United States, allowing customers to order medicines for home delivery both online and through mobile. The online retailer was already selling over-the-counter drugs on their platform but is now adding prescription medication, which is noteworthy.

Customers will be able to fill out their insurance information on a secured profile, consult their prescriptions and at check-out choose between different delivery and payment options. Prime members will also get discounts on medicines and can compare prices with or without health insurance. Qualified pharmacists are available 24/7 to answer any questions about medication.

Personal health mapped out

Jeff Bezos came closer to his dream of turning Amazon into a one-stop-shop for all goods. “As more people want to do their daily shopping from home, the pharmacy is an important and necessary addition to Amazon’s online offer,” said Doug Herrington, Senior Vice President for North America, about the launch according to TechCrunch.

Not only will health care provide a major new source of revenue (estimated worldwide revenues from online pharmacy services will reach 131 billion dollars by 2025), Amazon will also be able to access an unprecedented insight into the private lives of millions of consumers. Amazon already gained an insight into what families consume. Now, the company will also learn all there is to know about the health condition of its customers.

Sights set on health care

When the corona pandemic broke out, Bezos expressed his interest in the health care market. The multimillionaire also invested heavily in the development of corona tests, mainly but not exclusively for its employees. In August, Amazon also launched its own fitness tracker, called Halo. This device allows users to calculate and track their body fat percentage.

Amazon Pharmacy will only be launching in the US, but further expansion must not be ruled out. Will Bezos succeed in consolidating the pharmacy market? Something the existing players have not been able to do so far.