The BENU pharmacy network started operating in the electronic space by introducing BENU e-pharmacy in the beginning of May. According to Rasa Montvilė, director of BENU pharmacy, the project has been extensively planned and a total of about 200 000 Eur has been invested. The e-commerce channel will be opened in all three Baltic countries. BENU e-pharmacy is the first in Lithuania.
"We have been preparing profoundly and responsibly to step into the e-commerce market. Although the global coronavirus pandemic and the quarantine introduced in the country seem to have prompted us to consider the option to offer medicines to our customers without leaving their homes as soon as possible, we were not to take this significant step in a haste. We also had to take into account and prepare for the competitive environment and customer expectations. This is a new sales channel for us, but customers are already well familiar with it, therefore, I hope that shopping in the electronic BENU pharmacy will be as trouble-free for them as it is in any other BENU pharmacy", says Rasa Montvilė, director of BENU vaistinė Lietuva.
Rasa Montvilė noted that quarantine has not only changed customers habits in grocery stores, but also in pharmacies. It is noticeable that the need to purchase goods from online pharmacies has grown.
“The quarantine, lasting for almost two months, has forced businesses to look for new ways to reach their customers and stay active in the market. Although pharmacies were not closed and operated throughout the quarantine, we also felt its consequences – customer flow declined in some pharmacies. Quarantine conditions are being soften and we see increasingly more shoppers in our pharmacies, but the habit of using alternative shopping options and keeping a social distance will remain for a long time. Therefore, we believe that the demand for online purchases of medicines, cosmetics and other medical goods that has grown during quarantine will not decline for some time. Finally, for some customers, e-pharmacy will become the main shopping channel", R. Montvilė says.
BENU pharmacy network has entered the electronic market across Lithuania. Medicines, food supplements, cosmetics and medical supplies ordered by customers are delivered to customers home or can be picked up at any BENU pharmacy. BENU customer card has been fully integrated in BENU e-shop so that its holders no longer need to create an additional account.
In the next few months BENU e-shop should open in other Baltic countries – Latvia and Estonia.
