Amazon has launched an online pharmacy in Bangalore, the capital of India’s southern state of Karnataka. According to reports, the company announced the introduction of ‘Amazon Pharmacy’ in a statement. Under this, the company will also sell prescription-based and over-the-counter medicines, health equipment, and Hindustani herbal medication. At present, companies like One MG, Netmeds, MedLife, and PharmEG are working in this area, who are distributing medicines to their customers through online platforms. Amazon’s stepping in pharmacy business will affect portals.
Amazon Pharmacy also sells traditional herbal medicines and some health devices such as glucose meters, nebulizers, and handheld messengers. Amazon’s venture into the pharmacy business is not new; it has hired several health experts in recent years and even acquired online pharmacy startup Pilpack in 2018 for about $ 1 billion. Amazon Pharmacy will only sell its product in Bengaluru. After this, Amazon will gradually introduce its pharmacy segment in other parts of the country.
This step of the Amazon has come at a time when online drug sales have increased in the country. Especially due to the coronavirus epidemic, people are avoiding going to the drugstores and buying medicines online. Amazon also started selling Alcohol in west Bengal via home delivery. After Amazon, the e-commerce platform, Flipkart also stepped up to enter the alcohol business and partnered with startup Diageo to deliver liquor to two cities in India (West Bengal and Odisha).
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Amazon, in this COVID pandemic, has gained a lot of wealth as it played a significant role in supplying goods and services. For e-commerce companies like Amazon and Flipkart, this festive season is going to be very beneficial. The sales of smartphones, television sets, fridges, washing machines, and apparel of these companies can increase by fifty percent and sales of some things by 40 percent. Both these platforms have asked sellers to place more new orders in the respective brands.
