The Electronic business myth is difficult to perform.

In the past two years, online pharmacies have become the multifaceted of business. Although the parties are quite optimistic, but according to the Daily Economic news reporter learned that the medical and electronic business is not a good way to go, the electric business in other business myths are not staged in pharmacies.

State administration of Food and Drug Administration information shows that as of July 31, 227 online pharmacies to obtain the "Internet Drug trading Service Certificate" C card, but the industry said that the normal operation and operating income at the million-level online pharmacy only 40~50 home. Zheng Haotao, general manager of Guangdong Jinkang Pharmacy, said in an interview with the Daily economic news reporter that it is possible to profit only 四、五家, and almost all are meager profit survival.

An industry expert who declined to be named said that the entire pharmaceutical and electronic business market was still at a staggering start, and the development of pharmaceutical and electrical companies was faltering, influenced by state policy, consumer buying habits and operating costs.

Online pharmacy prospect controversy

The industry's attitude towards online pharmacies has been divided. There is a view that pharmacies are not suitable to carry out e-commerce business. There are many people think that the pharmaceutical electrical business is the trend of development, is now the initial stage.

In this respect, Shanghai million-engine Business Consulting Co., Ltd. CEO Ruzenwang in 2011, the rise of the pharmaceutical electric business, the author analysis said that the domestic online pharmacy environment is very bad, the hospital occupies 74% of the drug sales, the real market space is only the drugstore retail OTC part, probably only 50 billion or 60 billion yuan of the scale, The scale also has to be discounted because Medicare is not open to online pharmacies. While OTC drugs have the characteristics of low unit price and gross profit margin, online pharmacies cost more in logistics and pharmacist services.

However, the Guangzhou seven Le Kang Online pharmacy (hereinafter referred to as seven Lecang) Chairman Shizhenyang to reporters that 2013, the total sales of pharmaceutical companies for 4.2 billion yuan, accounting for the entire pharmaceutical sales of 1%, the industry's top five enterprises contributed half of the sales. According to the development of the United States, online pharmacies accounted for 30% of the pharmaceutical market size, once our country close to the U.S. level, the market capacity will reach 100 billion yuan.

But so far, it is not easy for consumers to buy drugs online. Zheng Haotao previously publicly said that if the turnover of a day is less than thirty thousand or forty thousand Yuan, the general online pharmacies will be difficult to survive, and most of them can not achieve this standard. Guangdong, a large chain of pharmacy marketing manager Lin (a pseudonym) to reporters that the retail is not a windfall business, supposedly e-commerce model to save costs, but now is higher than the offline cost. Another industry personage who does not want to be named also said that the traditional pharmacy operating cost is stable, the online promotion expense variable is big, has caused the electricity business profit to hinder.

The daily economic news reporter from many sides learned that the cost of pharmaceutical electricity mainly includes platform construction and promotion of two parts, the latter is "burning" the source of money. 800 party managing director Li said, for pharmacies, the platform needs to invest a lot of manpower, material resources for the construction and operation of the website, light preparation site will need millions of yuan, still need six months to a year to burnish. The website is put into use, still need to invest a lot of promotion expense, otherwise it is difficult to have sales. Therefore, most of the chain pharmacies get a "licence" after a certain period of adjustment, will not immediately input.

The threshold fee, the activity occupies the position fee, the auction rank fee ... In order to squeeze into the large flow platform and form a valid order, the electrical business every day to deal with a variety of promotional services. Lin to reporters that the merchant into a well-known electrical medicine hall to pay the threshold fee, in the user browsing page to do promotion to participate in the "Through Train", and sometimes to participate in group buying activities. "Group buying activity effect is very obvious, but the activity promotion fee and occupies the place fee to remove after is left, sometimes also can lose." Through-train input more, by click Rate, many times the user through the entrance into the page did not form a valid order, the cost of total loss. "The Folks Big Pharmacy marketing department Chen manager estimates that the company in the above medical museum about 30% revenue will be put into the promotion."

But these losses are the business that "Lin" must do. In the above Medical Museum, forty or fifty active merchants to the price war to play to the extreme, especially some of the main focus on the electricity business platform, but also regardless of the cost of the platform to "burn" ads. Because this is the most effective way to increase traffic and to attract flow. Zheng Haotao said that the online pharmacy is the characteristics of the mouse trade, fast, the function of parity highlighted, will inevitably fall into the price war.

The embarrassment of the profit of the pharmaceutical electric business

Data show that the pharmaceutical market in 2010 was about 200 million yuan, 2012 years more than 1.6 billion yuan, 2013 is 4.26 billion yuan. "The 2013 China Medical Internet Development Report" pointed out that China's current medical it costs about 15 billion yuan, is expected to increase to 18.7 billion yuan in 2014, 2015 will reach 29 billion yuan. In recent years, China's medical it market growth rate of more than 25%.

The industry's jump-growth in the seven to see the 200%~300%, it has been growing from 2011 to the speed of growth, 2013 sales revenue of nearly 400 million yuan, this year, the target is set at 1 billion yuan. In the past few years, seven Le Kang only opened 9 stores online, the on-line business accounted for 95%.

In Beijing and east, Ali for the huge business opportunities for pharmaceutical dealers, the industry is the same as the chicken ribs, most of the electrical business is still relying on family planning supplies bo lively scene. It is reported that seven Lok Kang's main business scope is also limited to healthy peripheral goods, the proportion of OTC (over-the-counter drugs) has risen from the initial 5% to about 20%, but still short plate. Shizhenyang earlier in the interview mentioned that Seven Le Kang has about 5 million members, most of the members of the relationship with seven Le Kang began in the family planning supplies, two consumption may also bring the U.S. pupil, medical equipment, health products, etc., the current family planning supplies accounted for the total sales of 20%.

Lin said that the family planning supplies accounted for a large proportion of the characteristics of the cat. Businessmen are looking at the huge flow of cat resources for the Medical museum to provide a strong potential for purchase. The consumer of the day cat to whenever, the main, the family planning supplies, health care products need more than drugs. Li also agreed. He believes that the consumer habits of consumers of medical products buying related products on the electricity platform have not yet been established. At present, the main people who are keen on online shopping are mainly whenever to 90, and their own demand for medical consumption is weaker. But the main medical consumer middle-aged and elderly groups, there are few internet consumption habits.

Third-party platform traffic challenges

Lin told the Daily Economic news reporter, relatively speaking, the company is located in another Third-party platform-800 square positioning more accurate, the deal orders on drugs, but this kind of professional web site traffic introduced low, the formation of effective orders for the time being can not be compared with the day cat.

Today, the pharmaceutical industry is faced with the situation: the advantages of a large flow of traditional electric dealers can not eat cake, and professional medical and electronic business, although the advantages of products and licences, but it is difficult to "eat" the pharmaceutical market.

Li Introduction, 800 side of the business model is relatively simple, that is, according to the order of the amount of the transaction points. For businesses, the Third-party platform can reduce input costs, now on the platform has more than 140 cooperative businesses. "Businesses only need to pay 3000 yuan warranty, configure one to three customer service online services, promotional activities and platform services are basically we do, so their cost is particularly low, this is our advantage." ”

However, compared with the large service platforms such as Jingdong, Cat and so on, the introduction of traffic flow is the biggest problem faced by 800 parties. And now the trend is to reverse to the day Cat Medicine Museum.

Data show that the 2013 Day Cat Medical Museum transactions amounted to 2.04 billion yuan, accounting for domestic pharmaceutical electronic Transactions 47.89%, an increase of 172%. By contrast, the autonomous medicine of the website is inferior to many, the annual transaction size of 1.68 billion yuan, accounted for 39.44%, an increase of 98%. Mr. Chen said, now the third party platform has two kinds of situation, has the flow of no transaction qualification, there is no traffic qualification, most businesses will be on both platforms occupy position. "The cat put the traditional shopping channel to put a lot of energy on the Internet, the early years of consumer education, pharmaceutical electric business is also this truth, now said that the profit is too early." ”

According to the Daily economic news reporter, each practitioner is full of imagination about the prospects of the pharmaceutical electric business, but now it seems that the industry is still in a toddler stage, there is no strong nationwide online pharmacies appear. Lin talked about, most of the chain pharmacy without electrical business experience, early test stones fell badly beaten. The state has been very strict in the regulation of the medical and pharmaceutical dealers, many of the chain pharmacies in the prescription medicine can not see the hope, OTC and health care products space is very small, are taking a licence as a reserve resource. In the long run, the competition level of the medical and electronic business will be upgraded rapidly, which will improve the operation efficiency of the drug market in various aspects, and it is beneficial to the pharmaceutical industry and the pharmaceutical electric business to standardize, orderly and concentrated development stage.

Disu, an expert of China Pharmaceutical Enterprise Management Association and executive director of UBS Securities, I have said earlier that the prospects for the emergence of pharmaceutical electrical business is clear but the process is long. 2013, a number of pharmaceutical electrical business enterprise sales scale reached 300 million yuan level, a small number of enterprises have achieved profitability, the top 10 pharmaceutical companies to sell sales have exceeded billion mark. "In the future, with the policy further liberalized, the pharmaceutical industry is expected to produce explosive growth." ”

Explore line under the linkage mode

With the lifting of the ban on the medical and electronic business, the Internet sales channels have been more and more attention of retail pharmacies, which is a big reason, is that traditional retail pharmacies are facing greater operating pressure.

Guangdong Province Pharmaceutical Retail Trade association secretary General Liu Guichun to "Daily economic news" Reporter said, with the rent, labor cost growth and the reduction of drug profits, pharmacy survival pressure is soaring, hope to introduce online under the linkage of innovative mode to enhance the competition mechanism. Traditional retail pharmacy Layout The internet is a double-edged sword, they hold the capital, products and brand advantages, but may not invest too much energy to power the electricity quotient. Lin Frankly, now many retail pharmacies have internet thinking, but the energy in the field of electric business is still limited, more just layout or as a strategic blueprint of the composition of the idea.

O2O mode is a number of retail pharmacies to the traditional format of the Internet. In many cities, retail pharmacies are close to the store, but the online channels of electricity dealers do not solve the problem of aging and logistics. An industry observer told reporters that the advantage of retail pharmacies is convenience, from the business model, online pharmacies to do a good job on the offline store, one can provide professional consulting services face-to-face, and then can be directly from the store to the customer hand. Without the replenishment and coordination of stores, there would be a lack of user experience compared to the big chain.

He stressed that the electric business is to rely on speed to enhance the customer's online purchase of medicine logistics experience. But the larger pharmaceutical electric business line stores less, not enough to support their large-scale construction of logistics and stores nationwide, leading to timely delivery of drugs is difficult, generally two or three days, remote areas to spend more time, this is a large chain of opportunities.

Li said that 800 parties have been exploring the business model of online drug sales, especially the recent policy level to open up the sale of prescription drugs, but also hope to work on the O2O model, the first half of last year began to establish a "800 union" system. This kind of thinking is mainly to draw lessons from the taxi Software "Rob single" mode.

If the big chain pharmacy exerting force O2O, it is possible to break the current competition pattern, how is the current online pharmacy how to deal with? Shizhenyang said that now the state's support for the medical and pharmaceutical companies gave the industry confidence, this year, the form of pharmaceutical dealers will be significantly improved. According to the characteristics of the electric business industry, there will always be a medical and electronic business in the industry to form a certain "monopoly."