This was before a decree authorizing the online sale of drugs without a prescription was passed in 2013. "We knew the law was going to pass, but not when. So we laid the foundations of our system by prioritizing online sales of parapharmacy, which enabled us to take a technological lead through the development of a turnkey business solution.
We were just waiting for this green light to speed things up," explains Yves Bottin Putnikovik. And the company is moving up a gear. From 25 pharmacies in 2010, Itekpharma now has over 300, with sales following a meticulous upward curve, from 150 K euro; in 2010 to 850 K euro; in 2013 (for a net profit of 80 K euro;). It should reach 1 Meuro; in 2014.
Web marketing orientation
To enable its customers to obtain online sales approval, Itekpharma has invested 80,000 euros in approved personal health servers.
It claims 30 % of the online pharmacy market, currently limited to 193 pharmacies. But business is growing. "We have 150 applications in progress. Pharmacists, looking for new sources of growth, have clearly understood that the Web is a solution, particularly with the click-and-collect approach, which represents a real value-added service", adds the CEO. And so has the competition.
That's why Itekpharma recently shifted its business model towards Web marketing. "We opted for the qualitative, not the quantitative, in order to be judged on concrete results", says Yves Bottin Putnikovik. Marketing packages have therefore been developed, culminating in the creation of a Web TV to drive traffic through short pastiches that generate views and traffic.
Gaëlle Cloarec
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