By Martin Heubel, Commercial Advisor to 1P Amazon Vendors at Consulterce
It’s a launch that has been a long time in the making: Regulatory hurdles and a fragmented market have led Amazon to delay the move several times.
But according to several of my industry contacts, we can expect Amazon to enter the $500bn EU healthcare market soon.
Not only because the new European Health Data Space Regulation (EHDS) enables e-prescriptions and cross-border interoperability, lowering the structural barriers to entry.
But also because Amazon has now established the same-day delivery fulfilment infrastructure to reach shoppers who already make their everyday purchases on the platform.
Allowing the tech retailer to embed Pharmacy directly into Prime’s convenience flywheel:
- Seamless prescription delivery alongside daily orders
- Retaining customers through automated replenishment
- One ecosystem for healthcare, OTC, and everyday purchases
Before you get too excited, let’s not forget:
Shoppers purchasing pharmaceuticals must trust the platform to receive authentic and verified products. Managing the risk of counterfeits and eroding customer trust are non-negotiables if Amazon wants to win in the healthcare space.
Is Amazon great at this today? I don’t think so.
Yet, the launch of Amazon Pharmacy in Europe is only a question of WHEN, not IF.
Healthcare brands should ready their strategies if they want to protect their market share. Ignoring this new entrant could otherwise turn very soon into a fatal mistake.
NAM Implications:
- A long time in the making…
- …but inevitable.
