ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy’s online business has gotten a boost since moving to a software-as-a-service (SaaS) on-demand e-commerce platform from UnitedU Technologies Inc.
The technology solution provider said that Boulder, Colo.-based Pharmaca, in relaunching its pharmaca.com web site, wanted to bring the energy, product mix and shopping experience of its drug stores to the online shopper. The drug chain had outgrown its internally developed e-commerce system and sought a solution that would support its online growth objectives plus leverage its retail store inventories.
UniteU said its Connected Commerce platform provides a rich product presentation, improved shopping navigation and more personalized online purchasing, helping Pharmaca tailor the online experience to its customers and take advantage of merchandising features built into the hosted solution. Web managers get more control over the way shoppers interact with the online store, and it’s now easier for shoppers, for example, to research products related to a specific medical conditions.
"What really set UniteU apart is that they are more than just a SaaS technology provider. Their focus is on retail and, in particular, they understand the e-commerce niche extremely well," Wayne Aiello, e-commerce director at Pharmaca, said in a statement. "During implementation, the UniteU team managed the overall project for us, coded the site and trained us on how to best use it. As a leading merchant of integrative health and wellness products, we were grateful we didn’t have to worry about building all the functionality ourselves and instead could focus on the tasks that help set us apart from our competition."
Pharmaca’s daily online sales jumped more than 30% the day after moving to the new platform, UniteU reported. And going forward, UniteU is slated to provide e-commerce and e-marketing services to support consumer online sales of Pharmaca products.
"Now that our site is live, UniteU continues to coach us on ways to grow sales," Aiello stated. "UniteU’s Strategic Partner Program enables us to leverage the expertise of the UniteU team as well as their network of commercial users."
Pharmaca announced its relaunched web site early last month, noting the addition of 500 new products to its online store. The drug chain, now with 22 stores in California, Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington and a 23rd location set to open Nov. 5, said increased interest in natural and alternative remedies led it to expand the site.
On top of expanded online offerings — about 4,500 products ranging from vitamins, supplements and herbs to personal care items, eco-home products and beauty essentials — the relaunched site brings simpler navigation via an improved search function plus a variety of resources for those seeking informative, educational health and wellness information. Visitors also can get answers to health questions through the Ask A Practitioner and Ask A Pharmacist features. Plans call for the site to include an expanded Integrative Health Center, with video, podcasts and articles about a range of conditions and treatments.
"We are ecstatic to be partnering with Pharmaca and to be assisting with their growth objectives," commented Jacqueline Segura, director of UniteU’s merchant solutions group. "We are confident they will see an immediate impact on site traffic, online sales and their bottom-line from back-end efficiencies."
