Emilio Simeone
siHealth Ltd., Atlas Building, Harwell Campus, OX11 0QX Didcot, United Kingdom

Abstract

An innovative system for supporting the sale of dermo-cosmetic products in pharmacies. A professional app suite dedicated to the pharmacist was developed and validated to offer an innovative and scientific tool for pharmacist consulting and to give to the customer a more complete shopping experience in pharmacy. The system, called siSkinPharma, is composed by several apps for tablet allowing the pharmacist to learn different specific skills for taking care of all skin types in the most appropriate way. The pharmacist is supported by a scientific app for each customer’s needs, from the selection of the most appropriate solar lotion, to the choice of the most suitable treatment to soothe the client’s imperfections (skin spots, acne, irritation, hydration, and aging). This smart service helps to keep customers by promoting effective actions for increasing customer loyalty. All the acquired data is stored and available through completely customizable business intelligence services that provide real world data on dermo-cosmetic users’ habits.

INTRODUCTION

In the last ten years, European pharmacies have experienced a significant organizational change, which saw the birth and the growth of new alternative sales channels, in addition to the purchase of medicines. The pharmacy is now seen more as a place where customers can have an experience of healthcare as “well-being” and where they can learn a correct life style. The pharmacy shop is now synonymous of “health & wellness” and the pharmacist has become a sort of health trainer. He is the primary source of information for citizens about the use of OTC (Over-The-Counter, no prescription required) medications. There is now a widespread awareness that taking care of ourselves is essential to prevent the onset of chronic diseases (1).
The evolution of the pharmacy business model has introduced new services and performances that stimulate the creation of new competitive advantages amongst pharmacies. The concept of "pharmaceutical care" has been introduced in Europe ("Medication Therapy Management" in the United States), with a number of initiatives at the pharmacy in which the pharmacist is present together with medical speciali ...