Drugstore.com went live this evening, following Amazon.com's announcement of their 46% ownership stake. Soma's site is already operative. These three companies should be spirited competitors, at least for a year or two.
I noticed that there are presently no individual SI threads for any eDrugstores. I am proactively starting this combined thread because investors in any one of these companies should be following all three of them. Hopefully we can avoid splintering off into three different threads.
Many of us who live in big cities may drive right past drug stores every day and wonder why anybody would prefer paying shipping charges and waiting a few days to obtain their merchandise.
Some advantages of eDrugstores include:
1) greater product selection
2) more information (you can email questions to a real pharmacist)
3) privacy (you can buy all those embarassing personal items in privacy and even have time to read the labels)
4) you don't have to park in a crowded lot or wait in line.
Mary Meeker's criteria for successful eCommerce include:
1)high revenue-to-weight ratios
2)fragmented market
3)enhanced selection, information and convenience
In 1997 the Rx market was $89B and OTC medications were $22B.
Let the competition begin!
Tom D |
