Pharmaceutical e-commerce is still early-stage with only 31% of companies selling online, but it's projected to grow at double-digit rates over the next decade. Success requires investments in automation, co-packing partnerships, packaging changes, and expanded staffing.
- Only 31% of pharmaceutical companies currently sell through e-commerce channels, with just 13% of non-sellers planning to enter within three years
- Top operational changes include changing packaging formats (57%), expanding machine automation (36%), and hiring additional employees (36%)
- E-commerce sales are projected to achieve low-to-mid double-digit CAGR growth over the next decade as consumer preferences shift online
- Major industry players are investing in equipment upgrades, automation engineers, and IT personnel to support 24/7 e-commerce operations
- Co-packing and third-party manufacturing partnerships (29%) help companies scale e-commerce volume without massive capital investment
Pharmaceutical e-commerce is in its early stages due to regulatory and safety hurdles. Online pharmaceutical sales often require more monitoring and preventative measures than traditional channels to ensure consistent product quality and authenticity.
According to PMMI’s Trends and Challenges in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing report, 31% of CPGs currently sell pharmaceutical products through e-commerce channels.
With fewer than one-third of respondents currently selling online and only 13% of those not selling online planning to do so in the next three years, individual companies will need help evaluating the feasibility of online sales, according to the business intelligence team.
CPGs that have already pursued e-commerce models reported numerous changes to support the initiative. The extra volume generated by e-commerce orders can require additional manufacturing capacity.
Some adjustments to meet these demands include expanded machine automation (36%) and engaging co-packers or manufacturers (29%). Other strategies supporting e-commerce models are changing packaging formats (57%) and hiring additional employees (36%).
Despite pharmaceutical e-commerce still being in its early stages, there is significant potential for early entrants. While still only a fraction of the overall pharmaceutical market, e-commerce sales are widely predicted to see low-to-mid double-digit CAGR expansion over the next decade.
As consumer preferences continue to shift toward convenient online buying, a larger share of pharmaceutical sales is expected to move online. Major industry players are already making early investments in the online sales space.
“To accommodate e-commerce, we're upgrading equipment, hiring more automation engineers and IT personnel, and ensuring they rotate through different shifts to provide coverage for all operations,” a director of pharmaceutical engineering said.
SOURCE: 2026 Trends and Challenges in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
For more insights from PMMI’s Business Intelligence team, find reports, including Trends and Challenges in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, Automation in Food and Beverage Equipment Sanitation, and Knowledge Transfer for Machine Operators: From Paper to Digital Intelligence at https://www.pmmi.org/business-intelligence.
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