Hello, Habr! Today we'll talk about the online pharmaceutical business, its current problems and solutions that can be obtained using a hackathon (about it - below). So, according to statistical studies, online pharmacies as a business are growing very quickly. It is one of the fastest growing e-commerce segments in Russia. Why? Largely thanks to the events of 2020 - after all, isolation has almost completely changed the conditions for doing business, both online and offline. People have become very actively interested in the topic of health.
In addition, the Russian Federation adopted a law on the remote sale of drugs, which has brought new players to the market. Over the past year, interest in home delivery of drugs from a pharmacy has grown by 573% to 120,000 requests, and the level of confidence in online purchases continues to grow: if delivery is fast enough, it is easier for a client to order online than to search for the necessary goods in different pharmacies. Everything is quite logical. But the industry also has problems that need to be addressed. And these solutions SBER PHARMACY decided to look for with the help of a hackathon.
First, about the benefits of online pharmacies
Online pharmacies have many positive aspects, some of which offline pharmacies do not. Obvious advantages - no need to waste time looking for a pharmacy and the ability to receive medicines at home. But there are other advantages that do not lie on the surface:
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In general, there are many problems, we will highlight the most important ones - both for business and for clients. First, about the problems of clients of such pharmacies:
- Incorrect intake and purchase of medicines. Today, many patients, unfortunately, do not go to the doctor to choose medicines, read the instructions inattentively, and take medicines based on the recommendations of friends or their past experience, which may no longer be relevant. In addition, patients can purchase expensive drugs without knowing, for example, the existence of inexpensive and no less high-quality analogues with the same active substance.
- The need for regular purchase of medicines. Many patients, including those with chronic illnesses, need to go through long-term medication programs on a regular basis. They have to spend their time visiting the pharmacy, choosing and ordering drugs.
- Storage of medicinal products in improper conditions. Manufacturers and pharmacies spend a lot of effort and resources in order to store pharmaceuticals in the conditions necessary for their safety. After the purchase, these conditions change - someone stores medicines in a box, someone - in a refrigerator. If the storage conditions are violated, then the effectiveness of the drug decreases, sometimes by 2-3 times.
As for the pharmacies themselves, the critical issues include:
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The fact is that its main goal is to attract participants to solve both the problems of customers of online pharmacies and to the task of optimizing the work of the pharmacies themselves. In addition, SBER EAPTEKA plans to attract new motivated specialists capable of solving the problems mentioned above.
Now the company needs professionals who can solve a number of problems mentioned above. And also - in fresh original ideas that can help both business and customers - we are, of course, talking about new technological solutions that can be integrated into the overall infrastructure of an online pharmacy.
Representatives of the BEER EAPTEKI say that the guys who come for interviews are interested in what they are told, this is clearly noticeable. There is a separate category of people who say: "Oh, it's cool, we want to deal with such a product." Therefore, a hackathon, first of all, is an opportunity to tell a wide group of developers about your product, as well as about what tasks the company is solving.
Plus, you can immediately see good specialists at the hackathon; this is a great place to find and hire both juniors and middlemen. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to hire seniors in this way, since they are unlikely to agree to spend two days of their time solving relatively simple tasks for them. The lord's time is dear, and they themselves - to grab. In any case, at the hackathon, you can evaluate both a person and his code, principles of work, tools that he uses, and much more.
More about the hackathon
Teams from 3 to 5 people can take part in it. You can register to participate in the hackathon here , registration deadlines are from April 23 to May 23.
Timeline events:
- From April 23 to May 23 - registration of participants.
- May 26 - selection of participants and sending of invitations.
- May 28-30 - Hackathon.
The total prize fund is 500,000 rubles. It is distributed as follows:
- 1st place - 250,000 rubles.
- 2nd place - 150,000 rubles.
- 3rd place - 100,000 rubles.
Each participant will receive merchandise and a chance to win promotional codes for popular services, as well as medical devices to maintain health for the whole family for participating in entertainment activities.
The online hackathon will take place in several stages:
- First, a team is registered, a test task is submitted and, if it is accepted, the team is sent to the hackathon.
- Already at the hackathon, participants get access to data, comments and develop a product. In parallel, mentoring sessions and other activities are held.
- Pitching the prototype on the Demo (to get on the Demo, you must complete all 2 checkpoints) and receive prizes.
Developers are invited to participate in the hackathon, including:
- Frontend: React, Angular, jQuery, etc.
- Backend: PHP, Python, SQL, Django, etc.
- Mobile: Kotlin, Swift, etc.
- Infrastructure: Selectel Cloud, Selectel S3 Cloud, Docker, Kubernetes.
- As well as product and project managers, designers, analysts, architects.
Competitions will also be held for the participants; it will be possible to learn about them already at the event itself.
An important nuance is that participants who have proposed good ideas and solutions can count on long-term cooperation with the company. Cooperation can be presented in different forms - from partnership to employment in the state, and not one person, but a whole team. If the team is well-coordinated, it acts harmoniously - then this is a ready-made department that can immediately join the workflow and solve certain problems.
If you have any questions, you can ask them in the hackathon's Telegram chat .
Registration until May 23: register here .
In general, online pharmacies are not the most well-known industry, so it seemed like a good idea for the organizer to hold a hackathon in this direction. Firstly, because the solutions found by the participants will help both pharmacy customers and businesses. Secondly, because participation in a hackathon is also a job opportunity for participants. It would be great to see how an idea proposed by someone is implemented by its direct author or authors.
SBER EAPTEKA expects to optimize the interaction of patients with the medical and, in particular, the pharmaceutical industry. The ideal option is a seamless experience of such interaction, when the patient leaves the doctor and does not go to find the nearest pharmacy, but immediately orders the necessary medications, even prescription drugs, even those for which a prescription is not needed.