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Written byMark Okiki

Pharmacy team preparing healthcare deliveries
Pharmacy profitability guide

5 ways to stop losing money on free prescription delivery

Free prescription delivery can lose money when the pharmacy absorbs courier charges, staff time, failed drops and redelivery work without measuring them. Five practical fixes are to calculate the full cost, set clear eligibility, group suitable routes, reduce avoidable exceptions and review the service against actual delivery volume.

Discuss your pharmacy delivery setup

The operator view

Free to the customer does not mean cost-free to the pharmacy

A free-delivery promise can be commercially deliberate, but it needs boundaries. Measure what the pharmacy pays and what the team spends managing delivery before deciding which orders should qualify.

1. Calculate the full cost

Include courier charges, staff preparation time, route planning, customer queries, failed drops, returns and redeliveries instead of tracking only the invoice.

2. Set clear eligibility

Define the orders, routes, volume or service conditions that qualify for free delivery. Communicate the conditions plainly so the team can apply them consistently.

3. Group suitable routes

Review compatible destinations and batch jobs where practical. Batching jobs to individual contractors can reduce logistics costs, but it is not a guaranteed saving.

4. Reduce avoidable follow-up

Use accurate delivery details, live tracking and proof of delivery to make status questions and completion checks easier to manage.

A practical workflow

Turn a free-delivery promise into a measured service

Review the promise as an operating process. A clear rule, a usable route plan and a monthly cost check help the pharmacy decide whether free delivery is working as intended.

  1. 01

    Measure

    Calculate the full cost per completed delivery.

  2. 02

    Define

    Set the orders and routes that qualify.

  3. 03

    Group

    Batch compatible drops where the route supports it.

  4. 04

    Communicate

    Set customer expectations and share tracking.

  5. 05

    Review

    Check cost, exceptions and volume each month.

Make the numbers useful

Know what the subsidy is costing

If delivery is free to the customer, the pharmacy still pays for the delivery operation. Send247 pricing starts from £9.99 per parcel with a minimum of 8 parcels, and a discretionary charge may apply below 8 parcels. Use the applicable quote, parcel volume and full internal administration cost to decide whether a free-delivery offer is sustainable.

Before keeping delivery free

  • Have we measured the complete cost per delivery?
  • Are eligibility rules clear to staff and customers?
  • Can compatible drops be grouped sensibly?
  • Are failed drops and queries tracked?
  • Do monthly results justify the offer?

Frequently asked questions

Pharmacy delivery costs and decisions

Review your pharmacy delivery model

Share your parcel volume, collection details and delivery routes with Send247 to discuss a suitable setup.

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