Adoption of Digital Technologies in Channel Management of Indian Pharmaceutical Industry

Adoption of Digital Technologies in Channel Management of Indian Pharmaceutical Industry

The main thrust of this research is in the area of adoption of digital technologies in channel management of pharmaceutical industry in India. The Indian pharmaceutical industry is making rapid strides in the past decade, and is recognised internationally .However, the adoption of electronic methods like the internet, extranet, barcoding, digital data bases, e-payments, RFID and others are only at a nascent stage. This inertia is likely to affect the growth projectile of the industry. The international stature which the industry is acquiring will be at stake. The study attempts to assess the current status of adoption of digital technologies with particular reference to contributing factors that can trigger rapid growth. It assesses the respondents expectation of the benefits of digital adoption. It also deals with the factors which will help the industry to transit from legacy systems to digital technologies. This information was obtained through structured questionnaire administered to respondents who had experience in the distribution aspects of the Indian pharmaceutical industry. The research revealed that although implementation of electronic methods was at an early stage, the expectation regarding the benefits of employing this technology was high. The study also found that some of the tools which were necessary to transit from legacy systems to digital technology were in a nascent stage of its use.

Zoher H Ghadially

Management Studies