How Digital Technologies and Artificial Intelligence Are Reshaping Everyday Pharmacy Practice

Digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) are playing an increasingly important role in everyday pharmacy operations. This is confirmed by the latest press release of the APOkix, the pharmacy business climate index published by IFH KÖLN, which focused on digitalization and AI in its April 2025 survey. A strong 86% of participating pharmacy owners believe that staying competitive in the sector will be difficult without digital tools. These technologies are no longer seen as optional add-ons but as essential solutions for streamlining workflows, improving service, and enhancing customer engagement. More than three-quarters of respondents also believe AI has the potential to significantly improve the quality of pharmaceutical care.

Nearly half of the pharmacies surveyed consider their own level of digitalization to be advanced or very advanced. Most commonly implemented are online pre-ordering options for in-store pickup 89% and home delivery via courier services 84%. A majority are also connected to digital pharmacy platforms like ihreapotheken.de or gesund.de. Pharmacy-specific apps and social media channels are also gaining traction – an unsurprising trend given that 95% of respondents expect the importance of digital customer services to grow further in the coming years.

While digital services have already become part of the daily routine in many pharmacies, the use of AI is still in its early stages. Currently, just 13% report using AI technologies in their operations. However, optimism for the future is high: 81% of those surveyed believe that AI will open up entirely new opportunities in pharmacy, helping to make processes more efficient, secure, and faster. There is particular potential in areas such as optimizing inventory and order management, analyzing patient data to support medication therapy, and leveraging customer data for targeted marketing. That said, the road to AI adoption is not without obstacles. Pharmacy owners see the greatest challenges in liability issues, a lack of clear legal frameworks, concerns over data privacy, and the often opaque nature of current AI systems.

These findings are complemented by a mixed outlook on the economic front. The index for current business conditions fell by 7.5 points in April, dropping from 75.0 to 67.5 points. In contrast, the expectations index for the next twelve months rose from 59.1 in March to 66.7 in April, reflecting a cautious optimism in the industry. The APOkix thus continues to serve as a vital barometer for sentiment in the German pharmacy sector – and makes one thing clear: digitalization and AI are no longer future trends, but critical success factors for today’s pharmacies.