When HealthPlus Pharmacies expanded from 3 to 8 branches across Lagos, their paper-based inventory system collapsed under the weight. Stock discrepancies, long customer queues, and zero visibility across locations were costing them millions of naira every month.
Company Profile
- Name: HealthPlus Pharmacies
- Location: Lagos, Nigeria (8 branches)
- Type: Multi-branch retail pharmacy chain
- Staff: 45 employees across all locations
- Challenge: Scaling operations across multiple branches with no centralized system
The Challenge
Before PharmaPOS, HealthPlus faced critical operational failures:
- Manual stock counts took 2 full days per branch every month
- Average checkout time was 4.5 minutes per customer during peak hours
- Stockouts occurred on 12-15 essential medicines weekly across branches
- No centralized reporting — the owner drove between branches to collect paper reports
- Expired medicine waste averaged ₦380,000 ($250) per branch monthly
- Mobile money payments (OPay, PalmPay) were tracked in a separate notebook
The breaking point came when a stockout of pediatric antimalarials during rainy season cost the chain an estimated ₦2.8 million in lost sales over two weeks.
Why They Chose PharmaPOS
HealthPlus evaluated three pharmacy systems before choosing PharmaPOS:
- Offline-first architecture — Power outages in Lagos are daily; PharmaPOS works without internet
- Multi-branch central dashboard — Real-time visibility across all 8 locations
- Mobile money integration — OPay, PalmPay, and bank transfer tracking built in
- One-time license fee — No monthly subscriptions eating into tight margins
- Naira pricing and local tax compliance — Built for the Nigerian market
Implementation
PharmaPOS was rolled out in phases over 3 weeks:
- Week 1: Headquarters and 2 highest-volume branches
- Week 2: 3 additional branches
- Week 3: Final 2 branches plus staff refresher training
Each branch required approximately 3 hours of staff training. The existing inventory was loaded via spreadsheet import, and barcode labels were printed for all products within the first week.
Results After 6 Months
Checkout Speed
| Metric | Before | After | Change | |--------|--------|-------|--------| | Average checkout time | 4.5 min | 1.6 min | -65% | | Peak hour transactions/hour | 13 | 38 | +192% | | Customer complaints (monthly) | 22 | 3 | -86% |
Inventory Management
| Metric | Before | After | Change | |--------|--------|-------|--------| | Weekly stockouts | 12-15 items | 1-2 items | -88% | | Monthly expired waste | ₦380,000/branch | ₦45,000/branch | -88% | | Stock count time | 2 days/branch | 2 hours/branch | -92% | | Inventory accuracy | ~68% | 97.5% | +43% |
Revenue Impact
| Metric | Before | After | Change | |--------|--------|-------|--------| | Monthly revenue (all branches) | ₦18.2M | ₦24.6M | +35% | | Mobile money revenue share | 8% | 31% | +288% | | Credit collection rate | 52% | 89% | +71% |
Operational Efficiency
- Branch reporting: From 2-day manual process to real-time dashboard
- Reorder alerts: Automatic low-stock notifications across all branches
- Staff productivity: Pharmacists spend 40% more time on patient consultations
Owner Testimonial
"Before PharmaPOS, I was spending three days a week driving between branches just to understand what was happening. Now I open my laptop at home and see real-time sales, inventory levels, and alerts for all 8 locations. The system paid for itself in the first month from expired medicine savings alone."
Staff Perspective
"The barcode scanning changed everything. Customers used to wait while I searched for prices in a binder. Now it's scan, confirm, pay — done. Our regulars have noticed and they tell their friends."
Key Takeaways
- Offline capability is non-negotiable in Lagos — PharmaPOS processed over 400 transactions during a 3-day power outage with zero data loss
- Multi-branch visibility transforms decision-making — Central dashboard eliminated weekly branch visits
- Mobile money integration captures lost revenue — 31% of transactions now come through digital payments that were previously tracked on paper
- One-time pricing protects margins — No monthly fees means the investment pays off faster for multi-location businesses
What's Next for HealthPlus
HealthPlus plans to open 3 more branches in 2026 and will deploy PharmaPOS from day one at each location. They are also exploring the PharmaPOS API to integrate with their accounting software.
Learn how PharmaPOS can transform your pharmacy chain →
