The verdict in three sentences
Automated dashboards for a group of 22 pharmacies cost 18,000 to 40,000 EUR excl. VAT and are delivered in 3 months. Every night they extract data from each pharmacy's management software, harmonise product families and display margin, stock turnover and generic substitution rates with no manual entry. The payback comes mostly from purchasing: a group that sees its real volumes negotiates 1 to 3 extra margin points with laboratories and wholesalers.
Why owners' Excel files block steering
The group's president receives 22 files every month, each exported from different software (Winpharma, LGPI, Smart Rx, Leo), with its own labels and its own period. Consolidation takes the network coordinator 3 to 4 days, and the figures arrive once negotiations are already closed.
| Metric | Current tracking (monthly Excel) | Automated dashboard |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue per pharmacy and per category | M+1, partial | D+1, complete |
| Margin by family (prescription, OTC, parapharmacy) | Estimated | Calculated per product |
| Stock turnover in days | Not tracked | Per pharmacy and family |
| Generic substitution rate | Self-reported | Measured, compared with health insurance target |
| Volumes per partner laboratory | Rebuilt by hand | Aggregated automatically |
| Stock-outs and overstock | Reported by phone | Daily alerts |
| Monthly consolidation time | 3 to 4 days | 0 days |
The dashboard does not replace the owner, who stays in charge of their pharmacy. It gives the group a shared view to negotiate, compare and spread good practice.
Project cost and budget breakdown
The trickiest item is extraction from the management software, since each vendor exposes data differently. An inventory phase at the start avoids bad surprises.
| Item | Content | 2026 cost excl. VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Software connectors (3 to 5 vendors) | Nightly extraction of sales, purchases, stock | 6,000 to 14,000 EUR |
| Shared product master | CIP/EAN matching, harmonised families | 3,000 to 7,000 EUR |
| Data warehouse | Central database, 3-year history | 2,500 to 5,000 EUR |
| Dashboards (group and pharmacy) | 6 to 10 views, filters, comparisons | 4,500 to 10,000 EUR |
| Access rights and GDPR | Each owner sees only their own details, aggregates for others | 1,000 to 2,500 EUR |
| Owner training | 2 sessions, user guide | 1,000 to 1,500 EUR |
| Hosting and maintenance | Server in France, connector updates | 300 to 700 EUR per month |
No patient data is needed: only sales aggregated by product are extracted, which greatly simplifies compliance and avoids certified health data hosting.
What data-driven group purchasing brings
With 22 pharmacies averaging 2.2 M EUR in revenue, the group weighs close to 48 M EUR. The share negotiable directly (generics, OTC, parapharmacy) is about 30%, or 14.5 M EUR of purchases. One margin point gained on that base is worth 145,000 EUR a year for the network.
| Lever | Typical 2026 gain | Value on 14.5 M EUR purchases |
|---|---|---|
| Pooling generic volumes | 0.5 to 1 point | 72,000 to 145,000 EUR |
| Shared parapharmacy listing | 0.5 to 1.5 points | 72,000 to 217,000 EUR |
| Lower overstock | 4 to 8 days of stock | 60,000 to 120,000 EUR of cash |
| Back margins tracked and claimed | 0.2 to 0.5 point | 29,000 to 72,000 EUR |
2026 order of magnitude, to be checked against your current agreements.
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Mini case study
Philippe, president of a group of 22 pharmacies around Toulouse, invests 29,000 EUR excl. VAT in the project and 6,000 EUR a year for hosting and maintenance. At the first annual negotiation with his generics supplier, he presents consolidated, verified volumes and obtains 0.8 extra point on 5 M EUR of generic purchases, or 40,000 EUR a year. The network coordinator recovers 40 days of consolidation a year. The project pays back in under 10 months, before any parapharmacy gains.
FAQ
How much do automated dashboards cost for a pharmacy group?
Between 18,000 and 40,000 EUR excl. VAT depending on the number of software vendors and views required. Hosting and maintenance add 300 to 700 EUR a month.
Do all pharmacies need the same management software?
No, the project includes one connector per vendor. Beyond 5 different vendors, budget 2,000 to 3,000 EUR per extra connector.
Do owners see other pharmacies' figures?
That is a governance choice. The most common setting gives each owner their detailed data and an anonymised comparison with the network median.
Is health data an issue?
No, since no identifiable patient data is extracted. Only sales aggregated by product and by day are collected, outside the scope of health data hosting rules.
How long until go-live?
Three months on average: three weeks to inventory the software, six weeks of development, three weeks validating figures with two pilot pharmacies.
Let's scope your project. Give us the number of pharmacies and the software they use: we price your dashboards between 18,000 and 40,000 EUR excl. VAT, delivered in 3 months. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
