What Compre Does Today for Pharmacies and Wholesalers
By the Compre team ·
Compre started as an app for pharmacies to order stock. It has grown into procurement intelligence for medicine availability: one system where pharmacies order from the wholesalers they already buy from, where those wholesalers run their orders, and where every order, search and out-of-stock request becomes information a wholesaler can act on. This post explains what that means in practice, and what Compre is not.
For pharmacies: the Compre app is where procurement lives
A pharmacy’s buying happens in the Compre app, on Android and iOS. Each wholesaler the pharmacy is connected to has its own Shop in the app, with that wholesaler’s catalogue, prices and cart. In the app a pharmacy can:
- Browse and search each wholesaler’s catalogue, one Shop at a time, and switch between wholesalers whenever it likes.
- Keep shopping lists and order templates for the things it buys every week.
- Capture an order from a photo of a handwritten list.
- Review quantities and prices before sending, follow each order to delivery, and reorder in a tap.
- Apply for credit its wholesaler offers and see the balance. The credit is the wholesaler’s, on the wholesaler’s terms; Compre records it and sends reminders, and does not lend.
- Manage branches and team members.
WhatsApp, voice notes and photos: more ways into the same system
Many orders start away from a screen: at the counter, between customers. So a pharmacy can also send its list on WhatsApp, typed, as a photo of a jotter, as a voice note, or as a PDF, Excel or Word file. Compre reads it, matches each line to that wholesaler’s catalogue and builds a basket for the pharmacy to review. Whatever starts on WhatsApp lands in the same Compre account and shows up in the app. WhatsApp is a channel; Compre is the system underneath it.
It asks, it never guesses
Medicine names are easy to confuse, and a wrong product is a wrong delivery. When a line could match more than one product, Compre asks which one the pharmacy meant, with a “Neither of these” option. Nothing is ordered until the pharmacy reviews and confirms.
For wholesalers: your store, your customers, your prices
Wholesalers and distributors run Compre from a web dashboard and the Compre app.
- Every wholesaler gets a Store QR for counter posters, invoices and stickers. A pharmacy that scans it lands in that wholesaler’s Shop.
- New pharmacies need the wholesaler’s approval, and the wholesaler sets the prices, including per-customer prices and price books.
- Incoming orders can be confirmed, packed, or answered with a proposed change when something is short. The pharmacy sees every update.
- Catalogues stay current by uploading a price list or stock file, or by connecting Odoo, QuickBooks (Online or Desktop) or Compre’s partner API.
Every order becomes procurement intelligence
Because orders, searches and requests run through one system, a wholesaler can see what is moving and what is missing: fast movers, demand by area, and the products customers asked for but could not get. That is what a wholesaler needs to stock what its pharmacies will need next, so medicines are on the shelf when patients need them.
What Compre is not
- Not a directory of wholesalers. Compre does not list wholesalers against each other or rank their prices. Pharmacies order from the wholesalers they are connected to.
- Not a lender. Credit is offered by the wholesaler, on the wholesaler’s terms.
- Not a payment provider. Payment is between the pharmacy and the wholesaler; Compre does not hold or move money.
Getting started
A pharmacy can download the Compre app, scan its wholesaler’s Store QR, accept an invitation from its wholesaler, or register on WhatsApp. A wholesaler can book a demo to see Compre working with its own catalogue.
Read next: How Compre works · B2B pharmacy ordering in Nigeria · FAQ