Alibaba Health Pharmacy Celebrates 3rd Anniversary, Redefines Future 'Super Pharmacy' Standards with Health-Focused Platform Upgrade and Smart Speaker Launch

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that on September 12, Alibaba Health Pharmacy released the Super Pharmacy 2.0 standards during its third-anniversary celebration, upgrading from a pharmaceutical retail platform to a family-centric health service platform.

In addition to upgrading its platform, Alibaba Health has partnered with Tmall Genie to launch the first-ever customized “Lu Xiaojia” smart speaker, delivering intelligent “health steward” scenario-based services to tens of millions of households across China.

Data shows that Ali Health Pharmacy is an integrated online and offline pharmacy. Last year, Ali Health Pharmacy unveiled for the first time the “Super Pharmacy 1.0” standard in the new retail era. After a year of exploration, Ali Health Pharmacy has upgraded its Super Pharmacy to a 2.0 health service platform, focusing on the service scenario of “the health needs of one family member.”

Super Pharmacy 2.0 Upgrade

“‘Comprehensive and Safe’ is the key to a pharmacy’s ability to serve consumers well,” said Liu Henghao, General Manager of Alibaba Health Pharmacy, at the press conference. Super Pharmacy 2.0 features six major standards, including a comprehensive product range, coverage for all population groups, and services across all scenarios, while enhancing safety assurance through rigorous quality selection, medication management, and health companionship.

A series of data points underscores the “comprehensiveness” of this super pharmacy: over the past three years, more than 200 million people have visited its stores, meaning that nearly one in every six Chinese residents has shopped there.

Over the past year, the number of customers purchasing nourishing products such as donkey-hide gelatin (Ejiao), bird’s nest, and ginseng from Ali Health Pharmacy increased by 120%; sales of health pots surged by 150%; and demand for oral beauty and nourishing supplements rose by 100%. The number of online consultations with pharmacists on health-related issues reached nearly 10 million, with a daily peak of 70,000 inquiries.

As of September 2019, Alibaba Health Pharmacy had listed more than 60,000 products from 22 countries and regions, partnering with nearly 3,000 brands. Its product portfolio spans multiple categories, including over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, health supplements and tonics, adult products, medical devices, contact lenses, beauty and personal care items, and maternal and infant products, providing health solutions for individuals across all age groups, from infants to the elderly.

To expand regional coverage and improve delivery efficiency through localized shipping, Alibaba Health Pharmacy added central warehouses in Foshan and Chongqing last year to its existing facilities in Guangzhou, Shijiazhuang, and Kunshan, enabling nationwide distribution from five warehouses.

Currently, through collaboration with the Cainiao Alliance, coverage in remote areas has expanded, enabling the delivery of physical health products from Ali Health Pharmacy to destinations as far north as Mohe and as far south as Sansha. In 20 core cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou, orders placed before 7:00 PM can be delivered the next day.

For users, selecting the right medication and purchasing high-quality drugs are practical needs. Super Pharmacy 2.0 is driven by user needs and has comprehensively iterated its safety processes.

Currently, Ali Health Pharmacy has over 2,000 licensed pharmacists available online for 16 hours a day, seven days a week. Users can receive free consultations before making a purchase, and customer service follows up after the sale. During the online medication purchasing process, consumers can access content tailored to their needs, with comprehensive product descriptions and reviews to support informed decision-making.

In terms of quality control, Ali Health’s Transparent Laboratory has completed testing on more than 3,000 batches of samples in the past year alone and established 27 premium standards for products such as American ginseng, goji berries, honey, and protein powder.

Furthermore, traceability technology further safeguards drug safety. Before purchase, consumers can view the “Ma Shang Fang Xin” (Code for Peace of Mind) certification on the product page; after receiving the goods, scanning the code on the medication box via Taobao or Alipay helps verify authenticity.

In super pharmacies, the scenario of health companionship is also a newly added service upgrade. Alibaba Health Pharmacy has partnered with Tmall Genie to launch a custom-designed “Lu Xiaojia” smart speaker. Henceforth, all Tmall Genie devices will be equipped with health-related voice services, serving as companions for family health and providing answers to health-related queries.

Currently, Tmall Genie, including the Lu Xiaojia model, has mastered over 4,000 medication guidelines and contraindications, provides professional responses for more than 270 symptom scenarios such as headaches, fever, diarrhea, and burns, and covers over 2,000 disease encyclopedia entries. With the assistance of advanced AI, Tmall Genie continuously iterates its health knowledge content based on user inquiries, aiming to address the vast majority of users’ health-related questions.

Exclusive Custom Edition "Lu Xiaojia" Smart Speaker

Chen Lijuan, Vice President of Alibaba Group and General Manager of its AI Lab, stated that artificial intelligence technology will drive the digitalization, personalization, and intelligentization of health management. From Tmall Genie’s Huoyan to the Luxiaojia smart speaker, the collaboration between Tmall Genie and AliHealth continues to deepen. This partnership will gradually establish scenario-based connections for household users with platform healthcare service providers, including super pharmacies. By leveraging human-machine synergy and integrating virtual and real-world resources, they aim to provide family doctor services to safeguard family health, facilitate the upgrading of the health industry, and make healthcare readily accessible.

Super Pharmacy 2.0 On-site Ceremony

“It is foreseeable that the largest pharmacy in China will undoubtedly emerge online,” said Shen Difan, CEO of Alibaba Health. “Our vision is ‘to provide fair, inclusive, and accessible health services to one billion people.’ Therefore, Alibaba Health Pharmacy does not aim to be the largest pharmacy, but rather strives to offer a more comprehensive, safer, and more inclusive service. Fifty percent of our customers come from small towns in third-tier cities and below, enabling them to enjoy pharmaceutical and healthcare products and services on par with those available to residents in first-tier cities.”