Pharmacies have a 65-75% no-website rate, and the biggest reason isn't cost or indifference — it's a genuine, and largely correct, belief that selling or advertising drugs online is restricted. The pitch has to clear up that confusion before anything else, because most pharmacists will say no to "website" the moment they hear it, assuming you mean an online drug store.
This is the one industry on this list where the objection is rooted in real regulation, not habit or budget. Get the distinction right and you'll close deals other freelancers can't, because most of them don't know the rule well enough to explain it.
The Real Objection: "I Can't Sell Drugs Online, It's Against the Law"
This objection is grounded in fact, not excuse-making. Nigeria's Electronic Pharmacy (e-Pharmacy) Regulations, formalized by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), require any platform that sells or advertises medicines online to be authorized by the Council and display the official PCN logo. The Council has actively pursued unlicensed online drug sellers, so pharmacy owners who are aware of this — and many are, because it's been widely covered in Nigerian pharmacy trade press — are right to be cautious about anything that sounds like "put your pharmacy online."
The distinction that unlocks this pitch: an informational website is not an e-pharmacy. A site that shows the pharmacy's location, hours, OTC (over-the-counter) product categories, health tips, and a WhatsApp number for stock inquiries is fundamentally different from an e-commerce platform that processes drug orders and payments online — the latter is what triggers PCN e-Pharmacy licensing requirements, not the former. Be explicit about this distinction in your pitch: "This isn't an online pharmacy — it's a page that tells people you exist, what you stock, and how to reach you. No prescriptions, no online drug sales, nothing that needs PCN e-pharmacy approval."
The second objection, once the legal concern is cleared, is usually simple: "people just walk in, I don't need this." The answer is convenience-based, not sales-based — a site lets a customer confirm you stock a specific item (or a category like baby products, diabetic supplies, or first aid) before walking over, which saves both sides time, especially for pharmacies near hospitals or in busy commercial areas where footfall competes with several other pharmacies nearby.
What Pharmacies Actually Pay for a Website
Pharmacy budgets sit in the lower-to-mid range — similar to a well-run retail shop rather than a clinic, since the site's job is informational, not transactional.
| Package | What's Included | Typical Price (Nigeria) | |---|---|---| | Basic | Location, hours, OTC product categories, WhatsApp/call button | ₦80,000-₦150,000 | | Standard | Basic + pharmacist credentials, health tips section, stock-inquiry form | ₦150,000-₦250,000 | | Full | Standard + multi-branch listing (for pharmacy chains), SEO for "pharmacy near me" | ₦250,000-₦400,000+ |
Multi-branch pharmacy chains are the highest-value version of this pitch — a single site covering 3-5 branches with individual location pages is worth significantly more than a single-store build, and the owner only has to make one buying decision to cover the whole chain.
What the Website Actually Needs to Include
- Clear framing that this is informational, not an online pharmacy — a short line stating no prescription drugs are sold online reassures both the owner and PCN-aware visitors
- Location, hours, and multi-branch addresses if applicable
- OTC product categories (first aid, baby care, personal care, supplements) — not individual drug listings or prices, which strays into e-pharmacy territory
- Pharmacist name and registration/credentials — builds trust the same way doctor credentials do for clinics
- WhatsApp or call button for stock inquiries — "do you have X in stock" is the single most common customer question this solves
- Health tips or seasonal advice content (malaria season prep, cough & cold season) — genuinely useful, low-risk content that builds return visits without making medical claims
Where to Find Pharmacies With No Website
- Google Maps — search "pharmacy [city]" or "chemist [city]"; a large share of listings will have no website field
- PCN registered facility lists — the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria publishes registers of licensed pharmacies by state, useful for cross-checking against Google listings
- Hospital/clinic-adjacent commercial strips — pharmacies cluster near hospitals and clinics; a short area survey often surfaces several no-website pharmacies within walking distance of each other
- Runvax — filter "Pharmacies" by city for a list flagged by website status with contact info pulled automatically
The Pitch
Lead by defusing the legal concern immediately, since it's the objection you'll hit first almost every time: "I know pharmacies can't sell drugs online without PCN e-pharmacy approval — this isn't that. It's a simple page showing your location, hours, and what you stock, so people can find you and message before walking over. Completely separate from online drug sales. Want to see a sample?"
If the pharmacist pushes back on price after that, the response isn't to discount immediately — it's to reframe the value against what a missed customer costs. See how to handle price objections in cold email for scripts that hold your price by tying it to a concrete outcome instead of negotiating down on the first pushback.
Runvax searches pharmacies in any city and flags which ones have no website, so you can build a targeted, informed pitch list instead of guessing which pharmacies are receptive.