Vertical Solution

Commerce for Pharma & Beauty

Build safe, compliant, and personalized shopping experiences to increase customer loyalty and lifetime value in the pharmacy and beauty markets.

The Challenge

Navigating Complexity in Highly Regulated Markets

Pharmacy and beauty brands face a unique set of challenges: strict compliance requirements, the need for personalized and guided shopping experiences, and the rising demand for omnichannel convenience. Balancing this with the need for agility, fast time-to-market, and a lower total cost of ownership requires a commerce platform built for complexity.

60%

of beauty consumers research online before buying in-store

45%

of pharmacy consumers prefer home delivery for refills

85%

of shoppers say personalization influences their purchasing decisions

70%

of consumers expect to shop socially on platforms like TikTok and WhatsApp

Key Benefits

Why pharma and beauty brands choose VTEX

Regulatory restrictions & compliance

Trade policies, controlled experiences, prescription upload & verification

Long, research-driven discovery journeys

Product comparison, filtering/sorting, product specifications, search engine

Omnichannel complexity & channel fragmentation

Ship from store, click & collect, pick & pack, geo-based store selection, order split

Subscription for chronic meds & replenishment

Subscription engine, recurring orders, order history & reordering

Proven Results

Industry leaders trust VTEX

CUSTOMER STORY

Pague Menos logo

Brazil, pharmacy leader

+30%

search-originated revenue share

+25% sessions of search results — powered by advanced merchandising rules and synonym/need-based search (e.g., suggesting products for "headache" or "fever")

Using context-driven merchandising rules, Pague Menos developed promotional strategies with partners for specific brands in search results.

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CUSTOMER STORY

Locatel logo

Colombia, pharmacy & medical equipment

20%

of total sales now processed through digital (up from 1% pre-pandemic)

8x order volume handled seamlessly during COVID-19 pandemic + 9% increase in digital channel sales since partnering with VTEX and restructuring their channel organization

"Having VTEX has benefited us a lot, I cannot imagine having made it through these challenging times without having a sufficiently robust platform."

— Eurice Troya, CEO de Locatel Colombia

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CUSTOMER STORY

Farmacity logo

300+ stores

35%

increase in number of transactions

17% conversion uplift

"The platform migration was not only executed perfectly, but we also managed to get our numbers to rise, even exceeding our goals."

— Mariano Tordó, Gerente de Ecommerce

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CUSTOMER STORY

L’Oréal logo

Global beauty leader

100%

e-commerce GMV growth in Brazil

17 websites implemented in 15 months, with a 50% reduction in time-to-market for new brands

"VTEX is a strategic partner for L’Oréal in Brazil and worldwide. The platform allows us to accelerate the digital transformation of our brands and strengthen our D2C strategy."

— Jean-Paul Agon, CEO da L’Oréal

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Solution Architecture

Built for Composable and Speed

VTEX’s architecture allows you to integrate and extend your commerce ecosystem with ease. Connect your existing systems and add new capabilities as your business grows.

Pharmacy architecture diagram

Accelerate Your Transformation

Your Digital Roadmap with VTEX

VTEX helps you evolve your digital commerce capabilities in phases, from a strong foundation to full omnichannel expansion and intelligent commerce. Start where you are and scale at your own pace.

1

Digital Foundation

Launch B2C and B2B ecommerce capabilities with a strong foundation for growth.

B2C Commerce
B2B Commerce
Promotions engine
Order Management (OMS)
Search engine
2

Omnichannel Expansion

Unify online and offline channels for a seamless customer experience.

Marketplace
Fulfillment & Logistics
Assisted selling
Subscriptions
3

Intelligent Commerce

Leverage data and AI to personalize experiences and drive efficiency.

Personalization
Live Shopping
Retail Media
VTEX AI

Platform Capabilities

One Platform to Power Your Entire Business

VTEX provides a complete commerce infrastructure to unify your channels, streamline operations, and deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Composable Commerce

Build the exact solution your business needs with our composable commerce platform. Mix and match components to create unique experiences.

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Marketplace & Seller Hub

Expand your reach and assortment by selling third-party products. Manage sellers, products, and orders seamlessly with our centralized Seller Hub.

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Order Management (OMS)

Orchestrate orders across multiple channels and fulfillment locations. Get a unified view of inventory and automate order workflows for efficiency.

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B2B Commerce

Serve the complex needs of B2B buyers with personalized catalogs, tiered pricing, quotes, and self-service account management tools.

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Consumer Trends

Evolving consumer expectations driving pharma and beauty commerce

Customer Self-Service (D2C)

Greater emphasis on customer self-service — shoppers expect to browse, compare, and reorder independently without friction.

Hyper Personalization

Personalization through skin type, tone, and routine matching — moving beyond generic recommendations to individualized experiences.

Seamless Omnichannel

Immersive omnichannel journeys with seamless logistics — customers expect the same experience whether shopping online, in-store, or via mobile.

Authenticity & Social Proof

Greater emphasis on authenticity, reviews, and influencer validation — trust signals are essential for high-consideration beauty purchases.

The Cost of Inaction

Failure to adapt is not an option

Delaying digital transformation in pharma and beauty means losing revenue to more agile competitors, struggling with regulatory compliance, and failing to meet customer expectations for personalized, omnichannel experiences. A legacy platform can lead to increased operational costs, an inability to innovate, and a disconnect from your customer base.

Loss of Market Share

Competitors with better digital experiences will capture your customers.

Compliance Risks

Outdated platforms struggle to keep up with changing regulations.

Data Silos

Lack of a unified customer view prevents personalization and insight.

Ready to transform your Pharma & Beauty business?

Discover how VTEX’s commerce platform can help you build compliant, personalized, and high-converting shopping experiences. Schedule a demo with our experts today.

Talk to an expert

What is VTEX for Pharma & Beauty?

Pharma and Beauty by VTEX is a digital commerce solution for pharmaceutical and beauty brands requiring regulatory compliance, subscription models, and personalized recommendations. It enables businesses to deliver exceptional customer experiences while adhering to strict industry standards.

Technical Capabilities

Engineering foundations that power enterprise performance

1

Leverages a **headless commerce** architecture, allowing for the use of any front-end framework via robust **APIs** to create unique customer experiences.

2

Built on a **composable commerce** philosophy, enabling the integration of best-of-breed third-party solutions for functions like **PIM** and **CRM**.

3

A **cloud-native SaaS** platform with **microservices-based** architecture, ensuring scalability, reliability, and continuous updates.

4

Ensures secure transactions with **PCI DSS** compliance and supports various payment methods through its flexible payment gateway integrations.

5

Features a powerful **promotions engine** and **recommendation AI** to personalize the shopping journey and increase customer lifetime value.

6

Supports **omnichannel** strategies with features like buy online, pickup in-store (BOPIS) and ship from store.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does VTEX for Pharma and Beauty handle regulatory compliance?
VTEX ensures compliance through its flexible architecture that allows for the integration of specialized compliance and validation services. The platform's APIs and composable nature enable businesses to adapt to specific regional and industry regulations, such as those from the FDA or Anvisa.
Can VTEX handle subscription models for beauty and pharma products?
Yes, VTEX has a native subscription module that allows businesses to easily create and manage recurring orders for products like vitamins, supplements, and beauty boxes. This feature helps to increase customer loyalty and generate predictable revenue.
What is the pricing model for the VTEX platform?
VTEX's pricing is typically based on a percentage of the Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) processed through the platform. This model aligns VTEX's success with its clients' success. For detailed pricing, it is recommended to contact the VTEX sales team.
How does VTEX compare to other commerce platforms like Shopify or Magento for the pharma and beauty sector?
VTEX is an enterprise-focused platform with a strong emphasis on composable commerce and MACH architecture, making it highly flexible and scalable for complex businesses. While Shopify is known for its ease of use for smaller businesses and Magento for its open-source flexibility, VTEX excels in providing a complete, integrated solution with advanced features for large-scale operations in regulated industries.

Key Data & Sources

  • VTEX is recognized as a 'Leader' in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Digital Commerce for the fifth consecutive year (2024).
  • The platform boasts a 99.99% uptime, ensuring high availability for critical pharma and beauty businesses.
  • VTEX processes over $15 billion in annual GMV across 43 countries, demonstrating its global scale and reliability.
  • Forrester Research has named VTEX a 'Leader' in The Forrester Wave™: Commerce Platforms for B2C, Q2 2024.
  • IDC has recognized VTEX as a 'Leader' in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Headless Digital Commerce Applications 2023-2024 Vendor Assessment.