For years, going to the pharmacies meant that sometimes you had to wait in queues and for one-on-one consultations, with possible discomfort and embarrassment.
Hims & Hers handled these issues by building their consumer healthcare on access, privacy, and speed instead of counters, queues, and paperwork. It didn’t attempt to upgrade the previous pharmacy experience; it simply replaced it with a working model suitable for its patients that already pay for services on the internet.
Sometimes you do not want to speak in hushed tones with a rep over the counter. All you want is to find a solution, quietly and quickly, all on your own terms. This is where Hims & Hers come into the picture.
Hims & Hers is a direct-to-customer healthcare company that prides itself on its convenience, privacy, and easy access. Instead of finding courage and strength to go down to the nearest pharmacy or clinic, they can simply go online to Hims & Hers. And on the site, they choose from one of the main categories—dermatology, mental health, sexual wellness, or whatever it is. They can fill out a detailed medical sheet from their phone or laptop.
One of the licensed staff at Hims & Hers reviews the information submitted. A prescription is given from Hims & Hers pharmacy and discreetly sent to the customer’s home address, bypassing the need for doctors, waiting rooms, and awkward exchanges at the pharmacy counter.
The company employs a subscription service for many treatments. What this means is that subscribed users can get continuous care and automatic refills instead of restarting the whole process each time they need the same treatment. It doesn’t just do one-off transactions; there are continuous follow-ups, adjustments, and questions from the platform to make sure you’re not alone.
Why Hims & Hers has succeeded is not just about the technology. It matters, but it is not all there is to it. Integration is the key ingredient. Consultation, prescribing, payment, education, and delivery all happen in one place, making it simpler for users.
Whereas traditional pharmacies split these steps across different providers and locations, making it complicated for users to follow up. By making its platform fit in with consumer behaviors and needs, it shows how modern healthcare can fit into one’s everyday life without any interruptions. Traditional pharmacies are transactional. On the other hand, Hims & Hers is relational. It engages with a patient even after a prescription has been delivered.
Sometimes, traditional pharmacies unintentionally reveal sensitive health data of a patient. Imagine being asked if you’re here to see the doctor for your STDs or if you’re trying to ask for erectile dysfunction medication at a counter. Hims & Hers removed this by:
Privacy was not “marketed”; it came as part of the Hims & Hers experience. People with stigmatized conditions were given a way to be comfortable when seeking help.
Hims & Hers don’t solve all health-related problems. Their focus is on their major health categories like sexual health, hair care, mental health, weight management, and specialty care. They also link their users to licensed professionals for skin care, cardiovascular, and hormonal health treatments. His & Hers is effective at:
Common issues with traditional pharmacies includes:
Healthcare moved towards chronic condition management and lifestyle-linked care, as patients want ongoing support, discretion, and convenience. These were options they weren’t equipped to offer. This shift in expectation is why digital health brands gained relevance and why traditional players lost their relevance with younger and urban consumers.
Traditional pharmacies were limited by several factors, including:
Launching subscription models, redesigning user journeys, or rebranding healthcare narratives can be a risky move when margins are thin and operations are complex.
Founded in November 2017, by Andrew Dudum (CEO), Hilary Coles, Jack Abraham, and Joe Spector, Hims & Hers Health, Inc., is a publicly traded telehealth platform that started with the launch of Hims, which provided men with easy access to care for erectile dysfunction, hair loss, and anxiety. A year later, the company announced they were expanding with Hers, a brand built specifically to address women’s health needs.
As of the end of 2025, Hims & Hers Health (HIMS) has a market capitalization of approximately $5.35 billion to $6.02 billion, and 2025 full-year revenue was projected to reach roughly $2.3 billion, driven by increasing subscribers and strong gross margins of around 73%. The number of subscribers has grown rapidly, from 312,000 in 2020, to over 2.4 million in 2025. The company also boasts of a high retention rate with about 85% of its subscribers still on the platform.
In conclusion, the success of Hims & Hers shows that healthcare consumers are looking forward to having the same convenience they’ve gotten from the company in other parts of their lives. Him & Hers offers speed, clarity, privacy, and continuity. Qualities that appeal to everyone, and they’re leading the way by making life easier for patients seeking healthcare. In the future, pharmacies may have little or no business with locations. They may just be integrated across devices, homes, and platforms.