GlaxoSmithKline’s recent move into ecommerce represented a key change in the pharmaceutical industry. It has now been announced that Realex Payments have been chosen to act as payment service provider for the pharmaceutical retail giant.

Speaking at the announcement, Jon Sheard of Realex Payments said, “Innovation is at the heart of what we do and so we are delighted to partner with this ground-breaking offering. This deal represents the result of a close working relationship, and the beginning of a fruitful partnership. There is a clear cultural alignment between our approach and the ground breaking nature of what GlaxoSmithKline are doing with GSK Direct”.

The GSK Direct website sells popular consumer brands direct to the public, and the offering now includes popular weight loss product Alli.

"Choosing a payment gateway partner for our first foray into direct to consumer sales was always going to be a tough decision. With complex internal systems and regulated products, we had to ensure that the chosen solution was both reliable and adaptable” said Paul Gurnell of GlaxoSmithKline.

In enabling the tailored payments gateway, Realex Payments integrated with GSK’s existing web platform provider, and it was this collaborative approach that impressed the pharmaceutical company. “Realex became an obvious choice for us based on their experience in dealing with high volume and value transactions, and their willingness from the start to work with us as a collaborative partner rather than just a service provider” added Gurnell. Sheard agreed, stating “We have demonstrated a partnered approach in helping GSK bring these products to market in this way for the first time”.

The GSK Direct store can be found at www.gskdirect.co.uk