Consumers in their child-raising years are unflappable when it comes to spending. Among these families, women tend to make most purchasing decisions. Especially when it comes to buying over-the-counter products. This is great news for your independent pharmacy, since the OTC products in your store have the highest profit margin. So, if you haven’t already, maximize your chances and attract new families into your store.
Bringing new households into your customer base will get you ready for long-term development as their children grow older and begin to make their own shopping decisions.
Don’t worry if you don’t have a plan in place for marketing to families. The steps listed below will help you move in the right direction.
Set up a play zone
You don’t need to designate a large space. Instead, designate a low-traffic zone with a little table, chairs and/or beanbags, storybooks, crayons, coloring books, puzzles, or blocks. Make sure you include play items for different age groups. Designating a place for children to play while parents wait for prescriptions can attract more families into your pharmacy. Remember: word of mouth is golden. If one family is impressed with their experience at your pharmacy, they’ll surely talk about it with their friends.
Prepare a baby aisle
If you don’t already have display of baby products in your front end, what are you waiting for? Parents don’t have a lot of time to gallivant through a store when they have little ones in tow. Having necessary items for their little ones in the front end makes their trip to your pharmacy a pleasant experience. Stock different types of OTC medications for infants and young children here. For example, children’s allergy medication, cough suppressants, low-dose pain relievers, homeopathic treatments, and gas-relieving drops. Don’t forget to stock diapers, baby wipes, and diaper-rash creams in this area as well.
Create a fun toy section
Instantly attract kids’ attention with a small-but-fun toy section. Set up items that feature popular characters from children’s movies and television shows. Showcase contemporary blockbusters such as Frozen or Toy Story, or classics like Sesame Street or Blue’s Clues. Your options are endless. However, be sure to situate this aisle somewhere where parents can easily avoid it if they’re in a hurry with their children.
Hold kid-friendly events
Brainstorm with your staff and plan something special for families at your store once a month. Your goal is to invite families into your store, even if they don’t have an urgent need for a product. For example, celebrate the holidays! Have a visit from Santa in December; designate a month or two for special crafts children can make; host toddler story time. Be sure to schedule events during kid-friendly hours: early mornings or late afternoons.
Set up a health-and-safety program
Get kids interested and engaged in their own health and eager to visit your pharmacy. Set up a free replenishment program and give away low-cost items such as soap, toothbrushes, or multivitamins on a monthly basis to all the children in your community. Have parents fill out an enrollment form and regularly track their participation to see how this initiative is bringing new patients into your store.
Reach out to local schools to let them know about the availability of the free replenishment program at your pharmacy. Whip up some flyers about the program and give them to the front office at the school. They can send the flyers home with students.
Invite parents to bring their little ones to other health events at your pharmacy, too, such as immunization and flu clinics. This is another way to get them interested in health and wellness.
With a family-friendly program, your independent pharmacy can start small and build momentum, trust, and loyalty in the community. By engaging with local families consistently, you will easily multiply the number of patients under your care and find new ways that you can meet their needs profitably.
A Member-Owned Company Serving Independent Pharmacies
PBA Health is dedicated to helping independent pharmacies reach their full potential on the buy-side of their business. Founded and owned by pharmacists, PBA Health serves independent pharmacies with group purchasing services, wholesaler contract negotiations, proprietary purchasing tools, and more.
An HDA member, PBA Health operates its own NABP-accredited secondary wholesaler with more than 6,000 SKUs, including brands, generics, narcotics CII-CV, cold-storage products, and over-the-counter (OTC) products — offering the lowest prices in the secondary market.
