Inside: Amp up your curb appeal to make your pharmacy more inviting.
Because you only get one first impression, it’s crucial that your pharmacy’s appearance stands out to potential patients. A consultant studying one town’s small businesses found that about 70 percent of purchases from first-time customers happen as a result of good curb appeal.
If you have a messy, neglected storefront, it may discourage new and existing patients from coming into your pharmacy. No detail is too small—signage, lighting, decor, and more all send a message about your business.
8 Steps to Improve Your Pharmacy’s Curb Appeal
Here are a few things you can do to improve your storefront and make your pharmacy stand out.
Have Attractive Signage
Before patients see your building, they will see your sign. To make the best impression, it’s important that your sign reflects your pharmacy.
Your outdoor signage should be consistent with the branding you use inside your store. The fonts, colors, and imagery on your outdoor sign should match with your indoor signage and marketing materials.
Other things to consider for your outdoor signage:
- Readability: The lettering should be large enough to read from a distance, and the colors should contrast.
- Visibility: Place your sign where there are no obstructions like trees or lamp posts blocking the view.
- Weatherproofing: Outdoor signage should be able to stand up to wind, rain, snow, and heat.
- Maintenance: When a lightbulb goes out or paint starts to chip, make repairs right away.
Add Greenery
If you have flower beds or other green space outside your pharmacy, make sure you’re making the most of it. Adding a pop of color in the form of plants will draw patients’ eyes to your pharmacy.
Even if you don’t have any green space, adding a few potted plants can really brighten up your storefront. In the spring, colorful flowers will welcome your patients in, while small evergreens can stand stalwart year-round.
Check out this list from Fine Gardening to learn about hardy plants that thrive in containers throughout each season.
Have Fun With Seasonal Decorations
Acknowledge upcoming holidays by adding a few decorations to your exterior. With a spooky jack-o-lantern around Halloween or a few glitzy lights near Christmas, your storefront will catch the attention of passersby.
If you carry seasonal decorations in your front end, this is also a great way to advertise those products. When someone walking by sees a string of garland they think is pretty, all they have to do is come inside the store to get some for themselves.
Holiday decorations have more positive effects than just sprucing up your image: they put patients (and employees) in a good mood and can boost sales!
Host A Sidewalk Sale
By putting some of your merchandise outside, you encourage people to stop and browse.
The key to a successful sidewalk sale is putting your steepest deals front and center. They’ll be sales so good that people will have to come inside to make a purchase. While they are there, new customers might pick up more merchandise or learn about the services your pharmacy offers.
Holding a sidewalk sale is also a great way to offload merchandise that has been lingering on the shelves a little too long.
Tidy Your Parking Lot
Your storefront might be the most pristine and inviting one on the block, but if your parking lot is full of potholes and hard to navigate, that could put patients off.
Depending on whether you rent or own your space, maintenance of your parking lot could fall under the responsibility of your landlord, but it’s still important to keep an eye on that space.
Watch out for large cracks or holes that make driving difficult and try to get those fixed straight away. Pick up any trash that accumulates throughout the day and sweep away dirt.
Light Things Up
In the winter months when the sun sets early, your pharmacy’s exterior lighting becomes especially important. A well-lit exterior ensures that patients feel safe as they walk from the parking lot to the pharmacy’s door.
Even during the daytime, lighting is a shorthand that lets patients know the pharmacy is open for business.
Make sure your parking lot, sidewalks, and entryway have ample lighting. Illuminates your window displays. And put your outdoor lights are on a timer, so they are always on during pharmacy hours.
Brighten Your Windows
If your store windows are smudged with dirt, potential patients might think that the inside of your store is dirty, too. Washing your windows regularly so they are shiny and clean projects positively on your pharmacy.
In addition to posting your store hours and your “Open” sign in the window, you can also use this space to further your marketing strategy. Post signs about flu shot availability or other services.
For those who want to stretch their creative muscles, window displays can be a great place to show off some of your flagship products. A bold and fun display will catch the eye of patients.
Don’t Forget the Interior
Remember that patients can see through your windows and into your pharmacy, especially when it’s dark outside.
While your pharmacy ideally has neatly stocked shelves throughout, this is even more important for the shelves that face the windows.
Don’t let product boxes clutter up the view, and make sure that employees always project a professional image—you never know who might be looking in on you from the outside.
An Independently Owned Organization Serving Independent Pharmacies
PBA Health is dedicated to helping independent pharmacies reach their full potential on the buy side of their business. The company is an independently owned pharmacy services organization based in Kansas City, Mo., that serves independent pharmacies with group purchasing services, expert contract negotiations, distribution services, and more.
PBA Health, an HDA member, operates its own VAWD-certified warehouse with more than 6,000 SKUs, including brands, generics, narcotics CII-CV, cold-storage products, and over-the-counter (OTC) products.
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