In a retail setting, presentation is known as merchandising. Merchandising helps you promote products, capture the attention of patients already in your store and draw in customers from outside your pharmacy.
Boosting your front-end sales isn’t hard, but it takes a little attention to detail. Luckily, there are some surefire merchandising tricks that can work in your pharmacy.
These strategies are proven across all retail settings, and if used correctly, can help you maximize sales in your pharmacy. Employ these merchandising tricks in your pharmacy to show off what your front end has to offer.
1. Use planograms
Planograms are diagrams that show how retail products should be shelved. They’re a useful tool in retail settings, and make it especially easy to organize your front end. You can design them yourself, or use ones provided by manufacturers or wholesalers.
Planograms help you plan ahead of time how products should be placed in order to maximize sales. And, all you have to do is follow the diagram when you want to rearrange products, which speeds up the process.
2. End caps
End caps are an easy way to switch up your displays and layout without disrupting anything else in your front end. Plus, end caps help patients notice items from aisles they might not walk down. End caps tend to be some of your most visible displays, so use them to show off new products, seasonal specialties or clearance items that you need to get off your shelves.
3. Signage
Your pharmacy is full of signs, including directional signs, promotional signs, storefront signage, price labels, pharmacist recommendations and more.
Signs do more than add to your décor; they help your patients find exactly what they want to know about your pharmacy, your products and their health.
Keep your signage effective by making sure all signs are up-to-date, easy-to-read and visually appealing, so they’ll improve the patient experience in your pharmacy, and encourage more sales.
4. Seasonal displays
Feature products and decorations that are applicable to the season, such as a sunscreen and beach theme in summer, or cough drops and a snow theme during the winter cold and flu season.
Rotate the products in your displays based on demand and always feature new products.
Don’t just stick with the seasons, though. Change displays more than four times a year by celebrating holidays and special events. Create a pharmacy promotions calendar to plan out your seasonal decorations and displays ahead of time.
5. Encourage impulse buys
Take advantage of space near your prescription counter or checkout line to display products that patients might feel inclined to purchase at the last minute, such as tissues, lip balm, and even vitamins.
You could also take advantage of these spaces to display products that are more “wants” than “needs.” Your patients might not be shopping for chocolates or gum, but if they see a display while waiting in line, they might grab some. They get to treat themselves, and you get an extra sale.
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.
