The weather is cooling off and you’re removing the sunscreen and aloe vera from your pharmacy’s front-end displays.
As you’re readying your pharmacy for the imminent transition to cold and flu season, don’t forget to take advantage of back-to-school shopping to generate extra revenue in your front end this fall.
Here are five tips to make the most of the start of fall classes (and give your pharmacy a good reputation for students and their parents.).
1. Stock the back-to-school staples
Offer pencils, notebooks, crayons, scissors and glue. If you stock these school supplies regularly, it’s time to move them front and center in your front end. If you don’t normally stock school supplies, consider creating a seasonal display as kids head back to school.
Also, print out school supply lists for each grade level from your local schools or school district, so you know exactly what to order. Have copies of the lists on-hand for shoppers, so they won’t forget any items. They’ll appreciate this thoughtful gesture.
2. Remember classroom health essentials
Back-to-school is the perfect time for families to pick up necessary health items that aren’t included on school shopping lists.
Stock hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes and facial tissues, so students can avoid catching colds when they’re back in school with sniffling classmates.
Consider including Vitamin C, multivitamins and other immune-boosters in your back-to-school display, along with healthy snacks, reusable water bottles and medicated lip balm.
3. Let your patients know
Make sure your patients know that you carry school supplies, whether it’s just during the back-to-school season, or if you stock these items all year.
Use emails, signage and social media to let your patients know what you offer, and don’t forget to remind patients as they pick up their prescriptions.
Look into having a booth at your local schools’ enrollment day, beginning-of-the- school-year socials or “meet-your-teacher” events. Use these events to build awareness for your pharmacy, and be sure to promote your services, such as medication flavoring or immunizations.
4. Give shoppers incentives
Offer exciting incentives to bring shoppers into your store for school supplies. But make sure to also promote your pharmacy’s services once you get shoppers in your store. For example, give a discount toward the purchase of back-to-school items when a patient fills a prescription, or hold a raffle for a new backpack filled with supplies.
Considering offering buy-one, get-one deals for families buying for multiple students, and place easy-to-grab items, such as highlighters or mechanical pencils, at the register. This will also serve as a reminder to your patients that they can pick up their entire shopping list while they’re at your store.
5. Think outside the box
Don’t limit your opportunity to boost back-to-school front-end sales to pencils, paper and crayons.
You can get kids excited about starting the new school year by stocking fun school supplies, like novelty pens, stickers, colorful notebooks and themed folders.
Stock items for older students, too, who want to decorate their lockers with magnets, mirrors, shelves or caddies. And, offer items for college students who need basics for their dorm rooms. (Think first-aid kits, vitamins and pain relievers.)
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