When your patients fall victim to the common cold or the flu this season, they’ll need a variety of products to treat their symptoms, and to keep their family healthy.
If your pharmacy isn’t prepared, you could miss out on a chance to boost front-end sales.
Use this checklist to make sure your pharmacy’s front end is ready to address all of your patients’ needs this cold and flu season.
1. Stay well stocked
Keep your aisles well stocked with popular cold and flu remedies.
When your shelves are out-of-stock or running low on cold and flu essentials, you may as well be telling patients to shop somewhere else.
Be sure to keep enough cough lozenges, day and night capsules and tablets for flu and cold symptom relief, tissues and cough syrups on hand.
2. Utilize end caps
Highlight popular cold and flu products with end cap displays.
Consider displaying cold and flu essentials, or products that you only stock during the cold and flu season, on end caps. The prominent placement will help draw attention to these in-demand seasonal products.
And, patients will appreciate the convenience of being able to find all the products they need to alleviate their cold and flu symptoms in one place.
3. Offer natural solutions
Don’t forget to offer your patients natural products, too.
Many patients will be looking for alternative solutions to help them deal with the symptoms of seasonal illnesses, and to help boost their immune systems to prevent those illnesses.
Create displays of vitamin C, or designate an end cap to feature a variety of natural products, such as hot and cold packs, vapor rubs, and saline solution neti pots.
Stocking these products ensures that your pharmacy has solutions for patients who prefer a more natural approach to seasonal illnesses.
4. Update your signage
Remind patients that your pharmacy is a one-stop shop for all of their cold and flu remedy needs by updating your pharmacy’s outdoor and indoor signage.
Update your outdoor signage with banners that promote your pharmacy’s flu shot program. Or, create window clings that promote your front-end selection of products.
Don’t forget to add signage inside your pharmacy, too. For example, set up a small counter sign that reminds patients you stock all the cold and flu essentials they need.
Signage is key to getting patients into your pharmacy to make cold and flu product purchases from your front end.
5. Stock a variety of sizes
Provide a variety of sizes of common cold and flu products to meet all of your patients’ needs.
For example, a patient with a cold will likely need tissues for her purse, her car and her home, so be sure to offer a variety of sizes of these seasonal staples. Also, offer travel sizes of popular liquid or gel products, such as vapor rub or cough syrup, so patients can feel better on the go.
6. Push prevention products
Suggest hand sanitizers, vitamins and supplements to boost patients’ immune systems when they pick up a prescription.
These add-on products from your front end can boost sales and help keep patients healthy during cold and flu season. Make sure to also recommend these products to patients who are already feeling under the weather, so they can help keep their family healthy.
7. Suggest supplementary products
Set a strategy for recommending front-end cold and flu products during flu season.
Give your staff tips on how to make recommendations that will benefit patients, and boost your bottom line. For example, when a patient buys tissues, recommend that he also try moisturizing cream to help sooth the irritated skin from repeatedly blowing his nose.
Creating a plan to recommend supplementary products to common cold and flu season purchases can help patients feel better and increase front-end sales.
8. Flu shots all season long
Flu season can begin as early as October and stretch until as late as May, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), so it’s important to offer flu shots in your pharmacy throughout the season.
It’s not too late for patients to get protected against the flu. Place signs in your front end that promote your flu shot program, and let patients know that the flu vaccine is still available and effective, even late in the season.
Cold and flu season goes hand-in-hand with the holiday season, so check out these tips to make the most of holiday sales in your front end.
