If you’re looking for fresh inventory to add to your front end, and you want to boost over-the-counter (OTC) sales, supplements may be a profitable area to consider.
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) conducted a 2014 CRN Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements, which revealed that 68 percent of adults in the U.S. take some type of dietary supplement. If you aren’t already offering a variety of supplements in your front end, you may be missing out on a potentially profitable avenue of business.
Here are a few reasons why (and how) you can boost your pharmacy’s front-end sales with supplements.
Why supplements?
Not only are more patients purchasing vitamins and supplements today, but supplements also provide beneficial outcomes for your patients.
As you know, physicians often prescribe supplements along with prescription medications. They can provide numerous health benefits to patients with many different health concerns. If you aren’t offering the supplements your patients are looking for, they may turn to a different pharmacy.
The pharmacist’s role in sales
Pharmacies ranked as the second most preferred location for consumers to shop for their dietary supplements in the CRN survey. Consumers also identified pharmacists as being a trusted source for reliable information about supplements.
Ways to boost supplement sales:
- Educate your staff about types of supplements to recommend to patients.
- Be a reliable source of information. Provide educational materials on supplements to your patients and be readily available to answer any questions.
- Review your pharmacy’s planograms. Placing vitamins and supplements in a specific location in the store, such as the front counter, may entice patients to make a supplement purchase.
Consider your patients
When adding supplements to your front end, think about your patients. Who purchases OTC products when they fill their prescriptions? Have you noticed a certain demographic that’s interested in health or dietary supplements?
According to a 2013 Gallup survey, more than half of Americans claim to regularly take vitamins, or other vitamin and mineral supplements. Women, older adults and individuals with higher incomes are more likely to purchase vitamins and supplements than individuals from other demographic categories.
Taking into consideration the types of patients who make OTC purchases at your pharmacy is the first step in deciding whether or not adding a certain supply of supplements to your front end is right for you.
Want to know more about supplements? Here are 10 trends to know about dietary supplements.
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