Make the last two months of 2024 the best of the year. From year-end vaccinations to sprucing up your inventory, November and December present a gift-wrapped opportunity to set up your pharmacy for success. We’ll share three tips now and three tips next week. So, check back!
Vaccines, vaccines, vaccines
The holiday season is flu season. Use your pharmacy technology to email, text, or even call your patients who haven’t yet gotten this year’s flu vaccine—before they gather with family and friends. Be sure to remind them that you offer far more than flu shots, as they’ll appreciate the convenience of being able to get their pneumonia, shingles, or COVID shots, too. And don’t forget to reinforce your message on social media as well as to verbally remind your patients if they pay you a visit in person.
Make room for more
Go through your inventory, making sure that you’re fully stocked with cough, cold, and flu products. You might offer pre-packaged wellness kits that bundle products together. Create cold and flu survival kits full of cough syrup, pain reliever, decongestants, facial tissue, throat lozenges, and herbal teas. Or put together immune-boosting packs with vitamins and immune boosters.
Prominently display seasonal stocking stuffers or other small, fun gifts. You might partner with local vendors and purveyors that make candles, artwork, jewelry, ceramics, or artisanal foods and drinks. Don’t forget to feature holiday cards and pens, too. Many customers, including your younger ones, send greeting cards instead of digital greetings.
HSA and FSA promos
A lot of your patients will want to use up all of their HSA or FSA accounts by the end of the year. First, remind your patients to check their accounts, which often have “use it or lose it” rules.
Focus on and feature eligible, and always-needed items such as first-aid supplies, diabetic care products, specific OTC medications, and such. Offer discounts or extra loyalty rewards on popular products to encourage patients to get the most bang for their buck. In addition to helping your patients use up their existing funds, this strategy helps you clear out your inventory ahead of the new year.
Next week, PBA Health will feature additional tips to get the most out of 2024 while setting your business up for success in 2025.
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 run 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 warehouse 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.
