Monthly Retailer Category Tips — Feminine Care and Family Planning

by Tara Kaifesh, category analyst, and Kelly Zygowski, category analyst, part of Monthly Retailer Category Tips Read on for tools and tips to reenergize your feminine care and family planning departments! In early 2024, Option 2, an emergency contraception product, was launched. In April 2024, Opill, a full prescription strength over-the-counter birth control pill, became […]
Monthly Retailer Category Tips — Oral Care

by Kyle Lentz, category analyst, part of Monthly Retailer Category Tips Promote the array of items you carry to address customers’ oral care needs, from items that support oral health to those that are designed for aesthetic enhancements. The teeth whitening market is expected to continue to grow, according to a Skyquest research report. They cite […]
Monthly Retailer Category Tips — First Aid

by Kelly Zygowski, category analyst, part of Monthly Retailer Category Tips Utilize various merchandising techniques to draw attention to your first aid department. There are many opportunities to cross-merchandise products from other categories into your first aid department. From foot care to pain relief to health support items, you’ll find several basket-building ideas in HRG’s […]
Proactive vs. reactive – pharmacies that thrive
by Kyle Lentz, category analyst 2020 and 2021 provided unique challenges for smaller, independent pharmacies. If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s that a proactive approach vs. a reactive approach can have a positive impact on business. Now, no one can predict the future, and sometimes, like in the case of unforeseen circumstances, a reactive […]
Independent pharmacies and coronavirus – accolades and advice
By Jen Johnston, CHHC, senior marketing services account manager I want to kick-off this post with a wholehearted THANK YOU! At HRG, we recognize that independent pharmacies are on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic. You and your staff are part of an incredible network of healthcare heroes keeping communities safe and healthy during these […]
Has your pharmacy embraced natural beauty?
By Jen Johnston, CHHC, senior marketing services account manager, for the Step into Natural blog series You are likely already carrying the big-name skin care brands which is important for your front-end, but have you investigated the growing segment of natural beauty products? Natural skin care is one of the segments growing in popularity. A recent […]
Start analyzing your competition in 5 easy steps
By Jen Johnston, CHHC, senior marketing services account manager As a store owner or manager, it is essential to know who your competition is when planning your marketing efforts. From a purely prescription perspective, you might peg chain drug stores or even mail order as your fiercest foes; however, do you know who your competitors […]
4 ways pharmacies can partner with health coaches
By Jen Johnston, CHHC, for the Step Into Natural blog series Health coaching is a growing profession. Different from a nutritionist, medical professional, or even health educator, a health coach works with people to develop goals and create healthy habits typically through one-to-one or one-to-many coaching sessions. According to marketresearch.com, there are an estimated 109,000 […]
3 steps to writing a mission statement for your independent pharmacy
By Jen Johnston, CHHC, senior marketing services account manager Many independent pharmacies do not have a formal mission statement. Perhaps your pharmacy never got around to it, or maybe it was an intentional decision because you didn’t think it was necessary. A mission statement formalizes your goal for your store and unifies staff so they […]
Do you stock nutraceuticals in your pharmacy?
By Jen Johnston, CHHC, senior marketing services account manager for the Step into Natural blog series. Is the term nutraceutical familiar to you and your pharmacy staff? Do you know what products fall under the nutraceutical category? In some countries, nutraceuticals (a mash up of “nutrition” and “pharmaceuticals”) are a distinct category of products derived […]