by Dave Wendland, as seen in Healthcare Distributor magazine, Out of the Box column April/May 2013 As Yogi Berra said, “You can observe a lot by watching.” Think how much more easily research around drugstore shopper marketing and the “moments of truth” as a consumer reaches the shelf could be accomplished if we simply observed … Read More
Can you keep a secret?
by Dave Wendland for Drug Store News UpMarketing blog October 2, 2013 Abraham Lincoln is said to once have quipped: “It’s not me who can’t keep a secret. It’s the people I tell that can’t.” But secret-keeping in business is no joke. According to Symantec, theft and misappropriation of trade secrets, customer lists and other … Read More
Pharmacies can build loyalty by embracing wellness
by Jennifer Johnston for Chain Drug Review September 30th, 2013 The retail consumer shift toward wellness is well under way. Hamacher Resource Group and several leading trade associations spotted this emerging trend years ago and changed the term “health and beauty care” (HBC) to “health, beauty, and wellness” (HBW) in everything they produced. These days, … Read More
Get ready to tie one on
by Dave Wendland, as seen in Healthcare Distributor magazine, Out of the Box column February/March 2013 Let’s face it, times they have a-changed. As I look around our industry and compare it to years gone by, I can confidently say that we have become a laid back society. It so happens one of my brothers-in-law … Read More
NSAID concerns lead pain sufferers to external remedies
by Jenny Kosek for Chain Drug Review September 9th, 2013 America is a nation in pain. Over 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, and the annual cost of health care for pain (including disability days and lost wages and productivity) is estimated at between $560 billion and $635 billion. Consequently, it’s not surprising that … Read More
Retailers should appeal to all the senses
by Amy Kasza for Chain Drug Review August 19th, 2013 Offering fast-moving consumer goods such as cold beverages, magazines, candy, gum and mints at checkout is the tried-and-true formula for ensuring quick turns on low-margin items with high consumer demand. Chain drug stores have traditionally offered a predictable and low-maintenance assortment of merchandise that reliably … Read More
It’s time for a vision test
by Dave Wendland for Drug Store News UpMarketing blog August 5, 2013 One of my favorite Japanese proverbs states: “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.” So is it true that all leaders have vision? Or put another way, can leaders be effective without vision? My instincts suggest that a … Read More
Challenge of navigating overcrowded store shelves
by Dave Wendland for Chain Drug Review April 22nd, 2013 It’s been said that if you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there. Change the word “road” to “aisle” and you have the retail world’s equivalent of the familiar adage. When visiting an unfamiliar store, consumers need a visual road … Read More
Retailers Boost In-store Clinics to Draw Traffic
As featured in Retail Leader April 2013 – Shoppers can kill time many ways while waiting for their number at the deli counter or hot food bar: They can cruise the cleaning aisle, scope out deals on boneless chicken breasts or, in increasing numbers of stores, visit an in-store clinic for a quick cholesterol check… Read … Read More
Dart and science
by Dave Wendland for Drug Store News UpMarketing blog March 25, 2013 “The only real valuable thing is intuition,” said Albert Einstein. Within the consumer healthcare industry, nowhere is that more true than in the realm of brand management. Ironically, Einstein also said “if we knew what it was we were doing, it would not … Read More