by Dave Wendland for Drug Store News UpMarketing Blog December 2, 2013 — I can hardly believe that I will once again have the distinct honor of facilitating a discussion with an impressive panel of industry leaders from both the retail and supplier side in this, my tenth appearance as moderator of Drug Store News’ … Read More
Pause and Effect
by Dave Wendland, as seen in Healthcare Distributor magazine, Out of the Box column August/September 2013 In our frenetic, rapid-fire world, the pressure of providing an instant response is always upon us. With smartphones, iPhones, Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr literally at our fingertips, it’s easier than ever to reflexively reply. But what effect does this … Read More
Retailers, suppliers will benefit by giving data its due
by Megan Moyer for Chain Drug Review November 25th, 2013 Should companies consider data an asset? Recognizing the value of translating big data into something meaningful that informs product, marketing, customer service, distribution, sales, and operations decisions has been a hot topic this year. Managing this “good” data rather than disparate data can have a … Read More
Shopper Preferences Drive Front-end Purchases
by Megan Moyer, as seen in Healthcare Distributor magazine April/May 2013 When a product is in development, meeting the needs of consumers is a foremost consideration. This principle also applies when planning product assortments for pharmacy front-ends. Because shoppers rely on multiple retailers to meet their health and wellness needs, and thanks to personalized technology-enabled connections, consumers are accustomed to retailers connecting with them as … Read More
Migratory shopper paths part 1 of 2
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