by Dave Wendland for Drug Store News March 20, 2014 – Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m a fan of NBC’s “The Voice.” It’s not because of the variety of talent that graces the stage and tries to wow the judges and the general public, but rather because of the blind auditions. For those unfamiliar with this … Read More
Out in the Cold
by Dave Wendland for Drug Store News February 6, 2014 – For those of us living in the Midwest — and perhaps throughout the country — we have become familiar with a weather term “polar vortex.” No doubt you’ve heard the phrase pinging around the news media in recent weeks. One of the coldest Arctic outbreaks … Read More
The 5 Ps of Picking New Products
by Jenny Kosek for Grocery Headquarters 2014 Nonfoods Handbook February 4, 2014 — The battle for shelf space is raging on and for grocers with limited room in their general merchandise and health and beauty care departments, deciding which new products to bring in, which items stay and which should be replaced is growing increasingly difficult … Read More
Gold Medal Performance
By Dave Wendland for HealthCare Distributor December 2012/January 2013 — Many of us marveled over the summer months at the incredible talent and skill of the remarkable Olympians representing their respective countries with pride. As I watched their unflappable grace when facing incredible competition, perseverance as they were met with obstacles and challenges, and the … Read More
Migratory shopper paths part 2 of 2
by Dave Wendland, as seen in Healthcare Distributor magazine, Out of the Box column June/July 2013 In the previous issue of HealthCare Distributor, I used this column to describe the first of several shopping patterns through the persona of birds. This issue I introduce three additional species and their shopping characteristics. If you haven’t already … Read More
What goes around comes around
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