Resources for Independent Pharmacies Archives - Page 33 of 34

Pharmacies can build loyalty by embracing wellness

April 4, 2024September 30, 2013 by Megan Moyer

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

The Dollars and the Indies: Pt. 2

April 4, 2024September 24, 2013 by Megan Moyer

Posted by Jenny Kosek

So, dollar stores and their pharmacies are a-comin’, and your pharmacy needs to be ready to battle them for consumers. Are you ready?

Consumers choose where to shop based on what I’ll call “the Three Cs”. In order of importance, they are:

1. Convenience
2. Cost
3. Customer Service

Dollar stores are winning the war for consumer loyalty by offering a shopping experience focused on convenience and cost. But the opportunities for independents to beat them at their own game are many:

Mandatory mail order — indie pharmacy’s biggest front-end competitor

April 4, 2024September 16, 2013 by Megan Moyer

by Jen Johnston Last year, HRG surveyed independent pharmacies about many topics, one of which was who their biggest competitors are when it comes to their front-end. One east coast pharmacist called me during the midst of Hurricane Sandy cleanup because his power was out and he couldn’t complete the online survey, but he had … Read more

The Dollars and the Indies: Pt. 1

April 4, 2024September 13, 2013 by Megan Moyer

Finding the local pharmacy

April 4, 2024September 6, 2013 by Megan Moyer

by Jenny Kosek I’ve been taking the same route to work for the past four years. I drive on a busy street, popular with drivers looking to avoid the congestion on highways. Still, there’s a particular stretch of this road that can be prone to some back-ups, and I was stuck in one such delay yesterday … Read more

Embrace your “indie” mystique to reach the 2nd largest generation

April 4, 2024August 29, 2013 by Megan Moyer

by Jen Johnston The last time you thought about the millennial generation (gen Y) they may have been a bunch of ragtag middle schoolers whose only source of income was their weekly allowances from mom and dad. You may have had to watch that they didn’t steal candy or lip gloss, but they didn’t really … Read more

Expertise in skin care is one way to build shopper loyalty

April 4, 2024August 19, 2013 by Megan Moyer

by Jennifer Johnston for Chain Drug Review August 19th, 2013 Unlike traditional skin care products, which are typically used for moisturizing, medicated skin care products provide relief from such conditions as acne, eczema, rashes and itching, rosacea, warts, and psoriasis. These products can be found across the store in multiple categories, or in a … Read more

Appearance Matters

April 4, 2024August 5, 2013 by Megan Moyer

by Megan Moyer I enjoy shopping at drug stores, especially independents. I have fond memories of going to the drug store as a kid to get a candy bar and a comic book for the 5-hour drive to our grandparents’ house. My first job, in my teens, was at an independent pharmacy where I guess … Read more

Position your store as a wellness destination

April 4, 2024July 29, 2013 by Megan Moyer

by Megan Moyer What does wellness mean to you? I like this definition from the McKinley Health Center, University of Illinois: Wellness is a state of optimal well-being that is oriented toward maximizing an individual’s potential. I think we can all identify with that. Some within our industry have already moved from describing over-the-counter (OTC) … Read more

Retail staff: In-store search engines

April 4, 2024July 18, 2013 by Megan Moyer

by Jenny Kosek How did it come to this? 91% of consumers who shop online do so because they can research their buying decisions, and these shoppers trust online ratings and reviews by a 4:1 margin over the opinions of store employees. Why don’t shoppers trust store employees any more? Consumers who are turning to … Read more