A three-part blog series by Brittany Benson, manufacturer research specialist

In my previous post in this series, I mentioned how I’ve seen a few articles in the last few weeks that made me think about how you need to cultivate and leverage the human interaction element of the shopping experience in your store. I recently ran across this article about a healthcare vending machine designed to take the place of pharmacy store visits for students on select college campuses in Canada. Apparently, the idea came to the creator of this new startup after visiting a popular chain pharmacy and leaving with the notion that the people working there didn’t add to the experience, but rather were there just to stock shelves. Ouch! I hope your pharmacy doesn’t provide that experience, or lack-of experience, to your customers!

What should you do?

• Offer your customers more than just products on a shelf.
• Be resourceful in finding ways to utilize the talent you have on staff and bring out their skills and knowledge to benefit your customers.

Then I came across this article about Ritzman redesigning its pharmacies. I love the revolutionary ideas they are incorporating into their re-branding. A must-read! The concepts behind these changes are also based on the emotional aspect of what consumers experience in your store. Imagine being out on the floor, interacting with patients and utilizing your skills on a new level, acting as a resource for customers wanting or needing to learn more. Ritzman is even going so far as to offer a “tech bar,” teaching customers about healthcare technology and apps. Welcome to the 21^st century.

In my final blog post of the series, I’ll discuss how you can ensure the physical shopping experience excels over the digital experience through enhanced communication and interaction with your customers.