by Jen Johnston Recently, I had the privilege of interviewing Stacy Bennett, RPh, CHHC of Health Coach Pharmacist to talk through how she is incorporating health coaching into her pharmacy practice. I hope this post will give you some ideas of how you can incorporate health coaching into your pharmacy practice, either by becoming a certified … Read More
I heart pharmacists!
by Jenny Kosek As a course of business, for the past thirty years HRG has conducted research with the independent pharmacies we serve with our merchandising and pricing services. I was lucky enough to participate in these calls, and after speaking with some half-dozen pharmacists who also serve as front-end managers, I would like to say: … Read More
15 minutes or less
by Megan Moyer What is your greatest competitive advantage? We have great customer service. We know our patients and they are in and out within 5-10 minutes of arriving. That’s a question and response from our independent pharmacist survey that we conducted in fall of 2012 as part of our research into independent pharmacy shoppers. … Read More
No flu shots at your store? You can still build sales during flu season
0by Jenny Kosek Two-thirds of U.S. pharmacists have completed the 20 hour pharmacy-based immunization training offered by the American Pharmacist’s Association. Have you? All 50 states allow pharmacists who have completed this training to offer immunizations in their stores, positioning those pharmacies to attract consumers who seek convenient immunizations without the need to schedule doctor’s visits. … Read More
The Dollars and the Indies: Pt. 3
by Jenny Kosek Dollar stores are positioned either in areas underserved by supermarkets or drug stores, or in strip malls next to big box retailers to lure consumers to a faster, easier shopping experience. Where is your store? Chances are you’re in a small downtown or perhaps well away from busy retail areas in your community. … Read More
It’s time to create your online presence
by Megan Moyer Creativity is an essential tool in planning for growth. While changing up your product assortment can lead to an increase in sales, and creating partnerships with local businesses can as well, you can also increase awareness and drive more business by creating an online presence. Think of how much more inventory you … 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
The Dollars and the Indies: Pt. 2
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. Convenience2. Cost3. Customer Service Dollar stores are winning the war … Read More
Mandatory mail order — indie pharmacy’s biggest front-end competitor
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
Posted by Jenny Kosek Dollar General just received the 2013 Company of the Year in Retail award at the 11th Annual American Business Awards. With a 48% share in the dollar channel[1], it’s no wonder. While consumables lead sales in the dollar channel, OTC products are gaining strength. Not nearly done competing, dollar stores are … Read More