Grouped under the headings of: Instore Experience, Operations, and Communications, you’ll find actionable steps that will differentiate your locally owned and operated pharmacy from the corporate discounters.
Instore Experience
1. Personalised customer service
· Offer tailored health advice and consultations at all times to build strong customer relationships.
· Invest in staff training to ensure staff are knowledgeable about health products and services. Emphasise your role as a primary destination for common conditions.
· Designate private areas for one-on-one consultations with comfortable waiting areas.
· Provide a simple menu of in-store services. Accept bookings and walk-in clients whenever possible.
2. Wellness focus
Promote preventative healthcare services such as screening tests and immunisations, and always have expert consultants such as nurses and pharmacists available in-store.
Operations
3. Data-driven insights
Implement data analytics and reporting such as RPM Retail to monitor customer preferences and local health needs. Use this data to optimise product offerings, prices and services.
4. Store efficiency
· Streamline prescription enquiries by implementing dedicated prescription triage areas that are always fully staffed.
· Rationalise your product range and optimise the store layout for easy navigation.
5. Digital engagement
Leverage digital tools such as website forms, text reminders and a mobile phone app for prescription refills and make it easier for customers to manage their scripts.
6. Ecommerce
· Enable easy-to-use search on your ecommerce product listings and make it simple for customers to check stock availability and prices.
· Streamline the ecommerce checkout process to make it easy for online customers to choose their delivery or pickup method. Implement foolproof fulfilment processes for options such as same day pickup or tracked delivery.
Communications
7. Brand Identity
Ensure all components of your pharmacy’s brand are up-to-date and coordinated so customers see a consistent and professional image.
8. Social media
Create engaging content on social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok and Instagram to promote products and services.
9. Customer loyalty
Power up your loyalty programme with personalised messages based on purchase history and health interests to engage and retain your best customers.
10.Advertising
Engage with local communities through media such as newspapers and billboards and publish website blog articles and newsletters containing health tips and updates on in-store events.
Don’t go-it-alone
This list of business goals will seem overwhelming, particularly when pharmacy owners are still feeling burnt-out and undervalued in their core dispensing role.
However, it is important to recognise you are not alone! Our pharmacy sector has a number of organisations that enable you to work collectively to achieve better outcomes and to get support from fellow owners and staff.
While many of the steps above are too hard or too expensive for any small business to implement on their own, we can all work together to create a stronger and more future-proofed independent pharmacy sector.
Check out The IPG website and get in touch with this group that supports the business growth of successful NZ pharmacies.
