5 Ways to Enhance the Retail Experience in Your Pharmacy

Too many pharmacy owners focus solely on the prescription side of their business and fail to put enough effort toward boosting retail sales. If you fall into that category, you are missing a big opportunity for extra revenue. Whether it’s suntan lotion, vitamins, diapers or snack foods, your retail section is often the most memorable area of your pharmacy. Make sure your customers have a positive experience by following these steps:

Engage With Customers Immediately

Greet customers with a friendly smile and a unique greeting as soon as they walk in the door. We have all visited businesses where the greeting felt scripted and forced. Don’t micromanage your staff’s reception techniques, but make sure they are welcoming every person who walks in the door. After the purchase, make sure everyone gets a “thank you” and a “goodbye” on the way out. A simple smile and acknowledgement will go a long way in providing a quality retail experience for your customers. Customer engagement starts and ends at the front door.

Make Your Pharmacy Kid-Friendly

Kids influence $1.2 trillion of purchasing dollars every year, so it makes sense to serve the children whose parents are making those purchases. Place a small table in a corner of your pharmacy filled with toys or crayons and paper, so children can entertain themselves while parents shop and wait for prescriptions. Keep all sharp, breakable and poisonous items high on the shelves. You may also want to consider offering kid-friendly programs, like a free children’s vitamin program

Put Relevant Products Together

Do not allow your valued customers to wander around the store looking for what they need. In many cases, a staff member will not be available to assist in the search and some customers will leave unsatisfied. Make sure that the layout of your retail space is intuitive. For example, someone who needs to purchase cold medicine is probably also looking for tissues even though those aren’t the same type of product.

Ask for Customer Feedback

Encourage your customers to provide feedback, so you know exactly what products they like, what they don’t need, and what they would like to see on your shelves in the future. When customers provide your company with feedback, implement the ideas that can improve their experiences. The more you take their input into consideration, the better experience you can create for them.

Offer Easy Payment Options

Let your customers pay in ways that are convenient for them. That may mean accepting as many credit card companies as possible, allowing them to pay online before they arrive, or even installing micro-fencing technology so they can pay without pulling out their wallet. With constant technological advances, businesses have a variety of ways to instantly transform the way their customers interact. Many millennial customers would rather use Apple Pay or a similar method than traditional cash or credit options, so keep this in mind when trying to attract the younger demographic.

Following these five steps will inevitably enhance the retail experience for every customer who visits your store. It will help increase your customer base and result in higher profits. Are you aware of every possible way to increase profits in your pharmacy business? We would like to offer a free business assessment where one of our business advisors will help you identify new niches and programs you can implement to improve your business.