You can make the most of your front-end merchandise space as part of your pharmacy design without stuffing merchandise into displays haphazardly or making your customers squeeze through tight spaces. How? Read on.
1) Catch customers' attention as soon as they enter
Place displays of "hot" or seasonal items right near the entrance so that customers see them right away. Stock these displays with seasonal items like Halloween candy, and/or must-have items like cold or flu medications, to boost sales.
2) Use streamlined, versatile display options that make the best use of minimal space
Gondola shelving is the workhorse of the industry and a wonderful invention, but it can be too bulky to use in small spaces. Slatted wall panels can hold lightweight merchandise and are perfect because of their small footprint and mobility. Slatted gondola units are a fine compromise between lightweight slatted wall panels and bulky, heavy-duty gondola shelving. You can use them for heavier merchandise and still get the streamlined look and small footprint of slatted wall panels.
Both slatted wall panels and slatted gondola units also let you maximize display space; you can use them freestanding or place them against the wall as space requires, and each comes with a variety of hooks, baskets, brackets, and shelves so that you can store and display merchandise of every size and type.
3) Go vertical – within reason
Some of the best retail real estate doesn't take up any extra floor space in your pharmacy design. When you're setting up shelving, consider "going vertical." Instead of setting up displays that have two shelves of merchandise, opt for three or four instead. You'll have twice the merchandise displayed without any crowding at all. [Note: Because many of your customers will be disabled or unwell, consider avoiding the 6-foot standard height for shelving that many retailers use; lower top shelf heights for easier reaching.]
4) Use narrow shelves
Wider shelves have a bigger footprint and force you to tie up a lot of money in inventory, because you must keep shelves heavily stocked. By contrast, narrow shelves free up floor space so that your customers can move around more easily. They also allow you to stock fewer of each product without appearing poorly stocked – and you can display a greater variety of products because you can take advantage of "just-in-time" inventory. It's especially important to make it look as though you've got plenty of product on hand. This will reassure customers that they can get whatever they need when they need it. If it looks as though you're poorly stocked, customers may take their business elsewhere.
5) Don't forget the checkout lane
Finally, don't forget to make the most of your front-end merchandise space in the checkout lane(s). Stock impulse items like candy, magazines, and gum in the checkout, as well as standard, needed supplies like adhesive bandages, pain relievers, cold and flu medications, peroxide, and isopropyl alcohol. Your checkout lane is an important part of your pharmacy design not just because it helps you take care of your customers, but also because it can significantly boost your profits.
Take as much interest in the pharmacy design of your front-end merchandise space as you do your pharmacy space. It can drive a significant part of your profits, so it's not to be overlooked. In addition, your attention to merchandising helps you best serve your customers since they can shop while they wait for prescriptions, for enjoyment, or just to get much-needed items they might otherwise get elsewhere.
