SHELF OBSESSED

"You've got to spend money to make money" has never been truer than in the case of pharmacy workflow automation. Robots or pill counters aren't cheap to buy, of course, but the benefits they provide, both financial and otherwise, are definitely worth the investment if your pharmacy dispensing volume justifies the expenditure. Installing various forms of automated equipment has proven to improve pharmacy workflow, which benefits both customers and staff members alike.

If you believe that starting a pharmacy requires a great deal in the way of resources, you're right. For those able to put it all together, though, the rewards can be well worth the investment. Some years ago, when big-box and drug store chains started taking over the Mom and Pop shops or undercutting their prices so severely that the small guys couldn't compete, many of these small businesses started going out of business. Today we're seeing a resurgence of smaller, community-based, individual pharmacies popping back up and finding favor with consumers looking for a more personal experience, with a druggist who actually knows them by name and a store that's friendly, warm, and welcoming.

For many owners, a viable pharmacy strategy for 2016 must include the consideration of getting their drug store certified as a specialty pharmacy. Statistics now show that the market for specialty drugs is growing so quickly that soon it will comprise a full 50% of the total dollar amount of the drugs dispensed in the U.S. each year. Pharmacies opting out of this segment of the industry are likely to fall behind those who are willing to actively pursue this lucrative area of drug dispensing.

While there are no hard-and-fast rules that can determine the exact setup of your pharmacy back end area, we can all agree that an efficient pharmacy workflow benefits everyone – customers and staff alike. Part of the secret to creating this efficient workflow is to ensure that the pharmacy workflow stations are appropriately designed and installed and that staff members assigned to those stations are adequately trained for their positions.

As an independent pharmacy, it's unlikely you'll ever be able to compete with the large, big-box drug stores price-wise, but that doesn't mean you can't compete with them in other ways that customers may find even more important than price. Besides the fact that your store is in a community that your customers may find more convenient to visit than the chain store pharmacy down the road, many of them may also have a preference to do their shopping where they know the money they spend will stay in their own town or neighborhood.

The specialty pharmaceutical market is booming and has been for a number of years now. In the year 2014, spending on specialty drugs increased by more than 30% according to Express Scripts, the largest pharmacy benefits management organization in the U.S. In addition, it was forecast that growth in the specialty drug segment of the pharmaceutical industry would continue at a rate of 20+% until at least 2017.

A current, ongoing trend for pharmacy and other retail store display preferences is paying particular attention to the perimeter areas surrounding the merchandising space. This is especially apparent when shopping in today's larger grocery stores where the perimeter walls are likely to contain the fresh produce, the meat department, seafood selections, dairy, and other fresh food choices. The Mayo Clinic even recently included advice in their newsletter advising readers about a "grocery store secret: shop the perimeter." They say shopping a store's perimeter area is generally much healthier than buying the ready-to-eat foods normally found in the center aisles.

Good housekeeping in your pharmacy isn't just a matter of cleanliness; it also involves keeping both front and back areas neat, tidy, and free from trip-and-fall hazards. Moreover, keeping an orderly store benefits everyone – customers and staff members alike. Adequate and functional pharmacy shelving is an essential ingredient for reducing storage clutter in your shop and, in some cases, having the proper pharmacy shelving can save big money by reducing the amount of lost inventory that remains the bane of many would-be-profitable enterprises. Reducing clutter makes it easier to keep track of your store's inventory, provides a safer workplace, and improves overall aesthetics. Adherence to some common sense rules can make a big difference in clutter control.

Although the sale of prescription drugs is the number one revenue generator in most drug stores, your independent pharmacy can be much more than just a place where people come to have their medication prescriptions filled. It's also where they can come to find food supplements and vitamins, food products, over-the-counter medications, convenience items, household items, health and beauty aids, souvenirs, gifts, and much more. Knowing how to promote the sale of these front end retail items can greatly improve your store's bottom line, and it's our purpose to help you do that with some proven tips to increase merchandise sales.

Studies have shown that customers in retail establishments make three basic types of purchases:

• Planned purchases, or those they come into your store with the intention of buying, often written on a list
• Companion purchases, or those they hadn't planned on making but that directly relate to their preplanned purchase items
• Impulse purchases, or those that are neither planned nor related to other purchased items, but those they're nudged into buying by sheer impulse upon sight (or even smell!). Think candy bars, chewing gum and magazines at the end of just about every grocery store counter