SHELF OBSESSED

At Shelving Design Systems, we take pride in the durable and innovative pharmacy shelving we install. However, our experience (and a healthy dose of common sense) tells us that even the best-designed and best-built pharmacy shelving isn’t intended to last forever. Even if your shelving looks fine and is in good operating condition, it may still be due for replacement. Here’s how to tell when it’s time to get in touch.

Cross merchandising isn’t a secret. Nor, for that matter, is doing it right. But time and again, we see retailers’ best-intentioned efforts fall short. Since we love seeing our customers succeed, Shelving Design Systems has compiled a handful of useful tips for cross-merchandising done well.

Gondola shelving is nearly ubiquitous in retail environments. Unfortunately, we see it misused nearly as frequently as we see it used. With your retail square footage at a premium — and too often commanding a premium rent — that’s one thing you literally cannot afford. As with any retail shelving provided by Shelving Design Systems, there’s a right way and a wrong way to use gondolas, and we’re here to help you get it right the first time.

Futurism is notoriously risky business, at least if our conspicuous lack of robot butlers, flying cars, atomic-powered planes, and personal jet packs is any indication. But predicting what’s around the corner isn’t impossible if it’s done right; the seeds of the future are often right here in the present, hidden in plain sight. If you know where to look, you’ll be in a good position to take advantage of trends that are already shaping the pharmacy of the future — and Shelving Design Systems will be here to help. Here are some of the trends we’re watching with interest.

Shelving Design Systems takes pride in the variety of retail shelving we offer, as well as the shelving design services that make our installations work. But we’re aware of something else, as well: your product is only half the equation — and not even necessarily the more important half. Viewed in that light, your shelving is important as just one component in your floor plan; the floor plan, in turn, drives the more important part of your retail operation: customer experience.

Anyone who owns or runs a business likely realizes there are always ways in which they can do better. However, it’s difficult to identify areas of opportunity by mere intuition, and the difficulty becomes more pronounced the more complex the operation. With so many critical steps in your pharmacy workflow, it’s absolutely vital to understand each step in your workflow so you’re making the right improvements in the right order. This guide from Shelving Design Systems can get you off on the right foot.

Data touches every area of our lives. Some of the biggest companies in the world got that way only in part because of their products or services. The secret to their growth has been in combining granular analytics to supply chains, logistics, inventory management, and customer experience. As the owner or manager of a pharmacy, you may not be looking to grow the next Amazon or Walmart, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn a thing or two about pharmacy analytics to maintain your competitive edge. Like our clients, Shelving Design Systems has had to evolve with the times. Here’s some of what we’ve learned about the intersection of analytics and pharmacy shelving design.

Whether you’re renovating an existing space or building a new pharmacy from the ground up, you’ve got some decisions to make. Those choices encompass more than appearances and aisle width. Your shelving design can be a make-or-break part of your business, but when it’s planned properly, it’s more than capable of pulling its own weight. So what do you need to consider as you choose your pharmacy shelving?

Get your store’s visual merchandising right and your customers will have a positive response to your business that’s nearly visceral. Get it wrong and they may have a vague sense that something’s a bit “off” about your business. They may not return, or recommend it to their friends, even if they’re not entirely sure why.

When someone visits your pharmacy, it’s not usually because they’ve gotten good news. They’re sick, tired, cranky, and — on occasion — even confused or a bit scared. If your pharmacy isn’t designed well, the time you could be using to put their minds at ease is instead wasted on repetitive tasks, leaving customers to cool their heels and wonder if they should, perhaps, have visited your competitor across town. It important that you maximize every square foot of your space. The lessons below are distilled from our years of experience in the design field.