Get Your Store—and Your Customers—Ready for Fall

With autumn in full swing, it’s time to start thinking about cough and cold season: influenza, COVID-19, and—new for this season—respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Now is a good opportunity to pump up additional sales in the pharmacy with vaccines and OTC product sales. If your store is large enough, you can set up 1 or more endcaps with seasonal and/or promotional items. If you have a smaller store, you can carry small quantities of the bestsellers. Utilize the daily deliveries of your wholesaler for just-in-time inventory.

Service Promotion

Here are some tips on how to promote your professional services and what to carry:

• Stock up: Follow up on flu and COVID-19 vaccine orders and verify quantities.
• Check your signage: Promote vaccine availability and appointments with visible displays.
• Be prepared: Ensure your scheduling software is up-to-date.
• Conduct outreach: Send mailers or make phone calls to senior centers and similar organizations about upcoming availability for appointments. Include information about any on-site clinics your pharmacy will be holding.
• Get creative: Employ other strategies to promote vaccines, such as bag stuffers or your store’s interactive voice response system.
• Stay current: Update your store’s online presence with the current store hours. Include a link to your appointment scheduler if possible.

Patient Care Effects

’Tis the season to create seasonal endcaps. Get creative with merchandise, signage, and decorations. These ideas may take some extra work, but they should be profitable.

• Stress relief endcap: CBD products, relaxing teas, essential oils, and calming vitamins
• Cough and cold endcap: analgesics such as acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen; cough and cold remedies in tablet, liquid, and lozenge forms; and vitamins such as vitamin C and zinc
• School supplies endcap: hand sanitizer, antiseptic wipes, and tissues to promote healthy habits for younger patients and customers

Based out of Pennsylvania, Keystone Pharmacy Purchasing Alliance (KPPA) is a buying group committed to keeping independent pharmacies relevant, compliant, and profitable. Through the Philadelphia Association of Retail Druggists, an association of community pharmacies, KPPA works with state legislation to ensure independent pharmacies have the representation they need to pass beneficial bills and laws.