3 Easy In-Store Marketing Hacks to Use in Your Pharmacy this Fourth of July

Next weekend, a lot of people will be packing up and hitting the road over the long 4^th of July weekend.   Your customers will be on their way to camp grounds, festivals, and family gatherings.  Which means over the next week, they’ll be stopping by the pharmacy to refill prescriptions and hopefully grab some other things they might need, like bug spray, sunscreen and basic first aid necessities. 

Whether your OTC offering is large or small, you can probably benefit from a few last minute marketing hacks to try and boost sales leading up to, and through, the holiday weekend.  Luckily, we’ve published a number of ideas over the past couple of years.  But since time is of the essence,  here’s a quick summary of a few of our favorite easy to accomplish (and inexpensive) in store marketing concepts.

Signage – Signage does not have to be created by a graphic designer and professionally printed.  Simply grab a sandwich board from your local office supply store and get creative.  One of my favorite things to do is create a list of products the customer shouldn’t leave the store without.  It’s a great reminder to customers to grab items they might be forgetting.  Tailor this to what your pharmacy carries.  Of course you can put the go-to items like sunscreen (FSA eligible!) and bug spray on the list, but you can also add specialty items that your pharmacy carries for any out of towners that stop in over the weekend.  Be sure to utilize the creativity of your pharmacy staff, both when compiling your list of items, and in adding a little sparkle to your signage with some fun artwork.(And remember, anyone can draw fireworks!)

Displays – It’s easy for customers with to-do lists a mile long to get tunnel vision in a store.  They weren’t thinking they could buy certain things at your pharmacy so they won’t go out of their way to look for them. Put together an endcap, rounder, or display featuring some of the products you’d like to push over the weekend.  Make the display visible from the moment customers enter the store. They should have to walk past it to get to the pharmacy counter. 

Loyalty Promo’s – Every major retailer will soon be blasting out advertisements for the holiday weekend.  Think about setting up some special offers for members of your customer loyalty program over the coming week to give them extra incentive to do their shopping at your pharmacy.  It doesn’t have to be big, just something to let your most loyal customers know that you appreciate their patronage.  You can offer bonus loyalty points, a special price on popular 4^th of July weekend items, or a coupon to use next time they come in. 

Whether your pharmacy is two blocks from the beach or in the middle of a large city, a little extra attention to in-store marketing might just yield a big return over the coming week.