News services, online stores, digital displays, etc. – the portfolio of digital solutions available for pharmacies is extensive, and precisely that makes it difficult to find the right solution for your own pharmacy. Our brief guide is aimed at helping pharmacists make the right choice for their pharmacy.

Before deciding for or against a digital solution, it is important to be clear about your own strategy. That means – what are my customers’ requirements today and in the future, what effects does that have on my business, and where do I want to be in a few years’ time? For example, if the pharmacy is in a large medical complex with most of the customers coming to the pharmacy directly from a medical consultation, it is worth investing in a digital display with the aim of possibly stimulating additional OTC purchases. The situation is different in a pharmacy in the countryside. If people have to travel a considerable distance to reach their pharmacy, they want to be sure that the medicine they want is in stock. A simple reservation system via an online store or messaging service offers an easy solution here. And it isn’t just the younger generation which makes use of such services; older customers are also becoming increasingly more tech-savvy and appreciate the advantages. The efforts associated with accepting digital orders are comparatively lower in pharmacies with a pharmacy robot, as the system manages the collectors automatically and pre-reserves them correspondingly in advance.

When speaking to customers, we often hear the argument that the digital solutions are only suitable for a young target group and that this puts off older customers. At the same time, you don’t want to ignore these advances completely and you do want to attract a younger target group to your local pharmacy. So how is it possible to appeal to both target groups? One example in this respect is to the design the pharmacy with a combination of digital displays and physical shelves. This lets the pharmacy appear more modern on the one hand and the emotional imagery creates a pleasant and inviting atmosphere from which both older and younger customers benefit on the other. In addition, the screens can be used to enlarge packagings, prices, and sizes and show them more transparently, ensuring they are clearly visible for older customers.

According to studies, the integration of clips from OTC product and cosmetics manufacturers offers pleasant distractions during the waiting time, raises the recognition of products from TV ads, and stimulates additional purchases.

A digital solution is a personal decision for every pharmacist. It needs to be right for the pharmacy and the staff. At the same time, digital solutions for the pharmacy offer the possibility of differentiating oneself and appealing to your customers individually. In this way, digital solutions can be successfully integrated in not just the OTC segment, but also the non-prescription segment and in discreet consultations. For customer consultations, it is generally possible to use corresponding templates with current product images provided directly by the manufacturers. Of course, each pharmacy is also able to produce customized templates.

The important thing is finding a solution which suits the pharmacy. This creates decisive advantages – for the customers and over the competition.