Flu Season Is Here—Is Your Pharmacy Optimized?
Flu season is already here, but it’s not too late to make sure your pharmacy is accommodating your customers as best you can. According to the CDC, flu season peaks in the month of February, and this year’s season is poised to be among the worst in recent memory. Beyond making sure you have enough flu vaccines in stock, there are several things you should be doing to make sure your pharmacy is primed for profit during the flu season.
First off—if you’re not already advertising flu shots, it is not too late to get started. Signs and pamphlets in store are a good place to start, but they are also easy to ignore. Make sure you and your staff are proactively asking customers about their annual flu shots. Sometimes people just need a small nudge to do the right thing. Especially in an age of misinformation, a qualified expert gently guiding them to the safer decision can make all the difference. Do you have an email list? Be sure you’re reminding them not just about flu vaccines, but all the products you have to help with the flu. If your pharmacy is active on social media, make posts about deals you have on various cold and flu related products.
From prescription drugs like Tamiflu, Relenza, Rapivab, or Xofluza to OTC cold medicines like DayQuil, NyQuil, Ibuprofen, acetaminophen, oxymetazoline, phenylephrine, and Mucinex, your pharmacy should have all of these in stock, and prominently placed in high traffic areas of your store. Another area of high margins for cold treatments are supplements. Popular ones with elderberry, vitamin c, vitamin d, iron, and zinc are excellent for treating flu symptoms, especially among certain populations who are leery of traditional pharmaceuticals.
An often-overlooked area to make your pharmacy more profitable during flu season are the tangential products people seek out when dealing with colds and flu. Tissues, Gatorade, vaporizers, humidifiers, warm socks, tea, cans of soup, lozenges, lotion, neti pots, and heating pads can make your pharmacy a one stop shop your customers will appreciate. By stocking and advertising the products your customers need most during this season of sniffles, you can make sure your pharmacy stays on a heater during cold and flu season!