Page 20 - RPA May 2020

18 INDUSTRY EDUCATION
STAND UP AND STAND OUT
PBy Peter Howard.
harmacies are expecting an exciting year. We’re part of an increasingly competitive retail sector and the introduction
of the Seventh Community Pharmacy Agreement (7CPA) in June will add further interest to our fascinating world.
But with change, comes opportunity, and pharmacy assistants willing to stand up and help their pharmacy stand out will be highly valued. If you have initiative and drive, this education series adds the tools you’ll need.
In this month’s Retail Pharmacy magazine, we introduced four ‘data- driven do-ables’ that optimise key pharmacy elements. These micro- projects are the thinking of Nostradata Managing Director, Michael Da Gama, a retail strategist, and we’re excited to share his ideas with you – the people in a position to action them.
Leverage location
This first micro-project focuses
on pharmacies being competitive, relevant and attractive to passing customers. To succeed, you need an understanding of the local environment, competitors and customers, and this education piece shares how that’s done.
Mystery Shopping
Visiting your competitors to assess their strengths and understand their offering is a valuable exercise so don’t waste the opportunity. Avoid wearing a uniform or badge and never feel you need to make a purchase.
Your goals are to get a feel for their level of service and expertise, check their range and pricing – including specials – and identify the strengths or weaknesses of their approach compared to your pharmacy.
Our downloadable Competitor Assessment Tool is free and great on a mobile device. It has some probing questions and a checklist of what to observe, such as the number of staff, speed at checkout, any special offers or discounts, and more.
One visit is never enough, so visit on different days at different times too. You’ll see different staff and get a sense of the available expertise.
• Footfall date – operational
You noticed a significant increase in lunchtime footfall, but records show transactions remain constant. Why are you missing out? Are too many staff rostered off over lunch when it’s busy, meaning customers shop elsewhere to avoid queuing?
• Area demographic
ABS demographic vs footfall observations highlight variances between your typical customer and the region’s majority. What attracts the niche group? Has your marketing been off target?
There are countless possibilities so we’ll post a follow-up to this piece outlining strategies to counter issues revealed by the data.
After gathering some data, perhaps you can take a moment with your manager and share any observations – and feel free to contact us with questions or thoughts.
Keep standing up.
Reference
1. Retail Pharmacy Magazine Mar 20 ‘Give your pharmacy a four-tune’
Check your competitor’s business in Google too. Other than opening hours and contact details you’ll see their customer review score, (very informative), reviews, and a chart showing their busiest periods.
Organise a footfall match
With your new understanding of the local competitors, it’s time to focus on the local shoppers by spending 15 to 20 minutes outside your pharmacy, two to three times a day, observing and logging footfall (foot traffic).
The downloadable Footfall Scorer makes logging the time, age group, gender, and POLE behaviour (Pass, Observe, Linger, Enter) simple. If you follow the instructions provided, analysis will be simple too.
An additional – but optional – step is to access the ABS statistics website, and generate a free demographic report by entering the postcode for your area. The data will likely cover a larger area than your local community, but it’s accurate, and gives context to the information gathered by you.
What does it mean? • Competitor
You learn they’re running a price promise on products you sell for less. They have a range of low-cost alternatives to your premium brand.
• Footfall data – practical aspects
The footfall data shows people
aren’t drawn in. Look into issues with signage, lighting, visibility, loss leaders – perhaps suitability of your range for those passing.
RETAIL PHARMACY ASSISTANTS • MAR 2020