How to Increase Your Pharmacy Foot Traffic

how to increase pharmacy hme retail store foot traffic

The key to increasing pharmacy foot traffic is always in the mission and execution. By focusing on the right strategies, you can turn your pharmacy into a destination that customers seek out instead of just a place they visit out of necessity. 

At NOVA, we care about your success. Over the years, we’ve taken note of the strategies that have made the biggest difference for our partners, and we like to pass along our learnings. Here’s how to increase your pharmacy foot traffic from the leading home medical inventory supplier and pharmacy retail consultant! 

Oswald’s Pharmacy: A Case Study of How to Increase Your Pharmacy Foot Traffic with NOVA Products

Expanding into Home Medical Equipment (HME) can significantly increase foot traffic and sales for pharmacies. By offering products like mobility aids and home recovery solutions, your pharmacy can become a trusted healthcare hub in the community.

Take Oswald’s Pharmacy as a prime example: through their partnership with NOVA and a focus on HME, they saw their HME revenue grow from $103,197 in 2012 to $1,910,707 in 2023—a 1,750% increase. By engaging customers with hands-on experiences, like their “Test Drive Center” for mobility aids, they made it easier for customers to connect with the right products.

When you stock high-demand HME items, leverage digital marketing, and provide personalized service, your pharmacy can replicate Oswald’s success and turn into the go-to destination for healthcare solutions.

Related Article: Independent Pharmacy Case Study: How HME Retail Helped Scale Sales

Top Strategies for Increasing Pharmacy Foot Traffic

Going from being a good pharmacy to a great one doesn’t happen overnight. Your commitment will need to extend far beyond any single promotion or ad campaign. While it may take time to reap the rewards, a dedicated approach will absolutely pay off in the long run.

We’re help pharmacies thrive. From providing the best customer experience to using a digital pharmacy ad, here’s how to increase retail pharmacy sales and foot traffic:

  • Focus on the Customer Experience
  • Provide Additional Value
  • Leverage Social Media
  • Stock the Best Products
  • Use Pharmacy Marketing Strategies

Focus on the Customer Experience

Some of the best ideas to increase pharmacy sales are as easy as a friendly smile and greeting. 

The customer experience should always come first. When visitors feel valued and appreciated in your store, they’re not only more likely to return but also more likely to become loyal brand advocates. 

From the moment a customer walks through your doors, make sure they feel special. Train your staff to greet them warmly, listen to their needs, and show empathy. These seemingly small gestures could be the difference between a one-time customer and someone who recommends your pharmacy to others. 

Product knowledge also goes a long way in building trust with customers. That’s precisely why NOVA offers a free digital training program for pharmacy and medical supply retail staff. The NOVA MVP training program teaches them the essentials of home medical equipment so they can WOW customers and connect them with the right products for their needs. 

Start the NOVA MVP Training today – it takes less than two hours to complete!

Related Article: How To Create a Great Pharmacy Experience

Provide Additional Value

It’s easy to get caught up in your business’s transactional nature or filling prescriptions. However, we recommend shifting your focus towards bringing more to the table. In other words, what can your store provide for your customers that isn’t necessarily expected? 

Offering perks like free health screenings, “try before you buy” store policies, or a rewards program for repeat customers can make your visitors feel more connected to your brand.

Related Article: Independent Pharmacy Case Study: How HME Retail Helped Scale Sales

Leverage Social Media

Using social media is key to understanding how to promote your pharmacy. If you want people to view your business as more than just a pharmacy, you’ll need to tell your unique story. Humanize your brand by leveraging social media to connect with potential customers. 

Showcasing your store’s personality, sharing customer testimonials, and celebrating big wins allows you to give customers a glimpse into the values and culture that drive your business.

NOVA believes in the power of imagery and videos, and we want your customers to be able to picture themselves using our products. We support our top SuperNOVA Certified dealers with digital media assets, videos, and blog articles to share on their own channels to connect with their communities.

Related Article: Human Relationships: The Best Marketing for Pharmacists

Stock the Best Products

At the end of the day, quality matters. Stocking the products that people actually want to buy is a surefire way to increase your pharmacy foot traffic. Customers are willing to go out of their way for reliable products from brands that they trust. If they know they can find those products in your store, it’ll absolutely be a competitive advantage for your business. 

When you sell NOVA products, you sell reliable, high-quality, and customizable items, such as walkers and knee scooters, that will attract customers and practically sell themselves. Seniors and their loved ones will also be eager to share where they got their favorite HME with others. 

Related Article: 4 Factors That Impact Your Pharmacy Profit Margins

Use Pharmacy Marketing Strategies

Ultimately, conducting independent pharmacy marketing is key when trying to attract customers – after all, if they don’t know your store exists, how will they know what they’re missing out on? 

First, you need to understand that pharmacy marketing ideas, at their core, revolve around branding and creating a memorable identity for your pharmacy business before they enter your store, while they’re in your store, and after they leave. 

Here are some important considerations for pharmacy advertising and marketing:

  • Refresh your pharmacy website or social media channels
  • Keep your directory listings updated 
  • Craft texting campaigns
  • Host in-person or virtual events
  • Cross-promote with local businesses
  • Reach customers via direct mail 
  • Provide free health screenings
  • Send your patients email newsletters
  • Create a welcoming pharmacy environment with great displays
  • Use print marketing materials

Luckily, when you partner with NOVA, you have the opportunity to participate in the Certified NOVA Test Drive Center program that provides retailers like you with a package of marketing materials to support your efforts, including window and wall clings, floor stickers, door decals, digital and print marketing tools, and hang tags for your in-store Test Drive units. 

The NOVA Test Drive Center Certification is one of the most innovative pharmacy ideas, and it’s specifically designed to empower independent pharmacies and HME retailers to increase foot traffic and drive sales of NOVA rollator walkers. 

This program revolves around helping pharmacies provide customers with the best possible experience by allowing customers to test drive walkers, whether it’s down aisles in the store or along the sidewalk outside, which gets them to engage and make the process of shopping for walkers more fun and less intimidating and reduces the resistance seniors may have to start the process. 

This program also guides you through setting up a pharmacy so it provides an engaging retail space and the best possible experience for your customers. Ultimately, happy customers are the best pharmacy advertisement that will drive foot traffic! 

Plus, when you become a certified NOVA Test Drive Center, your location will be promoted on an exclusive dealer list and listed on an exclusive map of all NOVA retailers. This serves as invaluable marketing for a pharmacy because it helps build your authority to attract and retain customers.  

Related Article: 5 Types of Wellness & Mobility Aids to Stock in Your Pharmacy

FAQs About How to Increase Your Pharmacy Foot Traffic

It is normal to have more questions in your pursuit to learn how to increase pharmacy sales and foot traffic, and we’re more than happy to provide you with the answers. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about increasing pharmacy foot traffic. 

How Do I Get More Customers to My Pharmacy?

The question of how to attract more customers to your store and maximize profits is common for pharmacies. Here are four effective strategies:

  • Run Promotions for New Products and Services: Market new products and services to raise awareness. Offer samples, promote health programs, or introduce services like Med Sync to encourage customers to try them. 
  • Build and Maintain an Effective Website: A well-designed website drives organic traffic. Ensure it includes up-to-date information on products, services, and contact details to engage both new and existing customers. Digital independent pharmacy advertising and marketing is essential in the modern market.
  • Establish Partnerships: Partnering with other businesses builds trust and boosts visibility. This strengthens your pharmacy’s reputation and expands your customer base.
  • Provide Excellent Customer Service: Quality service turns customers into loyal advocates. Regularly gather feedback, offer safe quality products, and use clear signage to enhance the customer experience and encourage referrals. This should also entail turning your staff into experts so your customers know they are always in expert hands. 
  • Provide Loyalty Programs to Repeat Customers: Foster rewards and loyalty to your customers to encourage them to continue shopping at your pharmacy and refer new customers to your store. 

Attracting new customers is an ongoing process. By implementing some of the strategies we listed here and up above in our article, you will increase pharmacy foot traffic. 

Just as importantly, make sure you are staying updated on industry trends and consistently delivering high-quality products and services to stay competitive. 

What Attracts People to a Pharmacy?

People are generally attracted to pharmacies that offer a human touch, reliable access to prescription medications, a team of knowledgeable pharmacists who can provide expert advice and answer questions, competitive pricing, and a positive customer service experience. Ensuring your pharmacy offers all of these is key when determining how to increase pharmacy profit and foot traffic. 

Why Work with NOVA

Partnering with NOVA brings a host of benefits that can help increase your pharmacy foot traffic and be key in understanding how to improve pharmacy sales. We are recognized for our premium products and commitment to customer satisfaction, meaning your patrons will be in good hands. 

Beyond our product quality, we also provide a variety of educational resources, like our NOVA MVP Training and Home Safety Toolbox, which can help prepare your staff with the knowledge needed to better serve your customers. We’ll even help you refresh your store layout and maximize the overall shopping experience through our Store Reset program!

Partner with NOVA for industry-leading home medical equipment inventory and pharmacy and pharmacy retail consulting to revamp your pharmacy or medical supply store.


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