Quick Tips From the Experts
shoppers search for their intended products on the inner aisles, they’ll have to pass the outer aisles to get there. “Having a reminder that it’s there might get me to stop and buy something that I didn’t
A retail layout is only as good as the merchandising it’s paired with. Retail design experts Bob Mayslak and Jason Trail give some layout
necessarily intend to buy,” Mayslak said.
and merchandising recommendations for strategic and commonly
End caps
neglected areas of your store.
End caps can bring people’s attention to an item they wouldn’t
Pharmacy counter
have seen in the aisle and lead to more sales. Switch up your end caps at least once a month, but ideally twice a month. “If you have
Use the area near the pharmacy counter for items that can benefit
the same item in an aisle versus on the end cap, you’re going to
from a pharmacist’s expertise, like vitamins and supplements or
sell roughly 25 to 30 percent more, so changing those things out is
CBD products. Keeping them close to the pharmacy counter makes
going to get them to buy a little bit more,” Mayslak said.
it easier for curious shoppers to ask questions about unfamiliar products and helps pharmacists more easily recommend items to
Breaks
patients. “About 98 percent of the time when a pharmacist hands
Every layout should include strategically placed areas for people
you a product, you’re going to buy it,” Mayslak said.
to slow down. “You want to give them areas to naturally stop
Checkout
and survey the products that are out there,” Mayslak said. “And that’s why the end caps or promo aisle or anything that kind of
A common pitfall in checkouts is an inefficient or confusing setup.
draws your eye to it is rather important as far as retailing and
Mayslak and Trail both stressed the value of clear paths and
merchandising.”
signage that guide customers to the right checkout lines. The checkout should also be arranged to minimize cluttered space and
Aesthetics
long lines. “If it gets frustrating enough, somebody’s going to set
As you’re drawing up your layout plans, don’t neglect any details of
their product down and walk out the door,” Trail said.
your store design. “Make sure that you look at every little thing, as it
Product placement
affects something else. How you want that place to be perceived is going to be affected by all the decisions you make from the ceiling
Put items that shoppers aren’t typically coming into the store to
tiles down to the flooring, down to where the shelving is and how
buy, such as impulse items and promotional products, in outside
the pharmacy is set up,” Mayslak said. “So take everything into
aisles where there’s high visibility and traffic. Put your “seek-and-
consideration when you’re doing it.”
destroy” products, like cough and cold, in your inner aisles. As
ELEMENTS | The business magazine for independent pharmacy | JUNE 2019
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