Getting SMART About Pharmacy Retail

I had an interesting exchange about our current cover story, Front-End Focus: Paths To Retail Success, with Hamacher Resources‘ Dave Wendland over on LinkedIn.

Dave reached out to let us know he enjoyed the article, and added:


“Focusing out front is indeed the future of community pharmacy. I believe the intersection of consumerism and wellness begins at the threshold of a pharmacy’s operation not in the Rx dispensary.”

So I thought: We’ll I’m talking with one of the leading experts in pharmacy retailing here. What does he see as the one thing that pharmacies can do in 2016 to have a positive impact on their front end?

What’s going to get pharmacies further down the road of successful retailing?

Here’s what Dave had to say: 


“It’s difficult for me to name only one thing. Instead, try this acronym on for size: SMART.

S = stay focused on health/wellness

M = merchandise the store/website to be shoppable

A = assortment must match consumer need states

R = retail staff must be trained

T = technology should be an operational tool and data at the center of key decisions.”