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Keeping Moms in Mind in the Pharmacy

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We love our moms, and even when we’re grabbing a card and flowers at the last minute, we love to show them on Mother’s Day. Aside from stocking popular gifts for their special day, what are some simple ways your pharmacy can show moms the love – every day?

Give them some “me time”
Timely for Mother’s Day but welcome anytime, a Spa Day of demonstrations, discounts, or giveaways of skin care and makeup products, or even just an afternoon of teas and sweets, could be appreciated. Explore whether any local hair, nail, makeup, massage, or catering vendors would volunteer time in exchange for the chance to connect with your customers.

You’ll need to begin drumming up interest at least a week ahead of time, maybe 2. Posters in the window, sign boards on the sidewalk, flyers at checkout, posts to your website and social media accounts, and messages recorded for your outbound IVR calls are all ways to generate foot traffic for the event. If your work week can’t absorb a full-blown event, consider a smaller gesture of appreciation. Maybe a free lotion sample attached by ribbon to a flyer showcasing your staff’s responses to “What makes your mom beautiful?” With minimal to no financial investment, you can create the emotional connections that support store loyalty.

After any special marketing push, you should always evaluate what went well and what didn’t. Keep track of any uptick in visitors and all related product information, such as your top sellers, products that tanked, products that you only moved after discounting, and things customers asked for but didn’t find. This kind of information can make each successive event more successful.

Make it convenient with kids
As most parents will share, whether it’s a funny-in-retrospect story or one told through clenched teeth, shopping trips with little ones can be a struggle. Consider making prescription pickup and other shopping easier for moms, who tend to be their families’ primary medical caregivers. Think about how you can make waiting less stressful – maybe a visible but baby-gated kids’ play area? Or is it time to go ahead with that drive-thru you’ve been considering? After all, keeping sick kids – and their germs – in the car helps everyone.

Maybe the biggest impact for both moms’ convenience and your pharmacy’s is to implement medication synchronization. Your refill rates and inventory management improve, and harried parents will thank you for the ability to retrieve everyone’s monthly prescriptions at one time. You can make things even easier with add-on medication flavoring, easy-to-grab guides to OTC meds for common childhood ailments, or a program for free monthly children’s vitamins – likely to drive additional store purchases.

Support special stages of their health
Consider offering medication consulting for expecting mothers. They often have lots of questions about how medicines and other supplements could affect their baby, and you’re an accessible resource. Stock specialty products for pregnancy, whether skin creams, supportive belly bands and pillows, or clean label products with simple, non-artificial ingredients. New moms may appreciate nursing products or your ability to refer them to lactation consultants and early childhood service providers.

For moms at different stages, remember menopause management. Printed materials can shed light on what to expect during this transition and what OTC remedies might help mitigate symptoms. For breast cancer patients, you could offer custom bra fittings and prosthesis or breast forms, stylish head covers, or pink-ribbon items whose proceeds go to relevant charities.

Regardless of the specific ideas that make the most sense for your pharmacy – and this may be a trial-and-error process – the point is to let mothers know they are recognized as a valuable customer group and that you’re there for them in all their roles. Show mom she’s always top of mind, and she may just keep your pharmacy in hers.

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