The holiday season is upon us! What a fun time for you and your pharmacy team. With all the holiday cheer, there’s also plenty of stress. Have no fear, we are here to help your pharmacy team prepare and have the best holiday season yet.
Below are 5 simple tips to prepare your pharmacy for the holidays:
1. Outline the holiday hours for your customers
What will your holiday hours be and has this been communicated to your customers? Be sure your team is on board with the hours and ready to work, then go ahead and let your customers know. The earlier you can prepare your community, the easier it will be for everyone to plan ahead.
Ways to alert your customers:
- Ensure your store hour signage is updated to reflect the new holiday hours.
- Add the holiday hours to your pharmacy IVR greeting.
- Send out mass communication to your customers via text message.
- Have your team discuss any holiday updates with your customers whenever they have an interaction. ie: Point of sale, on the phone, etc.
Letting your customers know about the change in holiday hours as soon as possible will lead to a smoother and more joyful season.
2. Decorate your store
Whether you normally go all out for the holidays or prefer a more minimalist approach, both options are equally wonderful! The key is creating a festive atmosphere that your customers and team can appreciate. One great tip for getting your team excited is to make custom stockings with each of their names. Hanging this in the pharmacy adds that personalized touch and can make your team feel extra special this season.
When decorating, be sure to include options for all holidays your customers celebrate. It’s important to consider all possible holidays, including but not limited to: Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
3. Be sure you have plenty of inventory
The hours are posted, the pharmacy is decorated, and now it’s time to ensure you are fully stocked throughout the pharmacy. Whether it’s in the OTC section or Rx’s within the pharmacy, ensuring you are in stock of items customers need during this busy period is crucial.
Your pharmacy customers may be traveling more during the holidays and taking longer trips, what are key medications you may need to increase your supply of? Customers may also be going to places more prevalent with diseases this time of year, are you fully stocked on cough and cold products, as well as other essentials to meet demand?
Lastly, gift cards and last-minute gift ideas – do you have enough of these for your customers? As they pick up medications prior to the holidays, they are likely to grab last-minute gifts as well.
4. Offer discounts or coupons
Think about offering discounts or coupons during the holiday season. Holiday expenses can be a burden for some, so providing your customers with a discount or coupon to help offset this can go a very long way. Any help you can provide during the season will be remembered and greatly appreciated by your community. Be sure to spread the word about these promotions on your pharmacy’s social media accounts!
5. Celebrate holidays with your pharmacy team
Celebrate the holiday season with your pharmacy team members, and express your gratitude to them for their hard work. Your team works tirelessly all year, this is the perfect time to celebrate all they do for the pharmacy.
Also, be sure to treat your team to some sort of gift. Whether it be a gift card, cash, or something they’ve been wanting, a gift goes above and beyond and shows your team you are thinking of them.
We hope this list has helped and you have the most joyous holiday season with your pharmacy team and customers.
Ready to boost your communication this holiday season?
We can help you craft a strategy that drives more traffic, engages your customers, and maximizes your holiday sales. Schedule a demo to learn how we can support your pharmacy this holiday season!
