As a new retailer in the pharmaceutical industry, it can be challenging competing with existing chemists. The reason is that most pharmacies understand the industry and have strategies in place to ensure they attract and retain customers. One such approach is hiring a retail store-fitting contractor who specialises in fitting pharmacies. Some chemist owners ignore this and believe that so long as you have the right products and are offering competitive prices, then customers will buy from your store. However, nothing could be further from the truth because the layout of your store can make or break your business. Therefore, you must hire a specialty retail fit-out contractor, and this article lays out why this is critical.
Maximum Comfort for Patients -- When customers visit your pharmacy, they are either buying medication for themselves of a loved one. As such, they might not be in the right state of mind when they visit your store. The design and fit-out of your store should, therefore, have the customer in mind if you want to stand out from the competition. While you may save money by hiring a general contractor, the retail store designs will not be customised with the customer in mind. On the other hand, a contractor who specialises in shopfitting retail stores understands that patients need your store to be at its best when they are at their worst. For instance, pharmacies need several resting spots scattered in the store. It allows patients and other customers that need a rest while their loved ones shop around for medication. Such simple additions can transform your pharmacy's performance.
Improve Staff's Service Provision -- Pharmacies are not your ordinary retail store, and this makes their clientele unique. Therefore, store staff needs to handle customers with the utmost care, and this is not possible if the layout of the store is not customised. For example, if the staff restroom is located on the opposite end of the store, then the trip to answer the call of nature will be long and tiring and consequently affect staff service provision. A contractor that specialises in designing pharmacies understands this and conceptualises store fitting in such a way that helps staff focus on service provision.
Optimise Pharmacy Workflow -- Most people believe since the front end of pharmacies looks busy, then it is the core area of operations. However, nothing could be further from the truth because the back end is the most critical section of any pharmacy. The reason is that the layout of the rear end can determine how smoothly work flows. If it is poorly designed, the movement of staff, documentation, and medication to, from and around the work area will be disrupted. A special fitting contractor will, however, ensure that work flows effectively by utilising the space efficiently.
