An Impeccable Guide.
Setting up a business that sells pharmaceutical products can be more challenging compared to other businesses.
Understandably, customers look at your business differently than others. As a result, they are stricter when it comes to buying medical products, and it’s all for a good reason – their health is the last thing they want to play around with!
Your retail pharmacy design and pharmacy fitout play a huge part in the way customers perceive your business and as a result can determine your success or failure.
For this reason, you should do your best to follow retail pharmacy design guidelines that promote your business and make it stand out above your competitors. On top of that, your retail pharmacy design should create an environment that is naturally inviting and relaxing for your customers.
Most pharmacy business owners are overwhelmed as they think it’s a huge task to incorporate correct retail pharmacy designs to their new or existing store. The truth, however, is that it really doesn’t require much.
You just need to have these questions in mind:
- Does my retail pharmacy design emphasise my brand?
- Does my retail pharmacy design emphasise my selling objectives?
Finally and most importantly, ask yourself:
- Does my retail pharmacy design emphasise my core values?
To make things even easier for you, we’ve created this essential guide on everything you need to know about your retail pharmacy design. With the information provided below, you will be able to navigate all the different retail pharmacy design aspects, elements and make improvements that will have a direct impact on your bottom line, in no time.
Question #1
Why Should My Retail Pharmacy Design Be Warm & Inviting?
The main goal of any leading retail pharmacy design is to ensure that customers are able to do their shopping in an easy and fast manner while also having an enjoyable experience. Customers want a shopping environment that is warm and inviting. You can achieve this even without having to invest a lot in extra design features.
A lot of waiting goes down in a pharmacy, so it’s imperative that your waiting area represents your business well. Your waiting area can speak volumes about how you treat your customers. Therefore, ensuring that it’s warm and inviting can keep your customers interested.
You can achieve this even without having to invest a lot in extra design features. Here are some questions to help you get started:
- Does my waiting area allow customers a place to relax or sit?
- Is my waiting area cluttered and disorganised?
- Does my waiting area furniture work with the space?
- Is my waiting area bright and welcoming?
- Are the colours in my waiting area relaxing/invigorating or dull and boring?
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Question #2
Why Should My Retail Pharmacy Allow Easy Navigation?
Customers should be able to navigate around your shop with ease, there should always be enough space in between aisles to pass each other freely. Not only that, one of the main customers that frequent pharmacies are elderly people, many of which require walking frames or wheelchairs to get around.
With this in mind you should design the layout of your aisles with comfortability in mind. The last thing you want is customers and staff awkwardly moving around each other and accidentally knocking items off the shelf.
If the space between your pharmacy aisles are not enough, customers will end up feeling crowded and naturally, claustrophobic. Some of them may feel uncomfortable to the point where they leave and find another chemist.
– Signage
As mentioned earlier, the majority of customers are after an easy and quick shopping experience. Ensure your product signage is easy to read, understand and most importantly, make sure the placement of the signage is highly visible. Similarly, make sure your Scripts In, Scripts Out and Payment counter signs are displayed clearly.
Remember a lot of people who come to your pharmacy are unwell, the last thing they want to do is aimlessly wandering around to find the checkout to pay for their cold and flu medication.
By clearly defining and displaying signage, your customers won’t feel like they are using a lot of time to locate the products they need. Remember that any discomfort will always make your customers start to wonder whether there are better alternatives to what they are getting.
Question #3
Why Should My Retail Pharmacy Have Adequate Lighting?
We can’t emphasise enough on how crucial lighting is when it comes to ensuring your customers have the best shopping experience. It’s easy to understand why, without appropriate lighting:
- Shoppers aren’t able to safely and effortlessly navigate through your shop.
- Shoppers can’t easily read your signage or promotions.
- You fail to promote your products on display
- You fail in setting the inviting and relaxing mood we mentioned earlier.
- Put simply, adequate lighting makes your retail pharmacy more appealing…
In light of the above (pun intended), you’d think that lighting is at the forefront of all retail pharmacy designs, right?…. Wrong! In fact, although lighting is one of the most important retail pharmacy design features, it is still often undermined and under-utilised.
What Types Of Lighting Are Used In Retail Pharmacy Design?
- Accent lighting: Accent lighting can be used where one wants to highlight the main areas of interest.
- Ambient lighting: Ambient lighting is more effective in creating specific moods or evoking certain behaviour and emotions.
- Functional lighting: Functional lighting should be used where a specific task is the main interest, such as the lamps used at reception areas.
Question #4
What Are The Right Colours For My Retail Pharmacy Design?
A lot of people underestimate the effects the colour theme you choose for your pharmacy store can have on your customers. As seen in the past, many pharmacies like to opt for white and beige tones providing that clinic feel to their stores but in recent years pharmacy brands are throwing a few more vibrant colours into the mix. Neither are right or wrong, but choosing the right colour design for you could make or break your business.
An ideal colour scheme will appear attractive and inviting, making customers feel as sense of ease and comfort. Customers will be more inclined to wander about an aesthetically pleasing shop, opening up more opportunities for them to see products that they like or need and increasing your sales.
On the other hand, a poorly designed colour scheme, that is either too loud or unpleasant to look at could have the opposite effect, rappelling potential customers. The idea is to welcome anyone who enters and not shove them away with bad taste.
Below are some tips and methods to consider when it comes to planning out a colour theme for your pharmacy fit out and design.
What Is Colour Psychology?
Another way to go about choosing a colour theme is through understanding the psychology behind them, and then make your decision based on what vibe you want your customers to feel when they enter your pharmacy.
Colour psychology is the study of colours in relation to human behaviour, in other words, what affects and influence do different colours have on the people who see them?
Generally speaking, warm colours such as red, orange and yellow make a person feel more upbeat, energetic, and excitable. Cooler colours on the other hand such as your shades of blue, green and purple have a more serious, yet calming tone to them. Often leaving a person feeling relaxed and peaceful due to their connection with nature.
Colours even have an impact on human purchasing behaviour. A paper published in 2017 explained that customers generally make an initial judgement on a product or brand within 90 seconds of seeing it. About 62 per cent to 90 per cent of that judgement is based on its colour. With this in mind, choosing a colour scheme should not be taken lightly if you want your business to thrive.
Do Colours Affect Customer Emotions?
Now that you have the knowledge and understanding about the colour wheel and its effect on people, you should take the time to think about how you want your pharmacy to feel. Do you want people to feel upbeat when they enter, or relaxed?
Keeping in mind that a pharmacy is a place, customers usually come to, to talk about personal medical issues, willing putting their care in the hands of pharmacists. With this in mind, pharmacy interior design colours should emanate a calm and trustworthy environment for customers to open up in.
In order to prevent an uneasy, chaotic ambience, limit yourself to three colours. If you use only three, you can prevent feelings of discomfort. You also need to be mindful that your colour choice doesn’t make your pharmacy feel small or boxed in, to avoid this using darker colours for service counters and parts of the pharmacy you want to accent and lighter colours for the floor.
– Colour & Your Company Logo
The colours of your company’s logo could also determine the colour palette you decide to go with for the interior of your pharmacy. More often than not, pharmacies like to incorporate their logo colours within their retail pharmacy fit out in a way to streamline their brand, and make it more recognisable.
However, if you decide to go down the alternative avenue and pick different interior colours to that of your logo, make sure all close work well together and don’t clash in an unflattering way.
Hopefully, you are now well aware of the importance and great influence, colours can have not only on the vibe and aesthetic of your pharmacy design but also the potential to increase sales rather than hinder them.
Question #5
Why Should I Utilise The Right Shelving In My Retail Pharmacy Design?
With all the retail pharmacy design features and elements mentioned above in mind, none are more important than shelving systems.
Can you imagine what your pharmacy would be like if you didn’t have shelving systems?
- Your shop would be disorganised
- Your day to day business operations would be near impossible,
- Prescription medications wouldn’t be stored properly, resulting in numerous errors,
- It would be difficult for pharmacists and customers alike to find medication quickly.
- The pharmacy would be a mess, look and feel unprofessional
What Are The Key Benefits Of Using The Correct Shelving Systems?
– Efficiency, Over-The-Counter
By utilising the right shelving systems, over-the-counter prescriptions can be properly displayed, making it easier for your staff members to locate which product a customer has requested.
Other benefits of having a correct shelving system can have for your over-the-counter efficiency:
- You’re able to organise the products by brand in an orderly fashion.
- You’re able to organise the products by popularity in an orderly fashion. For example, fast movers are generally stored at the top whereas the slow moving products at the bottom.
- Reduce irritation and confusion for your customers and staff alike.
- Increase convenience for your customers and staff alike.
- Make it easier for your staff to stock or restock
– Organised & Productive
A tidy dispensary area with an organised shelving system for prescriptions is the key to providing quick and efficient dispensing service.
To do this, you need to first Identify your fast moving and slow moving medication. Fast movers are prescription you fill numerous times each day for example antibiotics, blood pressure medication and heartburn medications. Slow movers on the other hand, are self explanatory, its stock you dispense only a couple times a day or possibly only once a week.
Just like that of over-the-counter item, fast mover prescription should be placed in an alphabetical order in easy to reach position on the shelf, to ensure pharmacists and dispense technicians have quick access to them. Slow movers should also be stored in alphabetical order in a specific location.
Organisation has a heavy impact on accuracy and order. Keeping your dispensary clean and tidy as well as implementing a shelving system such as this one minimises the chances of making mistakes and decreasing wait times for prescriptions.
We all know people hate waiting for something at the best of times. But when your customers are sick or in pain, the last thing they want to be doing is waiting at a pharmacy 20 minutes for their medication to be dispensed.
– Visually Appealing
Messy and disorganised shelves are visually unappealing and leave a terrible impression of your pharmacy. The right shelving system will actually enhance the appearance of your pharmacy, making it more appealing to customers.
Shelves should always be well stocked, tidy and neat with the products name in clear view so customers can find them easily. Popular products should be placed at eye-level and have a double facing to minimise trips to the storeroom. You could also add LED lighting to highlight specific items, adding to the overall attractiveness of your store.
Shelving systems are an important part of your retail pharmacy design. They improve the ease and accessibility of products, help keep your shop neat and tidy and more appealing to customers, and make it easier for staff to stock and move products as necessary.
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Question #6
Why Should You Work With Retail Pharmacy Design/Fitout Experts?
At the end of the day, no one is more passionate about your retail pharmacy business and work space than you are, so it’s extremely important to find an experienced retail pharmacy design and fit out company that is equally as enthusiastic and passionate about their work.
Put your trust in the right hands and only work with retail pharmacy design and fitout experts wave your best interest at heart.
Resources
- 5 Medical Waiting Room Design Ideas to Boost Your ROI
- Pharmacy Shop Front Design: An Impeccable Guide 2020
- Pharmacy Counter Design: 5 Questions To Improve Your Workflow, Customer Retention & Sales
- Modern Pharmacy Layout: 5 Keys Tips On Design Trends In 2020
- Retail Store Interiors – 7 Essential Design Tips To Increase Your Sales
- Retail Fit Out Costs – Plus, 5 Expert Tips To Save You Thousands
- 8 Small Retail Store Layout Hacks
- Medical Fitout Costs | Plus, 10 Expert Tips To Save You Thousands
