The holiday season is upon us! What a fun time you and your pharmacy team. With all the holiday cheer though, definitely comes 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 choose to decorate minimally, any option works! It’s so fun for your customers and team to be part of the holiday cheer. 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.

Also, 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, 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 stocked up on cough and cold items and other items? 

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. Interested in more ways to boost your revenue during the holidays using marketing? Check out our blog ‘Create Your Holiday Marketing Plan in 5 Easy Steps.’