Pharmacies provide a crucial service in every country throughout the world. Many augment their service with retail offerings such as cosmetic, healthcare, and lifestyle products. Stores vary in terms of style, structure, and ownership. Large corporate pharmacy chains are often seen on British high streets. However, Greece and other parts of Europe tend to have more independently owned boutique-style pharmacies.
Glove Retail realised there was an opportunity to offer pharmacy retail solutions to these businesses in Greece. They noticed many of the Greek pharmacies had a fashionable look with a contemporary approach but lacked the digital presence to reflect their image.
Glove Retail wanted to change this by offering innovative digital solutions for pharmacies to create a more interactive consumer experience, boost sales, and attract new business. There was a problem though. People’s perception of the typical pharmacy created a barrier. These stores were seen as functional outlets that consumers only visited when they had to.
They wanted to change this mindset by creating an exciting new retail environment for people to explore. Places shoppers wanted to spend time in where they could discover new products and buying opportunities. We needed to overhaul the pharmacy experience internally and externally.
Glove Retail already had a strong presence in the retail sector. They made and sold successful products and services to various brands and businesses. We looked at their current range to see what could be implemented to benefit a typical Greek pharmacy. We then collated a range of digital solutions into a package called Digital Pharmacy.
The package contained a range of LED wall and digital monitor options. These would feature in shop windows to attract new business and improve perception. They would also provide in-store interactive promotional experiences. Electronic shelf labels (ESL) were included to modernise and streamline pricing.
We then incorporated Glove Retail’s Brandstand POS display package. This concept combined shelves, digital stripes, and monitors into a turnkey solution that could be purchased or rented. We also added an interactive pharmacy finder product that gave information on other pharmacies' opening times and distances, a legal requirement in Greece.
Digital Pharmacy was launched at Health Expo Athens 2024. We used Glove Retail’s colour scheme of black and coral to stand out from the traditional colours of other pharmacy exhibits. We also created videos, motion graphics, and digital screen material for the event, along with invites and LinkedIn posts beforehand.
Glove Retail received great feedback at the expo from pharmacy owners, and the stand design was an instant crowd-pleaser. This event was central to the selling strategy. It provided the perfect way to showcase Digital Pharmacy as an accessible pharmacy retail solution.
We demonstrated how a ready-made digital presence can revolutionise business activities with easier promotional capabilities, efficient pricing systems, and user-friendly informational displays. Glove Retail also received several post-event emails expressing interest in Digital Pharmacy. These have since been added to an e-newsletter campaign and used as follow-up leads for the Glove Retail sales team.
We created videos, leaflets, PowerPoint presentations, and 1/3-page adverts at https://www.pharmamanage.gr/ to promote the package further. We combined these activities with the expo presence to create a story that has resulted in Digital Pharmacy being used by several large pharmacies. Others have opted for some of the solutions without adopting the full package.
Demand continues to grow. Glove Retail are now well known for their innovative digital solutions for retail pharmacies. Digital Pharmacy has helped Glove Retail establish a stronger presence in the retail marketplace where they can promote higher value concepts that require long-term investments. Business is being taken to the next level.
