A sense of belonging
As my son and I visited colleges over the past year, it occurred to me that the process he was going through was not dissimilar to how consumers may approach the selection of their preferred pharmacy setting. I’d like to use this blog post to share the steps in my son’s selection process and describe how this relates to retail.
The criteria
For my son, the wish list was something that took much contemplation. He established a thoughtful checklist with very specific criteria deemed important to his university experience. It was an interesting blend of academic desires, class size, teaching staff credentials, student population and demographics, distance from home, physical location parameters, social activities available, sport opportunities, and more. (Of course, financial metrics and graduation rates were very high on my list!)
Similarly, shoppers are creating their own wish list of sorts. Not unlike selecting a university, there are countless options – each with pros and cons. Rather than academic offerings, shoppers desire to align with pharmacy services or niche products. They look at the friendliness of the pharmacy staff and their knowledge and accessibility. Consideration may be given to the types of customers that the store caters to. Certainly distance, physical location, and “extras” are all part of the equation and hold weight toward the final decision. And, customers also make their decision based on financial metrics: value.
The visits
Times are sure different than when I made my college choice. I had a very short list of universities, referred to some outdated printed information, and physically visited the handful I was considering. For my son, it began on the Internet. Researching campuses online and virtually touring each became a nightly routine. Comparing it to his list of criteria, my son must have “visited” well over 150 possibilities.
He then narrowed it to the eight that he felt matched best.
Why shouldn’t today’s shoppers have the same opportunity? I’ve yet to see a retail pharmacy website that provides a virtual walk-through and easy-to-digest facts about the operation that would permit a potential customer to get acquainted before their physical visit. But, paramount in this approach would be assurance that the online world mirrored the in-person experience.
The choice
Narrowing the field of eight was an interesting process. Despite our concerted evaluation of the tangibles, the intangibles became far more important. I believe the same is true of the decision made by shoppers. After all, there were positives about every school that my son was considering and I believe that each would have delivered an education that met his expectations. Similarly, product assortment, patient recordkeeping, pharmacist credentials, and other tangibles offer few differences among retailers. The real uniqueness stems from the softer side of the operation and the intangibles.
For Harrison, my son, it was a “sense of belonging.” When he could effectively and confidently place himself at the university he ultimately selected, he simply knew that it was right. For your operation, I suggest you strive to deliver the right combination of tangible and intangible factors so your customers have a true sense of belonging.
Hamacher Resource Group VP Dave Wendland, a 20-plus year retail industry veteran, is a popular presenter and discussion facilitator available to speak at corporate and association events on a variety of retail-related topics. HRG is a research, marketing and category management firm specializing in consumer health care at retail. Product manufacturers, healthcare distributors, retailers, technology partners and others rely on HRG for strategic and creative solutions to help build their business. Learn more at www.hamacher.com.