Page 40 - HME Business, April 2017

COMPRESSION
SOLUTIONS
with patients in mind!
EVERSHEER
for women
MICROFIBER SHADES
for women & men
COMPREFLEX
LITE
for women & men
Rx 8 April 2017 | DME Pharmacy
hme-business.com
“For example, just about anyone walking into a DME or pharmacy can benefit from wearing graduated compression every day.”
— Melissa Gwozdz, SIGVARIS
“Carrying orthopedic softgoods requires low overhead and minimal startup costs,” he says. “They enhance the business’ image as
a provider of a wide range of professional services and products to the community. This practice allows the pharmacy to increase their customers’ market basket, and stimulates the relationship between the community and surrounding physicians. As average lifespans continue to grow, it’s important to service the traditional patient, with an understanding that these products continue to move more toward preventative measures.”
In-store displays
Hahn says that many DME pharmacies, espe- cially those just getting started carrying DME products, will likely allot space on their wall.
These products are typically in-line displays versus a standalone unit. Typically used is a two-foot or a four-foot planogram.
“That distinction is based upon the amount
of space they have in the store,” he says. “Of course you’ve got some stores in New York that have only 600 square feet of space — so space can be limited. With that says, you want to look at body parts. Most body parts where we see injury include the wrist, the knee, the ankle,
the neck and the back. Basically anywhere where there’s flexibility. So if you look at a
typical two-foot planogram, you’re going to see wrist braces, knee braces, a couple of ankle supports and some back supports. The four-foot display will probably have a few more skews.”
Wimsatt pointed out that regarding retail appeal, most orthopedic softgoods are in product specific packaging with appealing graphics and photography that provide:
• Valuable information regarding features and benefits
• Medical indications
• Instructions on product application and usage • Laundering and care instructions
“The majority of these products require
Tips for Selling Orthopedic Softgoods
Our article experts have these orthopedic and compression selling tips: Ernie Hahn, national account manager for DJO Global.
• For compression, have a trained fitter on staff, someone who understands fitting and measuring.
• Have a large assortment of products. That could vary geographically so make sure you’ve got the right products on the wall.
• Have a very beautiful, clean display. Make sure the products are organized. Make sure the hooks are orga- nized. Make sure you don’t have dusty boxes. Make sure your display says to the patient, ‘Hey, come over here and look at me. I’m willing to help you out.’ And that’s really crucial for there are pharmacies with boxes all over the place and they’re not very organized.
• Because pharmacists and their assistants are very busy, have literature in place. Work with your local manufac- turer representative to get the right literature in place at your display so patients can help self-select the items that they need. If you have patients who can pick out the products that they need then that frees up the pharmacists so they can continue to build their prescriptions.
Brad Wimsatt, director of business development for SAI Therapeutic Brands
• Have a well organized product display, as close to the pharmacy counter as possible – a wall display is prefer- able to gondola.
• Have department signage clearly indicating ‘Braces & Supports.’
• Have a staff properly trained and knowledgeable about the orthopedics softgoods category, willing to engage with customers and assist in purchasing.
• Develop physician awareness by disciplined detailing and promoting to referral sources.
• Promote the department direct to the community through store website, bag stuffers, window display/ signage, and targeting advertising in mailers, community newspapers, etc.
Melissa Gwozdz, marketing manager for SIGVARIS
• Ask people what they do for a living.
• Educate people about the health benefits of the products in the store.
• Make the display easy to get to and place it in a high traffic area of the store.