Drug Topics - December 17, 2007 - (Page 8)

8 DRUG TOPICS DECEMBER 17, 2007 www.drugtopics.com Of Interest to Pharmacists Don’t overlook feminine care and family planning This article is contributed by the Hamacher Resource Group (www.hamacher.com). Based in Milwaukee and with offices in the United Kingdom, HRG’s comprehensive services combine the art of communicating with the science of data analysis to improve the profitability of every link in the retail healthcare supply chain. Manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, and others count on HRG for strategic solutions to their business goals. eminine care is responsible for approximately 2% of health Partial feminine and beauty care (HBC) sales care never-outs list in independent drugstores, and by subcategory family planning represents approxiFeminine pads mately 1%. Those percentages may Always Ultra Thin Regular with not sound significant, yet both cateWings 18 ct gories are critical to a drugstore’s Stayfree Maxi Regular 24 ct overall assortment in terms of meetKotex Overnites 14 ct ing consumer expectations. Tampons The family planning category typTampax Super 10 ct ically includes items such as pregnanTampax Pearl 20 ct cy and fertility tests, condoms, and Tampax Multipax 40 ct sexual enhancement products. In Panty liners feminine care, feminine protection Carefree 22 ct products combine with various Always Thin Regular 20 ct cleansers and grooming aids to make Kotex Lightdays 48 ct up a complete assortment. While some stores may vary their selection, these types of products Partial family are the core of the two cateplanning gories and the main focus of never-outs list this piece. versus a growth rate of 1.4% for the category as a whole. Clearly, this subcategory has the power to attract shoppers and create add-on sales. Additionally, most external cleansing product purchases are impulse buys, making their presence and placement on the shelf that much more important when shoppers stop by to pick up their destination items in the feminine protection segment. F Family planning gets even more playful Historically speaking, the drugstore family planning category has relied on condom and pregnancy test kit sales to justify its existence. While that principle still holds (currently those two item classes earn 38% and 37% of category sales, respectively, in independent drugstores), category growth has been driven by sales in the sexual health subcategory. In 2005 and 2006 the, buzz was all about lubricants and their value for enhancing sexual pleasure. Thanks to heavy advertising by manufacturers, lubricants helped build the category’s sales quite impressively. The in-store impact Both the family planning and feminine care categories have undergone facelifts in recent years. Yesterday’s packaging was mostly dark, subtle, and discreet. Today’s packaging creates a splash of color that beckons shoppers. Family planning has undergone a similar evolution. Bright, intense colors and updated graphics speak primarily to the younger generation first entering the category. In tandem with many other product classes, feminine care and family planning are also capitalizing on the latest trends in in-store marketing. Catching shoppers’ attention at the shelf is the latest focus of manufacturers eager to build sales and consumer loyalty. Shelf extenders, product displays, end caps, clip strips, and all manner of specialty displays are available to lend extra interest to these categories. by subcategory Condoms Trojan-Enz Lubricated 3 ct Trojan-Enz Lubricated 12 ct Trojan-Enz Non-lubricated 12 ct Trojan Ultra Ribbed Lubricated 3 ct Durex Extra Sensitive Lubricated 12 ct External cleansing products steal the spotlight In feminine care, the name of the game these days is “external cleansing.” Sales of cleansing cloths, sprays, washes, and powders are outpacing the rest of the category and underscoring the value of innovation in growing a category. ACNielsen data for 2006 indicated a 5.5% growth rate in external cleansing sales at drugstores, Pregnancy kits e.p.t. 1 ct First Response 2 ct e.p.t. Certainty 1 ct Merchandising tips Hamacher Resource Group recommends that pharmacies arrange feminine cleansing products on the lower right shelves of the feminine care section. Since they typically represent add-on sales, they do not require prominent shelf placement. In the family planning department, lead off the condom section with best-selling Trojan, with three-packs at the top. DT Personal lubricants K-Y Jelly Tube 4 oz. Astroglide 2.5 oz. http://www.drugtopics.com http://www.hamacher.com

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Drug Topics - December 17, 2007 Contents Noncompete Clause: Help or Hindrance? Don't Overlook Feminine Care and Family Planning Independent Pharmacies Are Dreaming of a Green Christmas Latest News Roundup

Drug Topics - December 17, 2007

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