Milan, 12 December 2022. 31% of Italian pharmacies invoice less than one million euros*, and many are cautious about new investments in the current socio-economic climate.
The false myth of small pharmacies and low potential
Small pharmacies and low potential
The role of the pharmacy has changed, becoming more of a primary care NHS site, and, now more than ever, to fulfil all the services expected by the community, it cannot afford shortcomings, inefficiencies and waste, nor can the pharmacist split to cover all operational functions within the store.
It is a false myth to believe that automation is an affordable investment only for large pharmacies. In an advanced and efficient pharmacy, it is necessary to review and optimise processes, even if small in space and turnover. How? Stock management activities and repetitive and unqualified tasks must be delegated to automated systems to free up human resources for high-value-added activities.
Pharmacies that have under 1 million euros of turnover, and have no installed robot, have lost a 3% increase in registered revenue compared to “twin” pharmacies equipped with the BD RowaTM automatic robot. Market research explains this in detail to measure the impact of BD RowaTM automation systems on low-potential pharmacies.**
The study highlighted those small pharmacies are closely linked to the sale of prescriptions and that the robot has allowed a 5% reduction in out-of-stock, i.e., cases in which the customer goes to the pharmacy and cannot find the desired product, thus reducing lost sales and ensuring greater revenue opportunities. What is the impact of manual stock management? Every day 6 hours are lost for the manual management of incoming goods. Would you return to any shop where you often can’t find the products you are looking for? Thanks to efficient stock management, automation enables better customer loyalty.
Furthermore, pharmacists can serve more customers at peak times (because automation reduces delays) and serve slow-moving products (because automation allows them to manage stock more precisely). Automation frees up time for commercial activities (strengthening customer relationships, increasing cross-selling opportunities, modernising the pharmacy image, new services, and e-commerce).
Historically, the companies that grow the most are those that invest and review their business model while the company is healthy. Waiting may be too late.
100% of our pharmacist customers surveyed say they would still choose to invest in a BD RowaTM automation system.
The company has over 12,000 installations worldwide and the largest technical assistance network in this market segment, with over 170 specialised technicians globally, with an average on-site intervention in less than 2.5 hours.
Analyse and quantify the cost of your current management and set your growth goals. Do it with us and choose the most reliable partner.
*Source IQVIA
**Source: IQVIA BD RowaTM Low Potential Pharmacy Performance Measurement – October 2022.