VM is about standing in the customer’s shoes and ‘framing’ a product or service with elements that help to inspire or educate. Elements of VM include:

• Store design and layout
• Fixtures, fittings and props
• Lighting
• Point of sale, signage and ticketing
• Digital displays
• Merchandising techniques (e.g. lifestyle merchandising)
• Colour, shapes and various textures (62-90 per cent of our judgement of a product, place or person is based entirely upon colour)
• Standards and housekeeping
• Employee uniforms and presentation.

Even the smallest pharmacy must think about merchandising. How often do you pay attention to the elements listed above? Consumers have a choice of where to spend their money, so how will you grab their attention? With investment in product, infrastructure, location, employees, rent, utility bills and other services, a pharmacy can lose money if it does not measure up to a customer’s expectations.