Case:
Boosting OTC sales with pharmacy staff engagement

A 30-second interaction at the pharmacy counter can make or break a product’s success. For one European pharmaceutical company, mastering this brief window became critical to the market performance of their constipation relief product. They turned to us at Signum to provide the insights needed to fine-tune their strategy and maximize impact.

The Challenge: Cutting Through the Noise

Our client, a leading European pharmaceutical company, had developed an ambitious omnichannel campaign for its over-the-counter (OTC) constipation relief brand. The campaign was designed to reach online and offline channels with a strong focus on in-pharmacy promotions. Denmark was chosen as the initial test market before expansion to a global scale.

But launching an omnichannel campaign in the competitive world of pharmacies comes with its own set of challenges. The client needed to understand not only how the campaign performed in pharmacies, but also how to break through the clutter and stand out.

Their main concerns were:

1. Measuring awareness and perception to inform possible campaign adjustments.

2. Understanding the Danish market dynamics.

“In the pharmaceutical industry, it’s not enough to simply launch a campaign and hope for the best,” says Søren Esben Hansen, Chief Advisor for Advanced Market Research at Signum. “Our client understood this. They knew they needed current and up-to-date data and insights to see how their message landed in pharmacies.”

As Søren puts it, “Combining mystery shopping with interviews gave us a complete picture. We captured the contextual reality—the campaign’s physical presence—and the subjective experiences of the staff interacting with it.”

What sets us apart is our methodology, which blends sales data, real-world evidence, and qualitative market research. Our access to exclusive sales data, coupled with deep market insights, enabled us to deliver a report that went beyond surface-level observations.

The Results: Clear takeaways for real-world improvement

Our study produced concrete findings that directly informed our client’s marketing strategy. These results pinpointed specific areas for campaign improvement, both in Danish pharmacies and for the planned global launch.

Here are the top insights:

1. Campaign Visibility: The mystery shopping revealed that the campaign’s in-pharmacy presence wasn’t as prominent as expected. Materials were either missing or positioned in ways that limited visibility. This was a critical finding because pharmacies are one of the primary channels through which consumers discover OTC products.

2. Employee Awareness: Pharmacy staff were aware of the brand but recall of the specific campaign was much lower than anticipated. This suggested that more targeted communication with the pharmacy employees was needed to better align them with the campaign.

3. Competitive Landscape: While healthcare professionals saw the product as highly safe and well-endorsed, a competitor’s product was often perceived as more affordable and easier to use. This competitive insight helped the client adjust their positioning to emphasize their product’s unique advantages.

4. Influence of Pharmacy Employees: We found that 36% of consumers visiting pharmacies for constipation relief were directly influenced by employee recommendations. This underscores the significant role that pharmacy staff play in consumer decision-making.

“We found that only 2 out of 10 pharmacy employees recalled the campaign, with just one remembering it clearly,” says Søren. This highlighted a clear opportunity for our client to enhance their engagement with these key influencers in the purchase decision.”