There is an old saying, “You don’t get a 2^nd chance to make a 1^st impression”. Sure it’s cliché, but oftentimes the first impression a potential new customer of an independent pharmacy (or any locally owned business) is the signage above the front door. I’ve collected countless numbers of business cards at tradeshows where an independent pharmacy uses their store name alongside an old image of a classic mortar & pestle. While we all know this symbolizes the very root of pharmacy and quickly identifies with the public as a place to pick up prescriptions, your image could be perceived as a bit outdated with today’s customers, especially the Millennial generation.

Its official, the Millennial generation has surpassed the Baby Boomers as the largest U.S. pet-owning population, according to data released by research during the Global Pet Expo 2015. 35.2% of the U.S. Millennial population are pet owners, compared to 32.8% of Boomers. The percentage of Millennials owning a pet is only going to grow as studies show that, pet-free Millennials are 39% more likely to own a cat or dog in the future, and are 77% more likely than any other generation to get a pet while unmarried and not a parent.

Why is this so important to pharmacies that cater to selling pet goods in their front store as well as fill pet medications? Because Millennials shop differently and if you want to attract them to your store, you will need to know what they are looking for.

Smartphones are becoming more popular as more people are becoming smartphone dependent, which is why it is incredibly important that your pharmacy is smartphone compatible. What do I mean by smartphone compatible, you may wonder?

Smartphones aren’t just for calling and texting, people are using it for other reasons like surfing the internet, playing games, getting directions and shopping. Smartphones and mobile devices, generally, are the newspapers for the modern era, serving as the primary conduit for in-store retail deals, coupons and savings. According to the Pew Research Center’s study on Mobile Technology, 64% of American adults own a smartphone and that percentage is only going to increase. Majority of users are people within the millennial generation and research shows that 85% of millennial parents use their mobile devices for in-store shopping specifically, dads use their devices to check reviews, and moms are searching for deals. How can you make sure your pharmacy is smart phone compatible?

Yes, that’s right, Hispennials. Not a typo, but a new hybrid consumer that’s all the rage. Hispanic + Millennials = Hispennials. Clever, isn’t it? Well, beyond being a cute new buzzword just begging to be hashtagged all over the internet (#hispennials), it’s all the buzz with marketers. You see, marketers believe that Hispennials are quickly rising up as the most sought after customer segment in the United States. Everyone seems to want a bit of their attention, their loyalty, and of course, their dollars.

You don’t need to wait for Paul Revere to announce that the U.S. has a new generation of consumers. This generation has already surpassed the Baby Boomers to become the largest in the country’s history at 75 Million strong. However, if Revere were to make another historic ride today announcing the arrival of the Millennial generation, you may expect to hear something along the lines of “Text if by Land, Tweet if by Sea”.