1. SMS Messaging
SMS is a flexible and low-cost way to mobilise your communications, with options for pharmacies including appointment reminders, “click and collect” prescription notifications and targeted offers. Bear in mind that SMS boasts a 98% open rate compared to just 22% for email, and 90% of messages are opened and read within 3 minutes of delivery – which gives SMS the “cut-through” that other channels lack.
Pharmacy chains such as Sam McCauleys are using Púcas SMS Platform both for inbound and outbound SMS marketing – allowing their customers to opt in to targeted offers depending on their interests. Global beauty leaders Coty are also using SMS for brand competitions to drive their opt-in marketing strategy. We should mention that Freetext opt-out is recommended to ensure compliance with Data Protection best practice.
2. Mobile-friendly Email and Web
Did you know that Email is the most mobile popular app on smartphones? (see table below). In fact over 50% of emails are being opened on a mobile device, so it’s vital that you ensure your emails can be easily read on smaller-screen devices. A well-timed and mobile-optimised email can always catch a customer’s eye, encouraging sales or better brand recognition.
Púcas email platform allows retailers to avail of all the latest features you would expect including ready-made templates, easy editor, split testing, spam and phishing tests, geo-profiling, and detailed click-through reports. Make sure your website is also mobile-optimised to maximise click-throughs and engagement. Use this test to see how mobile-friendly your website is.
3. Pharmacy “Loyalty Apps”
Once you have your SMS and Email marketing under way, and assuming you have already mobile-optimised your website, you might consider a consumer “loyalty app” to deepen your customer engagement and introduce push notifications and in-app messages. This strategy very much depends on your budget. Apps aren’t cheap to develop, however there is an economy of scale which makes this option suitable for larger pharmacy chains.
Púca’s loyalty platform allows brands and retailers to manage and issue offers to consumers via a consumer app and other channels (SMS, email, social etc) and redeem the offers securely at the point of sale in-store or online.
Just a few examples of this in action are the geo-fenced campaign we developed for Avonmore Milk at Dublin airport, the Arnotts Wonder Card app,and this multichannel campaign for Irish Distillers’ West Coast Cooler Brand which brought together SMS / app / web / social in one integrated customer experience across 30 different venues.
4. Pharmacy “Shop Floor” Apps
Shop floor apps can allow pharmacy staff to engage with consumers digitally while they in-store. Gordon Newman (eCommerce Manager at retail sports specialists LifeStyle Sports) outlined at the Pharmacy Summit how a custom e-commerce tablet app is being used in-store by their staff to check stock whilst on the shop floor with a customer, and complete the order even if the item is out of stock.
Púca has implemented numerous integrated mobile commerce projects over the years including in-store apps for SPAR, Irish Distillers, Vodafone and Meteor. We have the multichannel expertise and technology necessary to make your project a success.
Interested to find out how Púca can help mobilise your business? Click here to contact us.
