Checking OTC Execution in Pharmacies

Non-pharmacy sales of over-the-counter medicines have grown over the past decade, but pharmacies remain the key channel in most European markets. Our research among community members across Europe puts pharmacies clearly first as the preferred place to buy OTC products.

Preferred channel for buying OTC medicines. Multiple answers possible. Source: Roamler community research.

That concentration makes execution in pharmacies the decisive variable. Whether a product is visible, and how it is presented at the counter, determines a great deal of what a pharma brand achieves in the channel.

Checking Distribution and Visibility

We have extensive experience auditing the in-store execution of OTC categories in pharmacies. Our community reports on which of four situations applies to a product or product category:

1. Available in a promotional branded display
2. On the regular shelves inside the pharmacy
3. Not on the shelves, but stocked and dispensed by the pharmacy
4. Not distributed by the pharmacy at all

The distinction between the third and fourth cases is the one brand managers most often lack. A product held behind the counter is distributed but invisible — which produces very different commercial outcomes from a product that is genuinely absent, and calls for a different response.

Because the work is distributed across an on-demand community, a complete picture of distribution across a category can be assembled in days. Data is validated before release and delivered as live dashboards and granular reports, so issues surface early enough to act on.

The Pharmacist's Recommendation

Distribution is only half the picture. In OTC, the advice given at the counter carries real weight: alongside the 48% of consumers who opt for a well-known brand, 40% say they follow professional advice.

Pharmacists are frequently the first point of contact, and customers arrive expecting a trustworthy answer. A professional recommendation lends a product credibility that no amount of packaging can, which is why pharma companies invest heavily in training pharmacy staff through their field forces.

Verifying the return on that investment is where it usually breaks down. Measuring whether training actually changed what gets recommended at the counter is slow and difficult work.

Measuring It With Mystery Visits

Our community also performs mystery shopping visits designed specifically to evaluate what pharmacy staff recommend. Visits follow a defined scenario and report on several outcomes:

• Whether staff suggest the product spontaneously, as the first answer to a stated need
• Whether they recommend it over a competing brand
• Whether they have enough product information to make the case convincingly

Visits can be run in pharmacies already covered by a field force and in those that are not — which is what makes the comparison useful. Set against sales data, the difference between covered and uncovered outlets is a direct read on the return from field marketing investment.

Results are validated by a review team and made available in real time, so decisions can follow the finding rather than the reporting cycle.