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C h a i n D r u g s t o r e D a i l y S a t u r d a y, A p r i l 1 6 , 2 0 1 6 4 FIVE STRATEGIES TO SWEETEN SEASONAL SALES Americans love the seasons and holidays, and they go to great lengths to make cele- brations extra special. Often, this means including chocolate and confections that are family favorites, like seasonally fla- vored or colored M&M'S ® Brand Candies. Drug retailers should take note: sea- sonal candy represents 40 percent of con- fectionery sales in the channel. To help maximize category sales potential, Mars Chocolate North America recommends five winning seasonal strategies: 1. Differentiate and inspire. Winning retailers anchor their seasonal strategies to a creative statement that comes to life in a centrally-located destination in-store, which then is complemented with impulse destinations throughout the store. 2. Overt and highly shoppable mini-des- tinations. Retailers can inspire greater seasonal participation by offering solu- tions for traditions such as gifting, deco- rating and entertaining. Secondary loca- tions, from the pharmacy to check lanes and everything in between, will drive impulse sales and build bigger baskets. 3. Purposeful executions during "blurred" and "mini" seasons. Shoppers often navigate through multiple seasons at once, such as February's Super Bowl, Mardi Gras and Valentine's Day. Successful retailers emphasize the pri- mary season, with supplemental mer- chandising for mini-seasons. 4. Bold, clear pricing. No matter what the season, bold pricing statements on quali- ty candy are critical to driving store choice, aisle navigation and impulse. Ensure representation of a variety of price points, particularly in gifting. 5. Early and often promotional calendar. Candy is relevant throughout seasonal periods, yet what shoppers buy changes over the course of time. For example, a shopper may explore the first taste of the season, and later she'll buy for snacking, parties and gifting. Seasonal gifting continues to grow, and shoppers seek out gifts with a unique fla- vor or personal touch. From Halloween Boo-ing and Christmas stocking stuffers to Valentine's Day teacher gifts, shoppers can choose from a variety of seasonal treasures. A n o t h e r trend is seasonal shapes, like TWIX ® Hearts and Eggs and SNICKERS ® Hearts, Eggs, Pumpkins and Trees. Placed by the register, these are ideal grab-and-go snacks. In addition to festive seasonal shapes, Mars Chocolate is rolling out a host of new holiday items, including: Easter 2016: M&M'S Speckled Malt Mini Chocolate Eggs, SNICKERS Minis Filled Cane with bunny ears on top, and DOVE ® Chocolate Bunnies and Chicks. Halloween 2016: M&M'S Milk Chocolate Crispy S'mores Candies, DOVE Milk Chocolate in a new "treat size" that are per- fect for trick-or-treating, DOVE Dark Chocolate Jack-O-Lanterns, and variety bags filled with "Crunchy & Crispy" and "Smooth & Creamy" offerings. Christmas 2016: SNICKERS and MILKY WAY ® Bites packaged in an ornament pouch, TWIX Brand Minis Cane for the Holidays and a beautiful gift box filled with DOVE Brand PROMIS- ES ® Silky Smooth Milk Chocolate. Visit Mars at booth #226. For more infor- mation, visit www.mars.com or call 800.631.7630. HOW QUALITY IS CHANGING THE PHARMACY BUSINESS MODEL By Jeff Pepperworth, President, Inmar Healthcare Network The shift in healthcare from the fee-for- service business model to value based reimbursement is being implemented in pharmacy in 2016, and will continue to evolve. Retail pharmacies face signifi- cant implications as a result of this shift. There are different contracting mod- els for Medicare, HIX/Marketplace plans, Medicaid. CMS is adding new measures and adjusting thresholds on others. Plans are responding by aligning formularies, clinical strategies, network contracts and promotions with Star Ratings measures, and by moving towards pay for performance and nar- rowing their preferred networks based on quality and value criteria. It can be over- whelming, and there is still much evolu- tion to come. In a fee-for-service model, calculat- ing pharmacy revenue is relatively sim- ple. In 2016, there are five flavors of value based/quality contracting: "Pure Incentive" – payout based on achieving measures; "Pay In and Earn Back" – an upfront fee per claim is paid with the ability to earn back funds; "DIR Penalty Scale" – claim deductions are based on performance; "Heavy Weighting to High Risk Medications" modifier – the per- centage of HRM impacts the per claim fee; and "Weighted Averages plus MTM" modifier – fee is based on ranked aver- ages of specified adherence metrics com- bined with MTM participation volume. The average retail pharmacy has $50,000 to $100,000 in reimbursements at risk in 2016 for quality, and this will continue to grow. What should retail pharmacies do? Determine status, goals and invest- ment. Pharmacies should measure them- selves and identify opportunities through internal solutions, EQUIPP and contract management solutions, applying pharma- tinely; prepare in advance by under- standing contract responsibilities and goals, developing a plan to reach patients/members with opportunities, and understanding current performance and areas where opportunity for improvement lies; and discuss with them how patient-facing staff will address opportunities and how they are aware of their performance. Do you have the tools in place to know where you are today? Inmar's Contract Management solution can help you be more successful in value-based reimbursement through measuring quali- ty at the contract level, forecasting DIR fees, modeling the financial upsides and downsides of different scenarios and pin- pointing which patients need what serv- ices. Visit Inmar at booth #430. For more information, go to www.inmar.com, email solutions@inmar.com or call 866.440.6917. cy level benchmarking within their chain and the industry overall. They should accurately forecast DIR and account for it as a sales adjustment, quan- tify the financial value of improvement to justify investment and evaluate solutions and their successes against their investment ability, considering some programs are offered in coordination with the plans, some are funded by pharma and/or plans and that patient engagement will increase front store sales. Align patient needs with appropri- ate solutions and demonstrate success to the plans. Pharmacies must experiment with solutions. Start low-tech and evolve as needs and success grows: refill reminders / automated refill solu- tions like IVR, e-mail, mobile apps, etc.; Med Sync, MTM in-house or through partners; proactive phone outreach; pro- motional programs, Rx coupons, med- ication assistance to help with the cost of care; telemedicine appointments or in-person in the pharmacy. They should communicate with plan partners rou- AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION NOT AFFILIATED WITH NACDS Lee M. Oser CEO and Editor-in-Chief Jules Denton Kim Forrester Delaney Oser Associate Publishers Lorrie Baumann Editorial Director Jeanie Catron JoEllen Lowry Associate Editors André Gressieux Art Director Yasmine Brown Krystal Robles Graphic Designers Caitlyn McGrath Sarah Glenn Customer Service Managers Stacy Davis Kim Stevens Show Logistics & Distribution James Gennette John Pechota Carlos Velasquez Account Managers Enrico Cecchi European Sales Chain Drugstore Daily is published by Oser Communications Group ©2016 All rights reserved. Executive and editorial offices at: 1877 N. Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715 520.721.1300/Fax: 520.721.6300 www.osercommunicationsgroup.com European offices located at Lungarno Benvenuto Cellini, 11, 50125 Florence, Italy END BRUSH TIME NEGOTIATIONS WITH TOOTHPASTES FROM HELLO With hello, parents can end brush time negotiations with their kids. Kids get fla- vors so awesome they'll rush to brush, and parents get thoughtfully selected ingredients they can feel good about, with formulations free from artificial sweeteners, dyes, parabens, triclosan or microbeads. hello kids' fluoride pastes are ADA accepted and clinically proven to prevent cavities and strengthen enam- el. 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