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Chain Drugstore Daily Sunday, August 20, 2017 1 8 FORMER CVS SENIOR MANAGER CHRIS PICCIRILLO JOINS MARKETOUCH MEDIA MarkeTouch Media is excited to announce the recent hiring of Chris Piccirillo as Senior Product Manager of Mobile and Web Applications. Piccirillo most recently was CVS Senior Product Manager of Digital Pharmacy. Piccirillo brings several years of project manage- ment experience to his new role within MarkeTouch. In Piccirillo's previous roles, he led efforts to implement a complete digital pharmacy, including development, inno- vation and patient adoption. "Mobile and web are an integral part of MarkeTouch Media's full-service patient communica- tions offering, and we are thrilled to add a person with Chris's expertise to lead our team into the future," says Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Lyle Green. Mobile and web solutions account for as much as 50 percent of patient refill requests and are a key component to increasing patient adherence. Piccirillo was encouraged by MarkeTouch's digital work on behalf of its clients and is confi- dent he can make an immediate impact, stating, "I'm in the posi- tion to make a major con- tribution on the mobile and web application team and take the customer's digital experience to the next level." In addition to Piccirillo's previous work at CVS, he was employed by the U.S. Navy for 13 years as a computer engineer, leading multiple domestic and international projects. Piccirillo was responsible for the complete lifecycle of each project, from planning to coding, and finally, training. Piccirillo started with MarkeTouch Media on July 3, 2017. MarkeTouch Media sends and receives 175 million communications annually on behalf of more than 15,000 pharmacy locations across North America. MarkeTouch Media is the only vendor in the pharmacy marketplace offering clients a single source for comprehensive, personal- ized patient communica- tions, including: Outbound Notifications, Central IVR, Pharmacist Connect, Mobile & Web Solutions. MarkeTouch leverages its technology to implement turnkey HOSTED solutions such as Optimum MedSync, Health & Wellness Scheduler, Clinical Solutions and Hospital Discharge Management. MarkeTouch services have assisted its clients to increase revenue, operational efficiency and patient adherence since 2003. For more information, visit booth #1845 or go to www.rxtouch.com. PRICING, MARGIN STRATEGIES VARY GREATLY ACROSS HBW CATEGORIES Health, beauty and wellness manufactur- ers employ a variety of pricing strategies to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace while at the same time strengthening their bottom line. While most seek to increase published list prices and increase trade spending (off- invoice and bill back allowances and/or marketing funds), many decrease pub- lished list price and maintain trade spend- ing. "We tracked 7,202 list price changes across 59 health, beauty and wellness categories over the past 12 months," said Glen Davis, President of Competitive Promotion Report, LLC. But an analysis of these list price changes might surprise you, he added, because while 80 percent or 5,810 were list price increases, 20 per- cent or 1,392 were list price decreases. "The average list price increase was $1.07 or 4.6 percent and the average list price decrease was $1.44 or 15.9 per- cent," said Davis. "In one example, we saw a leading manufacturer actually take a list price decrease and at the same time significantly increase trade spending as a pricing strategy to defend against an Rx to OTC switch." Retail margin is another very impor- tant metric that HBW manufacturers attempt to manage in order to gain a com- petitive advantage. Knowing average everyday retail margin for your brands and for your competitors can provide manufacturers with a solid baseline financial understanding of how retailers perceive one brand versus another. Most manufacturers want the retailer to make a fair margin on their products, but understand that sales may be nega- tively impacted if retailers take too much margin. "Average everyday retail margins vary greatly across HBW categories," said Davis. Oftentimes categories that are very competitive with high unit sales like baby diapers and shave blades (non- razors) have lower retail margins because retailers are competing for consumers purchasing these products. On the other hand, retailers have found that they are able to earn much higher margins on cat- egories such as contraceptives, first aid accessories and ear care products. You also should consider retail margin per- cent versus retail margin dollars. Products with a high retail price but a low retail margin percent can sometimes gener- ate more retail margin dollars than products with low to mod- erate retail prices and high retail margin percent. It is extremely important for manu- facturers and retailers to use fact-based data, analysis and insights to develop their list, retail and margin strategies. "Our clients are among the leading manufacturers in the industry and have come to depend on CPR for both our syndicated database and IDM consult- ing services and IDM," says Davis. Having the right pricing and retail mar- gin strategies will drive sales, market share and profits. For more information, call 770.565.0735, x106 or go to www .competitivepromotion.com. STUDEX: EAR COME THE PROFITS "We will be able to recoup over seven times our investment money with this product." How would you like to say those words to your organization on Monday morning? With an investment in Studex Ear Piercing Systems and Earrings, you can. The Studex program introduces a new category with exceptional margins and has proven itself successful at both the small and large retail levels. How many people do you know who have had their ears pierced? Studies show that of those who get their ears pierced, more than 1 in 3 experience a negative reaction, mainly due to nickel sensitivity. Studex's nickel-safe, fully sterilized products will grow your business by pro- viding a safe service that will attract new loyal customers. Due to the nature of this unique service, foot-traffic will improve at your locations, because ear piercing must be done in person and cannot be done online. Better yet, this service has proven to be recession-proof. Whether the economy is up or down, you can maintain confidence in the ear piercing market. How do you implement an ear piercing program? With Studex's reliable prod- ucts and simple three-step piercing process, implementa- tion of the program is effort- less. Stop by booth #3315 and ask about it; it's so easy to learn that they can teach you on the spot! In addition, Studex's dedicated team will provide you with personal attention and individual solutions to ensure you have a positive experience. Since 1976, Studex has been com- mitted to providing the absolute best in ear piercing systems and earrings. As the world's largest ear piercing manufacturer with offices in more than 40 coun- tries, it makes "Earrings You Can Trust." All of its earrings are guaranteed to be 100 per- cent safe, sterilized and allergy- free, even for the most sensitive ears. All of its products exceed U.S. FDA and EC regulations, and are made in the USA. Visit Studex at booth #3315. For more information, go to www.studex.com or call 310.851.9300. OPTIMIZING DIRECT MAIL COMMUNICATIONS WITH PDQ PDQ Communications, a respected leader in the direct mail market, turns its pharmaceutical partners' marketing chal- lenges into opportunities. Through its 100 percent custom mail programs, PDQ reaches all healthcare providers in any practice setting. PDQ will customize mail programs to complement client sales and marketing efforts. "Our customer satisfaction rates are the highest I have seen during my 30 years in this industry," said PDQ Chief Operating Officer, Joanne Andre. Simple to sophisticated, PDQ offers an array of custom mail programs depending on the client's goals, objec- tives and budgets. From small, targeted, local, single-wave mailings to elaborate, national, multi-wave campaigns and everything in between, PDQ takes your direct mail program and makes the process turnkey. Whatever your needs – new product launches, line extensions, managed care announcements, copay assistance pro- grams, new indications or FDA-mandat- ed mailings – PDQ can reach your target audiences in a timely, cost-efficient man- ner. PDQ works with client supplied lists or can provide lists based on your needs, by specialty or sub-specialty, disease state, geographic location or prescribing deciles. Mailings deploy in custom envelopes or vehicles designed to accommodate your mail piece. Additionally, PDQ's in-house pro- duction managers are experts in finding efficiencies to streamline costs and time- lines. When asked what separates them from the competition, PDQ Chief Executive Officer Mary Jane Garvey replied, "We differentiate ourselves with our superior customer service and atten- tion to detail. Every client works with a dedicated PDQ account manager and production manager. I've worked for a number of similar com- panies and am proud to say that PDQ is the best at direct mail for the healthcare industry." Whether your needs demand FDA- mandated mailings in a letter size enve- lope or you are launching a new prod- uct, showcasing your message with jazzy artwork in a custom clear enve- lope, no direct mail job is too big or too small for PDQ. Partner with PDQ Communications and let it turn your marketing challenges into opportuni- ties. Visit PDQ Communications at booth #2911. For more information, call 866.485.4737.