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Innovation + Insights explore the ways in which our people embrace new technologies and approaches in our industry, seeking to continuously evaluate and improve our processes and services.
COLUMBUS, OH – Drug stores and pharmacies have long been staples of the community, and for good reason: they’re designed to offer what David Drouhard, LDG Director of Retail Architecture and Associate Vice President, calls the “three Cs” of convenience, comfort, and categories.
“These ‘overall’ goals of drug store design provide the consumer with a comfortable environment and convenient offerings that are easily navigable – from the products on the shelves to health and wellness options to the pharmacy,” David said.
However, that’s not to say drug stores don’t adapt to trends or changing consumer demands. Some new patterns are seen more immediately, while others have been unfolding over many more years. David offered his thoughts on the current “State of Retail Design” as it relates to drug stores and pharmacies, and how LDG’s multidisciplined team addresses new and established trends alike.
How are you designing drug stores these days?
The approach of offering the consumer more services beyond the typical pharmacy, while ensuring they feel comfortable in coming to the store when they are not at their best, has been evolving for several years. This includes comfortable seating areas, introducing materials to promote cleanliness, wellness rooms for private consultations, and the capacity to administer shots and vaccines without the burden of scheduling a doctor appointment. It also embraces the tenet of convenience for the consumer, offering drive-thru windows, walkup windows, and in certain designs, even dedicated entrances for comfortability.
RELATED: Life in the Fast Lane: A Retail Engineering Q&A with David Drouhard
Environmental considerations are increasingly present in every industry. How is this expressed in designing drug stores and pharmacies?
We have started investigating more sustainable ways to design the stores in general, from the parking lot to the shell of the building to the finishes we put inside. Part of this so far has been calculating how much embodied carbon a typical store produces and how much of that could be reduced by changing and implementing new strategies. While some of these strategies might be more costly than typical products, it will be better in the end for the client, end user, and community overall by creating a better environment for future generations.
What is a trend that has evolved into a staple of drug store design?
Convenience has played a bigger and bigger role by understanding most customers may be “under the weather” and looking for the easiest way to acquire a needed good or service, which can greatly impact their mood and experience. Wayfinding, transaction experience, and even creature comforts like strategically placed furniture and fixtures are some of the ways we elevate and highlight this convenience.
One constant is that every drug store wants to make money – how do you design and create merchandising areas to encourage shoppers to buy?
Overall, we create environments that attract, engage, inform, and persuade consumers to buy products and services. Depending on the area or product being displayed, this can involve data collection, customer journey mapping, store layout or programming, informative merchandising elements, strategically placed merchandise (including cross-merchandising to increase sales), overall aesthetic, and ease of environment use.
It’s clear that drugstore and pharmacy design – and retail design as a whole – continues to evolve to meet the wants and needs of consumers, which is why it is critical to be aligned with a trusted partner. Read more about LDG’s comprehensive, multidisciplined retail architecture offerings and how we serve our clients in that partner role.
ABOUT LDG
Founded in 1986, LDG is an award-winning, employee-owned architecture, engineering, and consulting firm offering full-service capabilities and a national reach. For more than 30 years, we have been providing an extraordinary breadth and depth of value-driven solutions to our diverse client base and investing in the sustainable business practices and innovative technologies that allow us to pursue our shared vision: creatively shaping our world. For more information, visit About – Larson Design Group.