How pharma can make pharmacies a powerful marketing channel

Point-of-care (POC) healthcare marketing is on the rise, experiencing 171% revenue growth since 2019 to surpass $803 million in 2023. One reason for this surge? Marketers need to reach patients in physical settings.

As AI disrupts the advertising ecosystem and limits click-through rates for digital ads, how pharmaceutical companies engage patients through in-person environments holds greater weight. While traditional DTC channels, including TV and social media, will remain part of pharma's marketing mix, channels that can directly influence patient decision-making are critical.

Among POC marketing strategies, activating the pharmacy environment is especially powerful. Unlike a hospital waiting room or a physician's office, the pharmacy is where patients consider prescription options, navigate cost barriers, and often decide whether to initiate or continue with therapy.

With nearly a third of patients refilling their prescription as a result of in-pharmacy advertising, the opportunity to influence patient behaviour is significant. However, to realise the pharmacy’s full potential for engagement, pharma marketers must be prepared to adapt their strategy.

Why pharmacies are the next frontier in POC marketing

The case for POC marketing is clear: patients exposed to both digital and POC ads are 200 times more likely to convert compared to only seeing a digital ad, and 20% of patients go on to request a specific pharma brand following POC ad exposure.

Yet, not all care settings are created equal. Pharmacies are unique environments because they are accessible and well-trusted by patients. In fact, 89% of US workers view pharmacy-based care positively, and research shows that patients visit their community pharmacy almost twice as often as their primary care provider.

Additionally, pharmacies’ reach and influence will only grow as non-traditional providers move toward capturing 30% of US primary care by 2030. Case in point: retail pharmacies delivered approximately 36.31 million doses of flu vaccine in the 2025-2026 season, compared to only 21.95 million doses administered in physicians’ medical offices.

Given their frequent patient interactions, it’s no surprise that pharmacies directly influence patient behaviour. Beyond driving prescription refills, in-pharmacy advertising can support adherence, with 34% of patients taking their medication after exposure to educational materials.

To fully capitalise on this opportunity, pharma marketers need a deliberate, pharmacy-specific approach — one that centres pharmacist partnerships, affordability efforts, and targeted patient engagement.

3 strategies for pharma marketers to reach patients through the pharmacy

While the pharmacy’s potential to engage patients is clear, realizing its full value requires more than just placing ads in pharmacy settings. Here are three strategies for pharma marketers to keep in mind:

1.Capture pharmacist insights

Pharmacists are on the front lines of patient care, counselling people on side effects, answering questions about drug interactions, and often spending more time with patients than any other provider. By centring pharmacists’ perspectives, pharma marketers can ensure ads and educational content address real patient needs and barriers.

For example, marketers can build pharmacist advisory boards to seek input on the messaging tone and format of patient outreach materials. Likewise, understanding how pharmacists want to engage with programmes can ensure content resonates differently than through standard HCP-centred communications.

Ultimately, reaching pharmacists effectively requires acknowledging their unique role in the community. A focus on developing patient-first messaging can help earn pharmacist buy-in and encourage them to reinforce key messages during conversations at the counter.

2.Integrate patient affordability and engagement efforts

For pharma marketers, the pharmacy channel is most powerful when activated for long-term patient engagement. That means developing strategies that support patients beyond the first fill and drive adherence over time.

Affordability vouchers are one tool that can reduce barriers to entry for patients. If a patient encounters an unexpected cost for a new medication, a voucher applied in real-time at the point of sale can help ensure they leave with their medication in hand.

However, retention efforts are equally critical. While in-workflow alerts can help pharmacists flag and address missed refills in real time, personalised patient outreach, such as texts with side effect management information and timely refill reminders, can keep patients engaged beyond pharmacy visits.

By partnering closely with pharmacists to deploy affordability and engagement programmes in pharmacy workflows, pharma brands can help ensure patients have the support to continue with therapy.

3.Target specific patient populations

Many pharmacies offer services for populations with specific clinical needs or access barriers, giving pharma marketers a direct path to the patient cohorts that matter most to their brand.

For example, a pharmacy provider may specialise in serving elderly patients in a community pharmacy. With this in mind, a vaccine manufacturer could partner to deliver curated vaccine education materials before flu season, followed by side effect information after vaccine administration.

With the right pharmacy partnerships in place, marketers can move beyond broad, awareness-driven DTC campaigns and engage high-priority patient populations where they already receive care.

Where POC engagement drives real patient action

As POC marketing becomes increasingly central to pharma strategy, marketers who prioritise pharmacy-based engagement are best positioned to drive meaningful patient action.

Compared to the broad awareness that DTC channels can generate, the pharmacy offers unique value: a trusted environment where patients make key healthcare decisions. With technology now enabling targeted, in-workflow engagement, the opportunity to reach patients with the right support at the right moment has never been greater.

By treating pharmacists as partners, integrating affordability support, and aligning outreach to specific populations, pharma marketers can meet patients at critical decision points and support stronger long-term therapy outcomes.

About the author

Joy Neely is a healthcare commercial leader with more than 20 years of experience driving growth across pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and healthcare services. She specialises in commercial growth strategy, patient access solutions, and strategic partnerships that expand access to therapies while delivering sustainable business results. She has led commercial teams and partnerships serving leading pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, health systems, and healthcare technology organisations. Prior to joining RedSail Technologies, Neely served as CCO at Medvantx Pharmacy, where she led the Sales, Marketing, Implementation, and Customer Experience teams. Neely was also previously senior VP and head of sales at CareMetx, where she led commercial strategy and partnerships with pharmaceutical manufacturers for hub and patient support services. She also held leadership roles at Roche Diagnostics, commercial leadership roles in patient access services at Valeris, and spent more than a decade at Eli Lilly and Company. Neely holds a Bachelor’s degree in Health Administration from Truman State University and an Executive MBA from the Quantic School of Business and Technology. She also holds Six Sigma Green Belt and Black Belt certifications.