A range of features contribute to your brand image and can create an environment that supports the explicit marketing messages you want to give your customers and patients.

• Stock ranging – The ranges you hold say what you are about. If you want your brand to be about quality and healthcare, a dump bin of discounted and discontinued products in front of the door is not the way to do it
• Store layout – The position of the dispensary and the accessibility of healthcare products will suggest to customers what the business thinks is important
• Window posters – Unrelated, peeling and hand-written notices in a community pharmacy window do not give the impression of a quality service
• Access to the pharmacist – If the pharmacist is not visible or easily accessible, the message is that adding value above the supply of medicines is not important
• Staff appearance – A team uniform can communicate to customers that staff are there to help and advise. Think about the impression clothing in different shops makes on you. A smart uniform and high standards of appearance will also help to bring the staff together as a team
• Staff attitude and knowledge – How your staff approach your customers, and whether they see themselves as checkout assistants or people who are there to provide a service sends out a strong message. The culture you create in the pharmacy through living your purpose and insisting your staff do so as well will affect the way your customers receive other messages.