Tag: Retail

YARMOUTH, Maine - When customer demand for standard DME took a nosedive during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, retail providers found themselves shifting gears to meet market demands. For Mark Nicotera, president of AZ MediQuip in Scottsdale, Ariz., that meant taking a leap of faith to source a variety of personal protective equipment, which he doesn't typically stock, from new distributors when he was unable to obtain it from well-known companies. “We had to create a new supply...

HERMITAGE, Tenn. - Provider Kevin Brown was hit with a double whammy in early March, when a deadly tornado struck the Nashville area, just as the COVID-19 pandemic began to take hold. Brown, one of the owners of All Star Medical Supply, which has two locations in Tennessee, was attending Medtrade Spring in Las Vegas when he got word that a Category 3 tornado had damaged the Hermitage location. “I had to come back to deal with the rebuild of a store and COVID,” he said. While the building,...

CARLSBAD, Calif. - Eppic Medical has acquired Mobul: the mobility store in Long Beach, Calif. As part of the acquisition, which is Eppic Medical's third, Mobul will also provide custom complex rehab products to customers requiring more than just standard medical equipment. Eppic Medical, an HME retailer based here serving customers in Palm Desert and San Diego, is affiliated with Access Medical, a provider of complex rehab products with offices in Carlsbad, Anaheim, Palm Desert, Burlingame, Honolulu...

Q. What are some retail strategies to consider for 2020?A. Stop selling “products.” Yes, I said stop selling products. Your customers can buy products from online retailers who entice them with a huge selection and rock-bottom prices.  It is tough to compete with that if all you offer is products, as well. You need to give them a reason to choose your store.The reason they should choose your store is because of your specialty and expertise in HME products.  Sifting through a...

ATLANTA - There's a new pavilion on the Medtrade show floor this year, the Retail Product Pavilion. Medtrade and VGM have applied the successful concept of the New Product Pavilion, including an awards program on the last day of the show, to retail products. “The industry has changed— there are a lot of folks looking for ancillary sales,” said Mark Lind, associate show director, healthcare, for Medtrade and Medtrade Spring. “We have the success of the New Product...

A. There is a lot of information available in this industry about expanding retail sales of HME products to your patients. You see it in many publications, at Medtrade, at regional or state association meeting as well as manufacturer sponsored events.  While the information provided is useful and accurate when it comes to physical merchandising and sales methodology, It falls short when it comes to addressing the “retail apocalypse” by re-emphasizing tradition retail models. Amazon...

From solid bets like selling lift chairs to stocking this season's hottest styles, it's all in a day's work for today's HME retailer providers they say.During a panel discussion at Medtrade Spring in Las Vegas in April, four HME providers offered their thoughts on how to build a successful retail model.Give the people what they wantWhile the traditional HME model has long been to assume the customer can't or won't pay for anything when insurance might, changes in payer policies that place more of...

INDIANAPOLIS - Family Medical Supply in Oklahoma will rebrand to Rehab Medical Supply, following its acquisition by Rehab Medical in 2018. Rehab Medical Supply's locations in Oklahoma City and Kingston will serve as the anchors to Rehab Medical's new retail division. “For more than a decade Rehab Medical has developed a reputation as one of the nation's top complex rehab technology companies, but this type of custom equipment isn't sold same-day within your typical medical store,” said...

ATLANTA - HME providers are almost always looking for new ways to bring customers and other prospects through their front doors, and many are turning to in-store events.In the Medtrade session “You're Invited! Tips, Tricks and Tools for Hosting an Impactful In-store Event,” Sarah Conger, events manager for the VGM Group, shared what providers should have in their toolkit to help execute an impactful event.HME News: What are the top reasons why providers should consider in-store events?Sarah...

EXETER, Pa. - Pride Mobility Products has seen an increase in provider retail sales thanks to CareCredit. “We're at a place in the evolution of our industry where retail sales of power lift recliners, scooters and power chairs are key to providers' success,” said Micah Swick, director of Pride Sales. “The purchasing power that CareCredit offers consumers, along with giving providers an added sales tool, creates an ease of transaction where everyone wins.” CareCredit is a health,...