In the world of Swiss pharmaceutical retail, we invest heavily in materials—printed displays, countertop units, cardboard standees, and all their premium variations. Yet too often, after all the logistics, approvals, and installs… nothing happens. Sales stay flat. Pharmacists shrug. Campaigns fade into the background.

So, what’s going wrong? Why do some beautifully crafted materials sit untouched or unnoticed in pharmacies and drugstores across the country?

Let’s take a closer look at three recurring reasons POS materials underperform—and what you can do to avoid them.

1. Passive Marketing = Passive Results

We’ve seen it countless times: a striking piece of POS material that says… almost nothing. No product offer. No clear message. No connection to a pharmacist’s day-to-day reality.

This often happens when the display is treated as a branding object rather than a sales tool. If there’s no product tie-in, no sample, or no relevant call to action, then the only message being communicated is visual—and visual alone rarely converts in this space.

Why It Fails:

• No sellable product nearby: The pharmacy has nothing to upsell or recommend.

• No incentive for the staff to engage: It doesn’t support their customer dialogue.

• No relevance to current health concerns: The topic feels generic.

It’s important to remember that pharmacies and drugstores are not museums. Displays that don’t serve a purpose—informational, transactional, or experiential—often become invisible. Worse, they take up valuable space and reduce the perceived value of future campaigns.

Rüfenacht Recommends:

• Always connect your POSM to an active product push or promotional action.

• Equip the pharmacy team with a reason to care—sample kits, conversation starters, or quick-reference info.

• Design messaging to prompt questions or reactions, not just admiration.

• Consider “dual utility” designs—something useful for staff or customers (storage, educational flyers, shelf tags).

The most successful POS displays create a small ripple: they influence pharmacist behavior, trigger a client question, or simply make a product easier to locate and recommend. Without that ripple, you’re just adding clutter.

2. Wrong Fit for the Point of Sale

A gorgeous display that disrupts foot traffic? Not so gorgeous anymore.

Poorly adapted materials—too large, too unstable, or just poorly aligned with the layout of Swiss pharmacies and drugstores—often get rejected or sidelined. And let’s not forget the infamous “we have no space” response from staff, which usually signals the material wasn’t designed with real PoS constraints in mind.

Why It Fails:

• Takes up too much space in a narrow consultation area.

• Blocks movement for customers or staff.

• Feels out of place in a medical environment.

• Requires too much effort to install or adjust on site.

In a high-trust retail environment like Swiss pharmacies, ergonomics and flow are everything. If a stand blocks the cashier’s line of sight or causes a bottleneck in a waiting area, it will be the first thing removed—regardless of how nice it looks.

Rüfenacht Recommends:

• Test dimensions and formats in real PoS environments before production.

• Involve merchandising teams early in the briefing phase.

• Provide modular, space-conscious options that can flex based on PoS size.

• Always provide a “Plan B” format in case your primary setup doesn’t fit.

Our field teams regularly encounter beautiful but oversized materials sent from global HQs that simply don’t fit the Swiss context—especially in older, urban pharmacies. A five-minute check with your installation partner can save you weeks of rework.

3. Wrong Time, Wrong Battle

Even the best-designed material can flop if it shows up out of sync with the market. We’ve seen allergy displays arrive after pollen season, immunity campaigns launch in July, and pregnancy messages compete with four other brands during Mother’s Day.

And sometimes, the product the POSM supports… isn’t even in stock.

Why It Fails:

• Poor timing kills relevance.

• Competing campaigns dilute visibility.

• No pharmacy deal in place means no inventory to support the campaign.

• Lack of regional planning misses key nuances (Romandie ≠ Zürich).

These failures usually stem from disconnected planning cycles—when POSM production is approved long before commercial agreements or when field realities aren’t brought into the planning room. Without visibility into stock, contracts, or pharmacy priorities, timing slips and value erodes.

Rüfenacht Recommends:

• Align campaign timing tightly with sell-in and stock availability.

• Coordinate with field teams and pharmacy groups for exclusivity windows.

• Audit the competitive landscape before choosing final launch dates.

• Use digital dashboards to monitor install timelines and adjust in real-time.

It’s also wise to plan seasonal campaigns backward: start from pharmacy shelf date and reverse-engineer production, approvals, and logistics accordingly. A perfectly executed campaign launched too late is a lost opportunity.

Final Thought: Good POS Design Starts With Execution Planning

Your POS materials don’t just need to be pretty—they need to be purposeful, timely, and grounded in operational reality. From pharmacy staff motivation to retail space constraints, the success of your physical materials depends on more than design.

Design, sales, trade marketing, and field teams must be aligned around a common question: Will this work in real Swiss pharmacies and drugstores, today?

If the answer isn’t a confident yes, it’s time to stop and reassess.