The Profit Opportunity Hiding in Plain Sight

For many pharmacies, prescription dispensing hasn’t been profitable for years. Amid constant PBM pressures, dwindling reimbursements, and slow-going legislative changes, many pharmacies continue to see slim — and often even negative — margins.

The pharmacies staying ahead in 2026 are the ones who have pivoted to other profit opportunities. For some, this might mean exploring new business models. For others, it might mean starting new services. And for others still it might mean reimagining their role as providers.

While new opportunities can strengthen a pharmacy’s long-term financial viability, they can take months of time, energy, and training to successfully build. And for many pharmacies, profitability can’t wait

Fortunately, not every profit opportunity requires a major operational change. Some of the most accessible opportunities can be found right at the front end of your pharmacy.

Front-end products can generate 15% higher margins than prescriptions without the burden of billing. And growing front-end revenue doesn't have to mean overhauling your inventory, redesigning your store, or executing an entire new strategy. Sometimes it starts with simple recommendations.

Upselling is one of the easiest ways to do just that. When done well, upselling can help patients discover products and services that support their health and, in the process, boost your bottom line.

In this blog, we'll explore what upselling is (and isn't), the opportunities it can create for your pharmacy, and how to build an effective upselling strategy without adding to an already-full plate.

From Upselling to Upsolving: What Upselling Is & Isn’t

In retail settings, upselling (and its counterpart, cross-selling) is a strategy used to increase the value of a customer's purchase. Here's the difference:

• Upselling: Encouraging a customer to buy a higher end, upgraded, or more expensive version of the product they originally planned to purchase.
• Cross-selling: Encouraging a customer to buy a complementary product to go alongside the original product.

While the strategies differ slightly, they both involve recommending products or services beyond an initial purchase. For the sake of simplicity, then, we'll refer to both approaches as “upselling” throughout this blog.

The idea of upselling can (understandably) make pharmacists uneasy. After all, pharmacists are healthcare providers, not salespeople.

But according to Kathy Campbell, CEO of Medicap Pharmacy and a long-time RedSail user, there's a better way to think about it: not as “upselling,” but as “upsolving.”

“I don't see it as selling at all,” Kathy said in an interview with RedSail Media. “I see it as my responsibility as a pharmacist to have my patients have great outcomes by telling them everything I know and providing a quality product.”

For Kathy, upselling is simply an extension of patient care. It's an opportunity to connect patients with products and services that can help them.

"Pharmacists know how to vet a product,” Kathy explains, “but your patients are going other places… and the research shows [those places] aren’t good. So, for me, it was very important for me and the wellness of my community that I [have] a vetted, reliable solution for them.”

When approached this way, upselling benefits patients and pharmacies. Patients get recommendations that can improve their health outcomes, while pharmacies get opportunities for front-end revenue.

Of course, not every recommendation is a good recommendation. Pharmacists, according to Kathy, should use their expertise to know the difference.

When viewed through this lens, upselling isn’t about pushing products, hitting sales targets, or convincing patients to spend more money. Instead, it’s about helping patients solve real problems.

Some Upselling Opportunities Hiding in Plain Sight

Upselling doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are a few examples of what upselling might look like in everyday pharmacy practice:

Recommending Clinical Services

• If a patient is shopping for cold and flu products, you might let them know you offer same-day testing.
• If a patient comes in for a flu shot, you might mention that they may also be eligible for a COVID vaccine while they're there.
• If a patient is managing a chronic condition, you might suggest a medication review to help them get the most from their treatment.

Promoting Related Products

• If a patient is picking up an antibiotic, you might recommend a probiotic to support digestive health during treatment.
• If a patient is buying a pain reliever, you might suggest complementary items like a heating pad, topical pain cream, or compression sleeve.
• If a patient is comparing allergy medications, you might explain the benefits of a premium 24-hour option versus a shorter-acting alternative.

Sharing Pharmacy Services

• If a patient regularly fills maintenance medications, you might tell them about auto-refill options so they don't have to remember every refill date.
• If a patient mentions juggling a busy schedule, you might let them know about your delivery services.
• If a patient is managing several prescriptions, you might introduce medication synchronization so they can pick everything up at the same time.

How to Build an Upselling Strategy That Works

• Provide solutions, not sales: Instead of focusing on upselling the most profitable products, focus on providing solutions to patients’ problems. A patient-first, profit-second approach to upselling always wins.
• Work it into conversation: Upselling is often most successful when it's woven naturally into patient conversations. Simple questions like, "Have you considered a heating pad to use alongside that pain reliever?" or "Would you like to schedule your free flu vaccine while you're here?" can go a long way.
• Utilize marketing materials: Not every upsell has to come straight from your staff. A leaflet on the counter highlighting your essentials for cold and flu season, a front-end display of pharmacist-vetted vitamins and supplements, or a social media spotlight of your new DME can all help put eyes on your products and services.
• Use eCommerce: If your pharmacy offers eCommerce, use it to surface related products and services. Patients browsing allergy medication online, for example, could also see recommendations for saline sprays, air purifiers, or other complementary items. These touchpoints create additional opportunities for revenue without adding to your workload.
• Use technology to your advantage: Use technology, including your RedSail PMS and Connected Solutions, to identify upselling opportunities, track patient purchasing trends, and understand which recommendations are driving results.

How RedSail Supports Smarter Upselling

RedSail is committed to keeping pharmacies financially sustainable. Each of our solutions is designed with patients and profitability in mind. Here are a few ways your RedSail solutions can help you refine your upselling strategy:

• Use PMS for staff reminders: Your PMS can help you turn upselling into a consistent part of workflow. POS comments and staff prompts can remind your team to discuss relevant products and services during patient interactions. A little nudge from your PMS helps ensure opportunities don’t get missed.
• Use POS data to make smarter recommendations: Your PMS already holds valuable information about patient purchasing habits. Use purchase history, top-selling products, and monthly promotional priorities to identify relevant recommendations and make conversations with patients more personalized.
• Don’t neglect clinical opportunities: Some of the best upselling opportunities start with patient care. Clinical+, RedSail’s patient engagement platform, can help you identify patients who may benefit from services and products — vaccinations, medication-related supplements, relevant OTCs, and the like. Clinical+ surfaces these opportunities within workflow so pharmacy staff can make recommendations that support patient outcomes and revenue at the same time.

Conclusion

Independent pharmacies can't afford to leave opportunities on the table.

While new services can drive significant growth, they often take time to implement. Upselling, on the other hand, can start today.

A single recommendation, a well-timed conversation, or a workflow prompt can help patients discover products and services that support their health while creating revenue for your pharmacy.

As Kathy Campbell reminds us, though, that doesn’t mean recommending products for the sake of increasing sales. Rather, the key is to think beyond the sale. Think of upselling as a means to help patients discover solutions they might not have known about otherwise.

Every recommendation you make is an opportunity to add value. And when pharmacies keep adding value, patients keep coming back.