New ingredients and delivery forms spur sales in external analgesics

Drug Store News, Sept 6, 1993

There is a difference between pain and real pain. Pain is a fitness workout, a regimen for millions of Americans each day; real pain is the process of creating a maximally profitable shelf set for external analgesics.

The first pain is good, a sign of toughening, and of course a big reason for the ongoing growth of external analgesics sales.

The real pain, interestingly, is an outgrowth of this success. The development of so many delivery systems and ingredient combinations has segmented this market and created great space management challenges for drug chains.

Indeed, the category, once limited to salves and balms, now includes medicated pads, liquids, creams, lotions, sprays and gels. Consumers can apply external analgesics in virtually any way they prefer.

New combinations of active ingredients--camphor, menthol, aspirin and capsalcin, to name a few--add further to the SKU expansion.

To organize the category, chains often display external analgesics by brand family, making sure to stock products for varied applications: arthritis, backache, muscle pain, neuralgia or sports medicine.

Two compelling reasons drive drug chains to look to expand category footage: more often than ever, consumers are buying these items for specific use and expect the broad assortment; and analgesics are one of the fastest growing OTC businesses. An investment here in preferred brands will deliver a solid return.

Sato Pharmaceutical a major OTC manufacturer and a preferred brand in Japan, is steadily building its U.S. presence. Satogesic, its topical flagship brand, turns 6 times a year where it is planogrammed in major drug and food chains. A muscle-backache-arthritis pain reliever, the brand comes in pads of two sizes, lotion, spray, Hot Gel Arthritis Formula and Cool Gel Sports Formula (menthol-camphor).

Satogesic performs best when displayed in the analgesic section, rather than sports medicine, because it gives temporary relief even to sufferers of chronic arthritis. Except for the hot gel, the product remains cool on the skin and relieves for many hours per application without interrupting activity.

The popular Satogesic pad has a unique holder that keeps medication in place but doesn't pull hair or skin when removed. It can be worn all day without odor or stain--a considerable product improvement for the category.

The Satogesic brand family billboards well on the shelf, given its red, white and blue colors and pictures of active people. And with the brand's pharmaceutical heritage, pharmacists are comfortable recommending Satogesic and directing consumers to this OTC section.

To spur further consumer demand, Sato will support the brand with radio and newspaper advertising, freestanding inserts and co-op advertising programs. Moreover, Sato builds professional recommendations with sampling and direct mail to doctors, sports medicine clinics and chiropractors, and reinforces those efforts in-store with point-of-purchase displays. Coupon pads, in-store demo programs, and space-saving floor and sidekick displays build more excitement.

Sato tailors planograms, displays and pre-packs for store operators to meet local market needs, and is a proactive partner with chain category managers.