New OTC/HBC stars of 2006
What follows is a review of the biggest news of 2006 in just a few categories, along with their new product standouts.
This article is contributed by the Hamacher Resource Group ( http://www.hamacher.com/) . Based in Milwaukee and with offices in the United Kingdom, HRG's comprehensive services combine the art of communicating with the science of data analysis to improve the profitability of every link in the retail healthcare supply chain. Manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, and others count on HRG for strategic solutions to their business goals.
Which over-the-counter products introduced in 2006 made the biggest splash? Which ones are performing the best thus far? And which ones, if missing, would make your drugstore shelves appear incomplete?
HRG's product and category analysts are the people in the know about the vast array of new items just released or coming to market. Manufacturers get in touch with them to share their product features and promotional plans, then HRG's analysts evaluate each item against the criteria of innovation, suitability for retailing in drugstores, earnings potential, marketing support, and implications for overall category growth. The result is an impartial ranking of a product's potential for success in the drugstore class of trade.
The star rating system
It's as simple as one, two, three-HRG's analysts use the star rating system to assign one, two, three, or no stars to each new product reviewed by its team of HBC experts. The more stars received, the greater the likelihood of a product's appearing on drugstore shelves.
Once evaluated, new items may be assigned a one-, two-or three-star rating based on how they score in each of those five areas. Of the 2,400 items reviewed in 2006, 563 received a one-, two-, or three-star rating.
