In the evolving landscape of community pharmacy in Ireland, relying purely on gut instinct or historical reports isn’t enough. To stay competitive, responsive, and resilient, pharmacies must become more data literate.
The case for data in pharmacy.
Faster, more informed reactions. Data lets you see trends as they’re happening, not weeks or months later, so you can pivot before issues become problems (e.g. a product mix shift, margin compression, or supply disruptions).
- Benchmarking and comparative insight.
In Ireland, new tools are emerging to allow pharmacies (or stakeholders) to compare prescribing trends across regions and national schemes. For example, the RxTrends platform (developed by RCSI) uses publicly available data from the HSE’s PCRS to visualise prescribing patterns over time, and this offers a glimpse of what is possible when you harness data across multiple units.
- Guarding margin in tight markets.
Many pharmacies are under pressure from rising costs, labour constraints, and regulatory challenges. Data is your best defence here as it helps you catch margin erosion early, identify underperforming lines, and redirect resources where they yield the best return.
- Stronger stakeholder communication.
Whether you’re dealing with staff, investors, auditors, or external partners, having objective data builds trust, reduces disputes, and helps align everyone to the same targets.
- Supporting strategic growth.
Want to expand to a new location? Explore new service lines? You’ll need data-backed forecasts and KPIs to validate your decisions and secure stakeholder buy-in.
Key metrics you should be tracking in a pharmacy.
Below is a shortlist of vital KPIs every pharmacy (or group of pharmacies) should have on its dashboard. These help you assess performance, operations, and growth potential.
| KPI | Why It Matters | Practical Use |
| Total turnover / sales | Measures scale and growth | Compare month-to-month or year-over-year to spot growth lulls or accelerations |
| Turnover by scheme (e.g. Rx, OTC, specific reimbursement schemes) | Reveals shifts in business mix | If one scheme is declining, you know where to dig in |
| Margin by scheme / category | Margin differences are huge | A scheme or product might drive sales but yield low margin, hurting overall profits |
| Gross profit / net profit | The bottom line | Shows whether your operations are financially healthy |
| Cost ratios (e.g. staff cost as % of turnover, rent as % of turnover) | Helps you understand cost leverage | If staff cost is creeping too high, that’s a warning sign |
| Stock turnover / inventory days | Prevents dead stock and obsolescence | Helps free up working capital |
| Sales per shift / per pharmacist | Operational productivity | Helps optimise staffing and scheduling |
| Shrinkage / wastage | Loss control | Identify how much stock is lost (expiry, damage, theft) |
| Customer metrics (e.g. basket size, repeat-sale rate) | Demand and retention insight | Strategise promotions, loyalty, and cross-sell |
*These metrics are not just “nice to have”, they’re essential levers that let you spot friction, allocate resources smarter, and push your business forward.
How to put data to work (without overwhelming yourself).
- Start small, expand intentionally – Pick 3–5 KPIs to begin. Once you’ve got a reliable tracking process, layer in more.
- Automate data capturing – Manual spreadsheets drag and are error-prone. Use systems that integrate with your pharmacy software or POS to pull data directly.
- Set benchmarks and targets – Don’t just report numbers, compare them to goals or industry statistics.
- Regularly review and act – Weekly or monthly dashboards should lead to action, what to scale, what to pause, what to test.
- Use visual dashboards – Charts, heatmaps, and traffic-light indicators make insight more digestible for you and your team.
- Foster a data culture – Everyone from store managers to pharmacists should feel empowered by, not intimidated by, data
Putting it into practice.
Building a culture of data-driven decision making takes time, but the payoff is significant. It can give you greater control, improved profitability, and a clearer understanding of what truly drives your business.
At Fitzgerald Power, we support many pharmacy clients in bringing their data to life through custom dashboards and real-time financial tracking tools, such as Ezora. These systems turn day-to-day business information into meaningful insight, helping owners make confident, evidence-based decisions about their pharmacies. Chat with our pharmacy team today, we’re here to make the numbers and the process add up.
