Add Clothing to Your HME Business

In the face of the uncertain future of medical insurance and reimbursements,
HME providers are seeking cashand- carry products that meet their customers’ needs. While clothing is not generally considered a medical necessity or a therapeutic investment, medical retailers are successfully turning to clothing to increase cash sales.

It takes more than simply stocking clothes on a shelf, however, to be successful in this transition. By studying the boutique retail selling and merchandising model, we have identified three key strategies that HME stores can easily use to successfully turn clothing into profits: stocking the right products, becoming an authority and creating a comfortable atmosphere.

Choose the Right Product Mix for Your Customers

Boutiques provide the perfect assortment of products for their customers. For the HME provider, adding clothing and adaptive garments may be a perfect fit. However, this market is extremely specific, with limited choices and some stigma related to disability. Adaptive clothing also tends to look clinical, unattractive and dull.

Comfort clothing, however, is a new market with great potential for HME providers. Garments with versatile designs, multiple uses, functional features and unisex or single sizing—like Janska’s Wellness Wear—have a wider, more universal appeal.

When selecting comfort clothing, look for easy-care fabrics, energetic colors and a loose fit. Choose garments that keep patients warm while allowing easy access for medical treatments, stay on the lap but safely away from the wheels of a wheelchair, don’t require full mobility to put on or are designed to conceal adaptive features.

A good selection also increases sales. Historically, when presented with one choice, a customer may not buy; with two choices, he or she will select one. With three choices, however, the customer often selects two.

Establish Your HME Store as an Authoritative Resource

A boutique, by definition, is an authority on who its customer is, what her tastes and needs are and which current trends and products will meet those needs. There are several ways to establish your store as an authority—clear signage, engaging displays and trunk shows or other events. But the most effective (and least expensive) tool is a helpful, knowledgeable sales staff.