Enhancing Pharmacy Channel Engagement for Zambon Group
Decode Future Scenarios
Pharma & Lifesciences
Zambon
2025
CHALLENGE
Zambon Group wanted to evolve from a product supplier into a genuine long-term partner for pharmacies. To do that, it needed a clearer understanding of what pharmacists across Italy, Spain, and France actually need, and where the relationship could grow stronger.
SOLUTION
An integrated approach combining trend analysis, qualitative and quantitative research to define innovation opportunities and strategic recommendations at both cross-country and local levels.
IMPACT
Development of actionable insights and strategic roadmaps to strengthen Zambon Group's positioning as a value-driven partner for pharmacies.
The project was carried out across three key markets, Italy, Spain, and France, through an integrated methodological approach. The initial phase focused on listening to internal stakeholders across all three countries to understand how pharmacies in each market perceived Zambon as a partner: what they valued in the relationship, where they felt friction, and what they believed pharmacists genuinely needed. This phase also surfaced what each country team considered most urgent to address, and where expectations toward the pharmacy relationship diverged across markets.
The core of the project unfolded along three pillars.
Trend Watching mapped the macro shifts reshaping the pharmacy landscape, from the consolidation of chains and networks to the integration of AI tools at the counter, to the growing role of ESG as a driver of reputation. This phase produced a forward-looking view of where pharmacy services are heading and which practices are gaining traction across Europe.
Qualitative Research brought depth to the picture through 36 in-depth interviews with pharmacists across the three markets. Pharmacists described the daily pressures of running a pharmacy, staff shortages, regulatory burden, time constraints, and articulated what they genuinely expect from pharmaceutical companies beyond product support.
Quantitative Research, conducted through a survey of 360 qualified pharmacists, was designed to validate and scale the qualitative findings. This phase confirmed which needs are structural and widespread, and which vary by market, pharmacy type, or role, giving Zambon a segmented and actionable picture of where to focus.
The integration of findings led to a structured mapping of service innovation opportunities and a comprehensive set of actionable insights, including both cross-country strategic recommendations and market-specific guidelines.
The project was enabled by a multidisciplinary team combining deep pharma expertise, innovation process capabilities, and design research skills, working toward a shared, impact-oriented strategic vision.
By combining trend watching, qualitative research, and large-scale quantitative validation across three European markets, this project transforms the pharmacy relationship from a commercial dynamic into a strategic terrain, revealing where a pharmaceutical company can earn genuine partnership by investing in the people, not just the shelf.
