THE PRESSURE IS ON. HOME MEDICAL EQUIPMENT PROVIDERS ARE SCRAMBLING TO FIND WAYS OF GROWING RETAILS SALES-AND THEY'RE LOOKING TO MANUFACTURERS FOR SOME INNOVATIVE WAYS TO DO IT.

THE MANUFACTURERS ARE RESPONDING. JOHN HIMMELSTEIN, DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING FOR OTTO BOCK MEDICAL, MINNEAPOLIS, SAYS HE SEES "A GROWING NEED FOR INFORMATIVE RETAIL PACKAGING AND UNIQUE MERCHANDISING EFFORTS... IN A DECLINING AND LIMITED REIMBURSEMENT MARKET."

His company's goal is to help providers take advantage of cash sales. To that end, he says, Otto Bock has added color to its packaging and product information to catch customers' attention.

Boosting cash sales without bumping up floor-space usage is the idea behind Yonkers, N.Y.-based Skil-Care Corp.'s wheelchair cushion display. Propped up on wheelchair handles, a header card invites customers to sit on a pair of keys beneath a see-through demonstration cushion. Customers are unable to feel the keys when they sit, illustrating the cushion's pressure relief and comfort capabilities, according to Skil-Care officials.

A display that features everything a customer needs to know to make an informed purchase, including graphics and easy-to-understand instructions, is the mission at North Coast Medical, San Jose, Calif. Its FeatherLite reacher point-of-purchase display includes a mounted reacher for in-store trial.

Over the past six months, Johnson & Johnson Medical, Arlington, Texas, has revamped its wound care product packaging after research showed that customers are "extremely concerned about the environment," according to Lisa Muck, special projects manager for wound care. The new packaging is designed to generate up to 42 percent less waste, she says.

Following is a sample of retail packaging and sales support items.