South Africa Has Over 13,000 Pharmacy Assistants

South Africa has over 13,000 registered pharmacy assistants.

More than doctors in many categories. More than pharmacists. The single largest professionally registered group in retail pharmacy.

And they’re almost completely ignored by pharmaceutical commercial strategies.

The influence gap

Research on over-the-counter purchase decisions reveals that 36% of OTC purchases are influenced by pharmacy staff recommendations.

Not pharmacists specifically. Pharmacy staff. The assistants. The people behind the counter who help customers find what they need.

One-third of OTC decisions are shaped by the group that receives the least commercial attention.

Why the disconnect exists

Pharmaceutical commercial strategies focus on prescribers. Doctors. Pharmacists. The professionals with formal prescribing or dispensing authority.

This makes sense for prescription medications. Prescribing authority determines what gets dispensed.

But for OTC products, the influence dynamics are different. Customers ask for help. Staff members recommend. The recommendation shapes the purchase.

The 13,000 pharmacy assistants have more patient touchpoints per day than most doctors have per week. They influence purchases that never involve a prescription.

Yet commercial training budgets focus elsewhere.

The touchpoint mathematics

Consider the daily reality:

A pharmacy might have 2-3 pharmacists and 4-6 pharmacy assistants. The pharmacist handles scripts. The assistants handle the floor.

A customer walks in with a question: “What’s good for a headache?” “My child has a cough -what do you recommend?” “I need something for allergies.”

These interactions happen dozens of times daily. The pharmacy assistant’s recommendation shapes the outcome.

Multiply by 13,000 pharmacy assistants across thousands of pharmacies. Multiply by years of accumulated recommendations.

The commercial impact is massive. The investment in these relationships is minimal.

What this means for OTC strategy

If 36% of OTC purchases are influenced by staff recommendations, and staff recommendations are shaped by training and relationships, then investment in pharmacy assistant engagement is investment in sales.

Training programmes. Product knowledge training for pharmacy assistants has direct commercial return. An assistant who understands when to recommend Product A versus Product B shapes countless purchasing decisions.

Relationship building. Reps who build relationships with pharmacy assistants -not just pharmacists -build influence with the people who actually recommend products to customers.

Recognition programmes. Pharmacy assistants are often overlooked professionally. Recognition for product knowledge and customer service builds loyalty that translates to recommendations.

Material accessibility. Product information designed for pharmacy assistants (not pharmacists or doctors) helps them help customers. Different audiences need different materials.

The undervalued workforce

Beyond commercial implications, there’s something troubling about how the industry treats pharmacy assistants.

They do essential work. They serve patients directly. They shape health outcomes through countless daily interactions.

Yet they’re rarely included in industry conversations. Training budgets skip over them. Career development pathways are limited. Professional recognition is scarce.

The 36% influence statistic isn’t just a commercial opportunity. It’s evidence of an undervalued workforce.

What we see in the data

When we analyse product performance in retail pharmacy, the pharmacy-level variation is striking.

Some pharmacies consistently outperform on specific products. Others consistently underperform. Same pricing. Same availability. Different recommendations.

That difference traces back to staff. To training. To relationships. To the pharmacy assistant who says “I’ve heard good things about this one” versus “let me check if we have that.”

Ignoring the 13,000 pharmacy assistants means ignoring the people who determine whether your product gets recommended or gets passed over.

The numbers are telling us something. The question is whether we’re listening.