Retail Products for a Chiropractic Office: What to Sell and Why

A good retail product for a chiropractic office fits your care plan, is simple to explain and does not turn into a price comparison. A fitted pillow meets all three: you measure the patient, the patient takes the fit home, and Pillowise is not sold on Amazon or in retail stores.

Key takeaways

• Choose retail products that support the care you already give, that you can explain in your own words and that are not sold at a discount online.
• Pillowise suggests retail prices of $119 (travel), $159 (standard) and $199 (queen). You set your own final price, and resellers make a healthy margin.
• There is no minimum order and no inventory is required. Pillowise can drop ship to the patient in your practice's name, and the display package costs $449.

What makes a good retail product for a chiropractic office?

Before you compare products, decide what you want a retail shelf to do. We use five questions:

1. Does it relate to the care you give? A product that connects to neck, shoulder or back complaints is easier to recommend than one that has nothing to do with your plan of care.
2. Can you explain it in a few sentences? If you cannot say why it works for this patient, it is hard to recommend with confidence.
3. Is it matched to the patient? A product chosen from measurements feels like part of the visit. A product picked from a shelf does not.
4. Does it avoid online price competition? If the same item sits on Amazon at a lower price, the patient can check it on a phone before leaving your office.
5. Is it easy to run? Stock to store, minimum orders and shipping tasks all add work to a practice.

A fitted pillow is one product that answers these questions. It is not the only possible retail product.

Why a fitted pillow?

A pillow should fit the body, like a shoe size. One stock height cannot suit every shoulder width, neck and sleeping position. Sleep position is the part of the picture the patient brings home every night, and the pillow is one part of that. For the reasoning behind this, see why a fitted pillow matters.

Pillowise picks one of 7 sizes from three measurements, plus sleeping position and mattress firmness:

• Shoulder width
• Neck circumference (at C4/C5, below the Adam's apple for men)
• Neck height (from the mastoid process diagonally to the outer edge of the acromion)
• Sleeping position: the position in which the patient falls asleep (side, back or stomach)
• Mattress firmness: soft, medium or firm (medium if unknown)

The Pillowise algorithm combines these five factors. Two people with very different bodies can end up with the same size. The system indicates the right size for about 95% of people. We want you to check the position on the pillow and adjust where needed, for example in pregnancy. Weight is not part of the calculation, because a heavier person sinks deeper and may need a lower pillow.

We position a fitted pillow as an adjunct to care, not a treatment. For how this sits next to your adjustments and exercises, read does a pillow add to chiropractic care.

How does a fitted pillow work in your practice?

1. Measure. You take the three measurements with the manual method on the size page or with PillowScan on a mobile device. Ideally a second person takes the measurements.
2. Choose. Add sleeping position and mattress firmness. The algorithm indicates one of 7 sizes.
3. Hand over or ship. The patient takes a pillow from your display, or you order it and Pillowise drop ships it directly to the patient.
4. Follow up. The pillow comes with a 30-day comfort guarantee and a 5-year warranty on material and production faults. Return shipping is paid by the patient.

The steps of a fitting are described in what happens in a pillow fitting. The pillow itself has a core of 100% premium Dutch memory foam, non-toxic and latex-free, made in the Netherlands. The standard pillow measures 22 x 14 in. The cover is removable and machine washable at 104°F. You can see the range on the pillows page.

What retail price and margin can you expect?

Pillowise suggests these retail prices:

You set your own final price. Resellers make a healthy margin on these prices. We do not publish wholesale prices or profit examples on public pages. You see the reseller terms after you register.

Selling Pillowise on Amazon is not allowed, and Pillowise is not sold in retail stores. The price you charge is therefore not undercut by an online discount listing.

What are the limits of a fitted pillow?

A pillow will not fix a condition. Patients with pain that is severe, getting worse or unexplained need assessment first, as you would handle any complaint. A mattress that is very worn or a sleeping position that changes through the night can also limit the result. The 95% figure means the system does not indicate the right size for everyone, so keep the 30-day comfort guarantee in mind when you talk to patients. Check your state board rules and your own office policies on selling products to patients before you start.

For providers: how do you start?

Pillowise is sold only through licensed healthcare providers: chiropractors, physical therapists and licensed massage therapists. Register on the provider page. Accounts are activated manually after your license is validated.

• No minimum order. Order what you need, including single pillows by drop ship.
• No inventory needed. Pillowise drop ships directly to the patient in the name of your practice.
• Display package, $449. It includes the display, all 6 pillows, posters and a banner, measuring tapes, full use of the online software, and one complimentary pillow.
• Extras in the reseller shop. Patient brochures (pack of 25), measuring pads and tapes.

Patients find you through Find a Reseller and book a free measurement. The measurement is free at every reseller.

Register as a Pillowise reseller

If a fitted pillow fits the retail shelf in your practice, register on the chiropractor page. It also covers PTs and massage therapists.

Register as a Pillowise reseller

Thijs van der Hilst, physiotherapist
Co-founder of Pillowise