Health and wellness services drive customer satisfaction with retailers
The surge of delivering primary care services such as vaccinations, routine screenings and physical exams through retail pharmacies has reached an important milestone.
More than half (51%) of retail pharmacy customers have used health-and-wellness services during the past year, up from 48% in 2020 and 43% in 2019, according to the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Pharmacy Study. Overall satisfaction, average customer spend, Net Promoter Scores all increase significantly when pharmacy customers utilize health and wellness services.
Among brick-and-mortar mass merchandiser pharmacies, Sam’s Club ranks highest for a sixth consecutive year, with a score of 891. CVS/pharmacy inside Target (879) ranks second and Costco (877) ranks third.
Good Neighbor Pharmacy ranks highest among brick-and-mortar chain drug store pharmacies for a fifth consecutive year, with a score of 912. Health Mart (891) ranks second and Rite Aid Pharmacy ranks third (866). H-E-B ranks highest among brick-and-mortar supermarket pharmacies with a score of 896. Wegmans (892) ranks second and Stop & Shop (885) ranks third.
Good Neighbor Pharmacy ranks highest among brick-and-mortar chain drug store pharmacies for a fifth consecutive year, with a score of 912. Health Mart (891) ranks second and Rite Aid Pharmacy ranks third (866).
“It was not long ago that the major pharmacy chains, healthcare providers, health plans and consumers were all asking themselves whether or not people would ever feel comfortable receiving treatment in a retail setting,” said James Beem, managing director of healthcare intelligence at J.D. Power. “While we have been seeing consumer satisfaction with retail health services grow steadily, this year marks a significant turning point in which most customers are now using these services. The fact that this happened during a pandemic should send a clear signal that retail pharmacies are transforming health and wellness services in America.”
Other findings from the study are below.
• The utilization of health-and-wellness services is associated with higher satisfaction and spend: Customers who use at least one health-and wellness-oriented service provided by their pharmacy each spend an average of $5 more than those who do not use these services ($28 vs. $23, respectively).
Overall satisfaction and brand advocacy also significantly increase when customers utilize health-and-wellness services, with overall satisfaction scores climbing 24 points (on a 1,000-point scale) and NPS scores increasing by 10 points.
• Mobile app integration becomes essential: As retail pharmacies start to take on a bigger role in their customers’ lives, mobile app integration is also becoming important. Mobile app utilization increases this year, with 26% of brick-and-mortar customers and 27% of mail-order customers accessing their pharmacy’s mobile app.
Overall satisfaction with brick-and-mortar mobile apps is 848 and overall satisfaction with mail-order mobile apps is 868. Both scores are higher than the average mobile app/text message satisfaction score of 826 seen in the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Commercial Member Health Plan Study.