Study: Shoppers prefer Walmart for health and beauty purchases

COLUMBUS, OHIO The majority of shoppers shop Walmart most often for their health and beauty aid purchases, according to the January Retail Ratings Report from BIGresearch.

BIGresearch found that 33.3% of consumers surveyed chose Walmart for their health and beauty purchases, followed by Target (8.1%) and CVS (7.8%).

Walmart's share of preference increased from 29.7% in January 2008, resulting in a Consumer Equity Index of 111.81. Second place Target's consumer share increased, with a CEI of 127.14, while third place CVS' CEI of 121.24 shows positive growth for the corner druggist as well. (*CEI measures growth in share of customer preference year-over-year. An index of 100 is flat, while an index of 105 indicates 5% growth.)

"Price continues to be the driving force behind where consumers shop for staples such as medications and shampoos," said Pam Goodfellow, senior analyst for BIGresearch. "For instance, we know that practical, budget-bound shoppers who switched their store for prescription drugs in the past year did so primarily based on high prices and the lack of a $4 generic program."