Sam’s Club, H-E-B, Good Neighbor tops in retail pharmacy customer satisfaction

Customer satisfaction with retail pharmacies is surging.

Overall customer satisfaction with brick-and-mortar pharmacies rose 6% this, this year, according to the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Pharmacy Study. Overall satisfaction is also up on the mail-order side, the study found, but so is likelihood of switching providers.

Good Neighbor Pharmacy ranks highest among brick-and-mortar chain drug store pharmacies for a seventh consecutive year, with a score of 793  (on a 1,000-point scale). (Health Mart (770) ranks second and Rite Aid Pharmacy ranks third (680).

Sam’s Club ranks highest among mass merchandiser pharmacies for the eighth consecutive year, with a score of 788. Costco  (755) ranks second.

H-E-B ranks highest among supermarket pharmacies for a third consecutive year, with a score of 760. Wegmans (753) ranks second and Publix (744) ranks third.

Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy ranks highest in the mail order segment, with a score of 748. PillPack (an Amazon company) (709) ranks second and Express Scripts Pharmacy  (699) ranks third.

Here are some of the key findings of the 2023 study.

• Long live the friendly neighborhood pharmacist: The idea of the neighborhood pharmacist as an essential member of the community is alive and well. Overall satisfaction is 102 points higher among customers who say they know their pharmacist by name, and 93 points higher among those who say they know pharmacy staff or technicians by name.
• Interest in health and wellness services increases: Overall, 83% of brick-and-mortar pharmacy customers indicate an interest in receiving health and wellness services at their pharmacy, up three percentage points from 2022. Top services include vaccinations or flu shots (50%); health screenings (46%); and COVID-19 testing (42%).
• Disruption afoot in mail order space: While overall satisfaction in the mail order pharmacy segment is up nine points this year, customer loyalty is declining.  Some 18% of mail order customers say they “definitely will” or “probably will” switch pharmacies in the next 12 months, up from 14% in 2022. 

Top reasons for switching include employer insurance requiring a change (31%); medication is too expensive (24%); and want flexible pick-up options (21%).

• Digital engagement increases: Brick-and-mortar pharmacies are seeing increases in digital engagement. In 2022, 76% of customers said they relied on digital technologies to interact with their pharmacy. This year, 81% of customers say they use digital technology. 

Among mail order pharmacy customers, 89% now rely on digital technology to interact with their pharmacy, up from 84% in 2022. Top digital channels used by mail order customers are pharmacy websites (59%); mobile apps (34%); and text messages (29%).

The study noted that as the pharmacy business continues its transformation from the corner drug store to a multi-channel hub of health care services and digital tools, one thing has not changed: Personal interactions with pharmacy staff are the key to enduring customer satisfaction.

“Customers are rewarding pharmacies that deliver personalized service, including interactions where communications occur on a first-name basis and when the pharmacist is available to answer questions,” said Christopher Lis, managing director of global healthcare intelligence at J.D. Power. “These elements of personalized service are moments of truth to help brick-and-mortar pharmacies forge meaningful connections with customers.”

The U.S. Pharmacy Study, now in its 15th year, measures customer satisfaction with brick-and-mortar and mail order pharmacies. The 2023 study is based on responses from 12,396 pharmacy customers who filled a prescription within the past 12 months and was fielded from August 2022 through May 2023.

For more information about the U.S. Pharmacy Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/healthcare/pharmacy-study.