Although consumers tend to be loyal to their preferred drug stores, 30 percent are more likely to patronize a drug store if it has a loyalty card that offers savings, thus increasing shopper loyalty, according to Diana Smith, senior research analyst of retail and apparel at Mintel. This presents opportunities for the channel to leverage this consumer perk to promote grocery items, including beverages, to shoppers, the Chicago-based market research firm suggests in its January 2014 report “The Drug Store Shopper.”
Beverage sales make up about 6 percent of total drug store sales, compared with 9 percent on average across all channels, according to Susan Viamari, editor of Thought Leadership at Chicago-based Information Resources Inc. (IRI). Most consumers visit the channel to instead purchase over-the-counter medication
(45 percent of surveyed consumers), beauty and personal care items (44 percent), prescription medications (42 percent), and vitamins and supplements (38 percent), Mintel’s Smith says.