Known as the place to pick up your meds along with those “few extra things,” drug stores are now exerting extra effort to compete with online retail giants, accommodate consumers’ growing health needs and demands, and leveraging technology to enhance their offerings.

With more consumers using click-and-collect models and home delivery for prescription medications, eCommerce continued to drive double-digit growth in the non-traditional drug store channel, which generated $264.5 billion in sales, a $14.3 billion profit and a 1.4 percent growth rate from 2010-2015, according to IBISWorld’s December 2015 report titled “Pharmacies & Drug Stores in the US.”

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.

During the recession, private-label products enjoyed increasing popularity as consumers looked for new ways to save on everyday purchases during the economic downturn. In fact, U.S. consumers spent $120 billion on private-label products during the past year, marking a year-over-year increase of 2.1 percent, according to Chicago-based Information Resources Inc. (IRI). However, this growth now seems to be leveling off, and this small uptick was largely driven by price increases, it reports.

With more than 2,500 different paths to purchase, it’s no surprise that consumers are changing how they shop, where they shop and when they shop.

A trip to the drug store is no longer just an opportunity to refill a prescription or restock the family first aid kit. Today’s retailers are instituting different programs to provide shoppers with a more value-added experience, experts note.

For cold and flu season, allergy season and everything in between, drug stores provide consumers with the advice and relief they need for their ailments.