Millennials know what they want from drug stores

32
Chain Drug Review/April 27, 2015
My Turn
Millennials know what they want from drug stores
By Alex Perwich
A survey by nonprofit organization Enactus USA provides
some insight into the Millennial
shopper (age 35 and younger).
Enactus polled 1,777 students
about their shopping habits
at chain drug stores. Results
were segmented to compare
responses for Millennials and
non-Millennials (36 and older).
Ninety-four percent of the survey respondents were Millennials and 6% non-Millennials.
Students were asked about
how frequently they shop, the
products and services that they
seek, on-site health care services and the influence of social
media.
Here are some of the survey’s
key findings:
beauty products, 49%; and prescription drugs, 43%.
Non-Millennials were more
likely to seek prescription drugs
(26% compared to 16%) and
over-the-counter medications,
(25% compared to 21%). Millennials were more likely to seek
food and beverages (23% compared to 13%).
• Millennials more comfortable receiving health care
services at chain drug stores.
When respondents were asked
about their comfort level with
receiving health care services
that were once restricted to
the physician’s office (e.g., immunizations and treatment for
routine ailments) at a chain drug
store, 20% reported being very
comfortable, 44% somewhat
comfortable, 26% somewhat
A personalized experience is important to younger consumers.
• Millennials more likely to
shop monthly. When asked
about the frequency of visits to
chain drug stores, 7% reported
every few days, 26% weekly,
40% monthly, 14% quarterly, 6%
twice a year, 2% annually and
4% never. Millennials were more
likely to shop monthly in comparison to non-Millennials (40%
compared to 35%). Non-Millennials, however, were more likely
to shop at least weekly (30%
compared to 25%).
Among the 4% of participants
who reported never visiting a
retail pharmacy, 69% reported
they had no need to because
they were never sick, 10% reported inconvenient locations,
8% reported they preferred
natural remedies, 6% said the
prices were too expensive and
2% reported privacy concerns.
Only 5% reported that they never visited retail pharmacies due
to a lack of health insurance.
Non-Millennials were twice as
likely to report never shopping
at a chain drug store compared
to Millennials (7.45% compared
to 3.04%).
• Millennials more likely to
seek food and beverages. Of
products and services the respondents reported seeking at
chain drug stores, the most frequent were food and beverages,
at 57%. This was followed by
over-the-counter medications,
55%; general merchandise, 50%;
p032_CDR_04-27-15 32
uncomfortable, and 10% very
uncomfortable. Millennials were
more at ease receiving health
care services at a chain drug
store compared to non-Millennials (70% very/somewhat comfortable, compared to 60%).
Of those 36% of respondents
who reported that they were
very/somewhat uncomfortable
receiving health care services
at a chain drug store, the most
common reasons given were:
44% were unsure of the qualifications of the staff providing
care, 19% never considered
getting services at a chain drug
store, 17% preferred their own
doctor, 12% had concerns over
privacy and 8% choose not to
receive immunization, so they
see no need to seek care. Many
students reported confusion
over who would be providing
the health care services at chain
drug stores and whether they
were trained and licensed to
provide care.
• Millennials more influenced
by social media. Respondents
were asked about the significance of social media in shaping
their views: 14% reported that
it is very significant, 33% somewhat significant, 26% somewhat insignificant and 27%
very insignificant. Millennials
were more influenced by social
media, with 47% rating it very/
somewhat significant, compared to 40% of non-Millennials.
Thirty-seven percent of nonMillennials reported that social
media was very insignificant for
shaping their views, compared
to only 27% of Millennials.
• Millennials want targeted
marketing and information.
Twenty-six percent of students
identified marketing and promotions as the best thing chain
drug stores could do to make
their services more appealing
to Millennials. Specifically, they
cited increasing the use of social media, especially Twitter
and Facebook. Students felt
that advertising should focus
more on Millennials and not so
much on children and the elderly. Changing the image of chain
drug stores from pharmacies to
“one-stop shops” was highly
suggested.
Students reported that the majority of their television viewing
is through Netflix and not traditional cable channels; therefore,
their exposure to traditional
commercials is limited. Many reported that they were unaware
that chain drug stores even offered medical services and said
that future marketing should fo-
cus on describing these services
and other enhanced benefits.
Other suggestions cited for
increasing appeal to Millennials
were cheaper prices, mentioned
by 18% of the respondents; increased convenience, 12%;
medically credentialed staff on
site, 11%; enhanced customer
service, 10%; better selection
of desired products, 9%; privacy for service in the pharmacy
and for health care services,
7%; updated facilities, 6%; and
increased focus on corporate social responsibility, 1%.
Students encouraged retailers
to offer competitive prices and
student discounts. They suggested frequent promotions,
loyalty discount cards and campus events. They also encouraged such incentives as buyone-get-one-free and increasing
available coupons.
There were many suggestions
for making services more convenient and enhancing customer
service. Students suggested
online prescription refills, online appointment scheduling,
“text when ready” pickup services and Apple Pay. Other
convenience factors were 24/7
availability, shorter wait times,
and drive-through and delivery
services. Students expected
chain drug store employees to
be professional, friendly and
knowledgeable about over-thecounter medications.
Concern about the qualifications for health care service
providers was frequently mentioned. Students encouraged
chain drug stores to make this
information easy to find and provide assurances that health care
services are safe and comparable to care in a physician’s office.
Additionally, there were many
comments about the need for
privacy when asking pharmacists questions about prescriptions or receiving health care.
Students want more products
that appeal to their interests,
particularly natural medicines,
vitamins, and organic and fresh
Alex Perwich
food. Cleanliness and layout
of the store is also important.
Many stated that current facilities look worn and cluttered
and they wouldn’t feel safe receiving health care. Some students suggested that a coffee
shop would make the layout
more welcoming.
Some students reported that
they would rather shop at chain
drug stores that practiced corporate social responsibility.
They felt better about shopping
at stores that gave back to the
community, engaged in charitable work and helped the less
fortunate who could not afford
health care. A few students suggested that chain drug stores
should consider eliminating cigarette sales if they are serious
about moving into the health
care arena.
Overall, Millennials were more
likely to frequent chain drug
stores for preventive health care
needs, food and beverages and
less likely to seek prescription
drugs. Retailers that offer competitive pricing and a wider selection of vitamins, natural remedies and healthy snacks will be
appealing to this generation.
Alex Perwich is president of
Enactus USA, an international
nonprofit group that uses entrepreneurial action to improve
the quality of life and standard
of living for people in need. He
can be contacted at aperwich@
enactus.org.
Outlook for young shoppers takes turn for better
CHICAGO — During the economic downturn, Millennial
consumers struggled more and
for longer than their older shopper cohorts. But the prospects
for of young adult shoppers
have brightened, according to
market research firm IRI.
At the close of 2014, Millennial consumers — those ages 18
to 34 — were among the most
optimistic shopper segments.
Among Millennials, the IRI
Shopper Sentiment Index rose
sharply in the fourth quarter to
reach 114 — by far the highest
it had been since the index began in 2011, the consumer market researcher noted.
“A strengthening job market,
loosening credit markets and
the honing of savvy shopping
strategies are all helping to provide reassurance and optimism
among this up-and-coming
shopper segment,” observed
IRI Thought Leadership editor
Susan Viamari.
Currently, Millennials account
for just under 20% of the U.S.
population. But IRI pointed out
that these shoppers are finally
showing some level of optimism
about their financial situation
and are starting to open their
wallets to spend.
Millennials represented 17%
of consumer packaged goods
dollar volume in 2014, compared with 19% for Generation
X and 38% for baby boomers,
but that is slated to rise to 29%
by 2020. That would make Millennials second only to boomers
(32%) and put them ahead of
Generation Xers (18%) as CPG
purchasers.
‘Millennials are
a key growth
market for CPG.’
“By 2020, IRI estimates that
Millennials will account for just
under 30% of CPG dollar volume. This translates to more
than $250 billion annually,” IRI
stated in its “Channel Migration: The Road to Growth Has
Many Lanes” report.
The report shows that among
retail channels (excluding
Walmart), Millennials’ share
of CPG spending has declined
by 1.7% at drug stores, 0.8%
at grocery stores and 0.1% on
the Internet, while increasing
by 1.8% at mass merchants/supercenters, 0.5% at dollar stores
and 0.3% at warehouse clubs.
“Millennials are a key growth
market for CPG marketers
in the coming decades,” IRI
explained. “Millennial shoppers consistently demonstrate
unique consumption and shopping habits, which must be understood and delivered against
by CPG marketers who wish to
win their loyalty.”
4/14/15 2:14 PM