J.D. Power Study Finds Health and Wellness Services Growing at Retail Pharmacies

Retail pharmacy health and wellness services are becoming the center of consumer health care, with increases seen in both satisfaction and consumer spending, according to the J.D. Power 2020 US Pharmacy Study.

Some of the key findings of the study include the growth of health and wellness services, as nearly 48% of retail pharmacy customers have used at least 1 health and wellness-oriented service provided by their pharmacy this year, up a significant 5% from 2019. In addition, overall customer satisfaction with the retail pharmacy is 26 points higher among customers who use health and wellness services versus those who have not.

The study also found that a deeper penetration into primary care drives increased satisfaction and spending. Customers who use at least 1 health and wellness-oriented service provided by their pharmacy spend an average of $11 more per customer than those who do not use these services.

Further, when customers use 2 or more health and wellness-oriented services, that spend average spend climbs up to $58. Among customers who use 2 or more health and wellness-oriented services, the overall satisfaction rate jumps to 907 points versus 861 for those who do not use any service.

Although the survey found that digital ordering drives high levels of satisfaction, utilization remains low, with just 9% of brick-and-mortar pharmacy customers ordering their prescriptions via digital channels. Overall satisfaction among those customers who do order digitally through a brick-and-mortar pharmacy is 859 points, which is 5 points higher than among those who only visit the store in person.

In contrast, mail-order pharmacy customers are far more frequent users of digital ordering, with 32% ordering prescriptions via digital channels. Mail-order digital customers have an even high level of satisfaction, with an overall satisfaction score of 867.

Key influencers are important to health and services utilization, according to the survey. Physician recommendations for pharmacy-delivered health and wellness services are associated with an 80% utilization rate, and recommendations from friends and family are associated with a 75% utilization rate. However, only 8% of customers say they have received a recommendation from their doctor, and 9% have received a recommendation from friends and family.

The most common means of hearing about these pharmacy services is in-store advertising, which drives a 45% utilization rate.

As for brick-and-mortar chain stores, Good Neighbor Pharmacy ranks highest for the fourth consecutive year with a score of 915, while Health Mart ranks second (905), and Rite Aid ranks third (861). However, Sam’s Club ranks the highest for the fifth consecutive year with a score of 885 for brick-and-mortar mass merchandiser pharmacies, followed by Costco and CVS/pharmacy inside Target (each scored an 870).

Among brick-and-mortar supermarket pharmacies, Wegmans ranks the highest for the third consecutive year with a score of 904, with Publix ranked second (889), and Winn-Dixie ranked third (883).

Humana Pharmacy ranks highest in the mail order segment for the third consecutive year, with a score of 904. OptumRx ranked second with a score of 886, followed by Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy ranked third with a score of 883.


REFERENCE

Recent Retail Pharmacy Health and Wellness Services Offer Glimpse into Future of Healthcare, J.D. Power Finds [news release]. J.D. Power website. https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2020-us-pharmacy-study. Published August 5, 2020. Accessed August 6, 2020.