In Search of Healthy Shoppers

An apple a day will not only keep the doctor away, it might also reduce traffic to drug stores. According to ongoing retail surveys conducted by Meyers Research Center, Inc., filling prescriptions is still far and away the primary reason consumers head to the drug store, with 83 percent of category purchasers selecting the need for prescribed medicine as the most important (not to mention the most obvious) reason to visit the pharmacy.

Four other product segments registered as “destination categories” driving consumers to the drug store. Again, there were few surprises among them, with beverages being the only category that could even be classified as mildly eyebrow-raising.

Perhaps more interesting is the fact that greeting cards/gift wrap and personal care and hygiene products both registered higher as reasons to visit the drug store than did OTC and healthcare products.