• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, August 6, 2021

After years of trying to become a meaningful player in America’s healthcare, retailers’ health services hit a key milestone, with JD Power reporting that 51% of U.S. consumers chose these services in the last year.

Use of in-store clinics for screening, vaccination and routine visits has been trending up for some years, as supermarkets increasingly follow drug and mass merchandise chains like Target, CVS, Walmart and Walgreens into the category.

What’s more, people like them, with satisfaction scores that “are generally high, with most firms above other organizations in healthcare,” says James Beem, managing director of healthcare intelligence at JD Power. And as COVID-19 disrupted so many healthcare providers, people are open to even more store-based offers.

“Consumers have indicated a strong desire for firms to add broader services such as behavioral health or management of chronic disease,” Beem tells Marketing Daily via email.

The J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Pharmacy Study says 51% of retail pharmacy customers have used health and wellness services during the past 12 months, up from 48% in the prior 12-month period, and 43% in 2019. Vaccines and routine screenings are the most frequently used healthcare services.

The average amount spent on these services is also rising, as are satisfaction scores. Additionally,  people who use such services typically spend more -- about $5 per order -- than customers who don’t.

Beem points out that not long ago, major chains, healthcare providers and health plans were all questioning whether people would ever feel comfortable getting treatment in the same place they buy bananas, motor oil or sneakers.

Good Neighbor Pharmacy ranks highest among brick-and-mortar chain drugstore pharmacies, followed by Health Mart and Rite Aid Pharmacy. Among brick-and-mortar mass merchandiser pharmacies, Sam’s Club takes first place, followed by CVS/pharmacies inside Target and Costco. And among the many supermarket pharmacies with such services, H-E-B is No. 1, with Wegmans placing second and Stop & Shop coming in third.