Chain Drug Review: Store brands could help revitalize brick-and-mortar drugstores

Online pharmacy alternatives can be awfully tempting to consumers, offering cheaper prices and the convenience of having your prescriptions delivered right to your door. So, what can national chain drugstores do to defend their brick-and mortar channels in the e-commerce era? CBX Partner Todd Maute offers his insights throughout his latest piece for Chain Drug Review.

Since they’re no longer able to compete with e-commerce on convenience or price, Maute suggests that chain drugstores ramp up the shopping experience and drive greater loyalty by using private label branding as the core of a comprehensive wellness strategy. “Traditionally, you went to a pharmacy because a doctor said you needed a prescription drug,” he explains. “Now the major national chains can use their proximity to provide a wide array of new products and services in self-health.” Distinctive store brands, he says, can be a powerful tool in these efforts to give people additional reasons to walk through the door.

Some stores have already started to embrace this challenge. For instance, CVS made an exciting leap forward last year with CVS Health Live Better. The new health and wellness line offers more than 80 vitamins, supplements, and probiotics, with recyclable package design and labels promising to be “USDA-certified organic,” “gluten-free,” “cruelty-free,” or “vegan.” They’ve also announced the launch of more than 150 brand additions in categories like self-care, consumables, and beauty.

As we all strive to live healthier lives, how else can national chain drugstores build loyalty? Read the full article for Todd’s considerations.