The trend: Consumers are less satisfied with chain drugstores than with mail-order pharmacies, mass market merchandisers, and supermarket pharmacies, according to JD Power’s US Pharmacy Study. 14,700 pharmacy customers who filled a prescription within the past year were surveyed throughout a recent 12-month period.

Digging into the data: Legacy drugstore chains such as CVS and Walgreens received an average satisfaction score of 643 out of 1,000.

• That’s in line with last year’s chain drugstore ratings, but far behind the average score for supermarket pharmacies such as Wegmans and Publix (715), mass merchandisers like Sam’s Club and Walmart (706), and mail-order/digital pharmacies such as PillPack and Amazon (697).
• Mail-order pharmacies had the largest year-over-year gains in satisfaction, rising seven points.

Two key factors driving the trend:

1. Supermarkets and mass merchandisers provide a superior pharmacy customer experience to drugstore chains.

• Their stores are properly staffed, unlike drugstores, so customers can have prescriptions filled more quickly, per JD Power.
• Faster service at the pharmacy counter is the top improvement that customers would like to see at drugstores, per EMARKETER’s December 2024 Digital Health survey.

2. Mail-order and online pharmacies offer more digital services and features than most legacy players.

• Websites, mobile apps, and text messaging are some of the top factors driving mail-order pharmacies’ high customer satisfaction scores, JD Power's survey revealed.
• Amazon, for instance, has rolled out prescription drug savings resources and same-day medication delivery offerings.