Pharmacies and drugstores are becoming increasingly competitive

The products and services offered by pharmacies and drugstores are becoming more and more similar. Pharmacy products can also be bought in drugstores and, increasingly, vice versa. And even the supermarkets stock more and more of them. MAKAM Market Research wanted to find out more and interviewed 500 Austrians to ascertain where they buy products that are also part of the traditional pharmacy range.

Pharmacies and drugstores defend their core business

When it comes to selling medicines, pharmacies have no trouble at all retaining their market leadership, not least because of the prevailing legal situation in Austria: 96% of Austrians buy medicines at the pharmacy. Fever thermometers are also part of the classic product range of pharmacies, and 68% of Austrians agree. The drugstores, on the other hand, are the most popular port of call when it comes to buying personal care products: two thirds of Austrians say that they buy their face, hair, teeth, skin and nail care products in a drugstore, at least occasionally.

Product-range overlaps boost competition

62% of Austrians buy first-aid equipment in pharmacies, but drugstores are increasingly becoming a force to be reckoned with: 3 of 10 already buy plasters, disinfectant, first aid kits, etc. there. The buyers of sunscreen and insect repellent are also hotly contested: 59% and 50%, respectively, currently buy these products in drugstores, while 22% and 26% already get them in pharmacies. 59% even buy bath essences in drugstores, and a quarter goes to the pharmacy or supermarket for this purpose. Competition for water bottles, heating pads and the like is even fiercer: one third purchases these products in drugstores and one fifth in pharmacies. The food supplement market is split evenly among the drugstores (20%) and the pharmacies (21%), whereby supermarkets also come into play in this segment (13%). On the other hand, drugstores and pharmacies have started to take away an ever-increasing share of the tea business from the supermarkets: 64% buy their tea at the supermarket, but at least 15% and 11%, respectively, go to drugstores or pharmacies for this purpose.

Women shop in pharmacies and drugstores more frequently than men

When choosing a place to shop, there are significant differences between the sexes. In general, women tend to make more purchases in drugstores and pharmacies than men. For example, 83% of women but only 62% of men buy their dental care products in a drugstore. Men, on the other hand, are much more prone to buying their care products “in passing” when shopping in a supermarket. For example, 36% of men but only 14% of women – at least from time to time – buy their hair care products in a supermarket.

Austrian women, in particular, place importance on expert advice

For selected products, however, Austrians also go to the specialist trade, their beautician or hairdresser. 7% of women buy hair-care products from their hairdresser. In comparison, only 2% of men do so. 5% of women buy facial care products in specialist stores and 2% from their beautician. 4% of Austrian women buy skin care products and 3% nail care products in specialist stores. The managing director of MAKAM Market Research, Mag. Ulrike Röhsner, explains this buying behaviour as follows: “When buying personal care products, women tend to put more emphasis on quality, choice and advice than men. A supermarket, for example, will not adequately meet these requirements.

Sample and methodology

The findings resulted from a telephone survey of 500 Austrians aged 15 and over – representative of the Austrian population – which was carried out in the CATI telephone studio of MAKAM Market Research GmbH (survey period September & October 2011).

MAKAM Market Research GmbH
Mrs. Mag. Ulli Röhsner
Phone.: 01 / 877 22 52
Fax: 01 / 877 22 52-22
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