Mail-Order and Digital Pharmacies Surge Ahead as Chain Drugstores Face Customer Satisfaction Crisis
核心洞察
Mail-order pharmacies achieved a satisfaction score of 697, outperforming chain drugstores by 54 points in the 2025 JD Power (搜索) US Pharmacy Study.
Chain drugstores scored lowest at 643, trailing supermarkets (715) and mass merchandisers (706) significantly in customer satisfaction metrics.
Approximately 63% of customers express interest in using digital pharmacies, with Amazon Pharmacy (搜索) leading brand awareness at 58%.
A comprehensive analysis of America's pharmacy landscape reveals a dramatic shift in customer preferences, with mail-order and digital pharmacy services significantly outperforming traditional chain drugstores in satisfaction metrics. The JD Power (搜索) 2025 US Pharmacy Study, based on responses from 14,700 drugstore patrons, demonstrates that chain drugstores are losing ground to alternative pharmacy formats across multiple key performance indicators.
Chain Drugstores Fall Behind in Customer Satisfaction
Chain drugstores recorded an average satisfaction score of 643 on a 1000-point scale, placing them at the bottom of all pharmacy segments evaluated. This performance represents a substantial gap compared to mail-order pharmacies (697), mass merchandisers (706), and supermarkets (715). The study, conducted from May 2024 to May 2025, highlights the growing challenges facing traditional pharmacy chains as they struggle to meet evolving customer expectations.
Mail-order pharmacies demonstrated the most significant year-over-year improvement, gaining 7 points to reach their current satisfaction score of 697. This upward trajectory reflects the segment's success in capitalizing on convenience factors that increasingly drive customer preferences.
Digital Pharmacy Adoption Accelerates
The study reveals growing consumer interest in digital pharmacy solutions, with approximately 63% of respondents expressing they are either "very interested" or "somewhat interested" in using digital pharmacies for prescription fulfillment. However, awareness remains a challenge, as 33% of pharmacy customers are unaware of digital pharmacy brands entirely.
Among those familiar with digital pharmacy options, Amazon Pharmacy (搜索) leads in brand recognition at 58%. Christopher Lis, senior director at JD Power (搜索), noted that "overall awareness of digital pharmacy brands has increased 7 percentage points year-over-year," suggesting accelerating market penetration for these services.
Performance Gaps Across Core Pharmacy Functions
The satisfaction disparities become more pronounced when examining specific aspects of the pharmacy experience. Chain drugstores particularly struggle with problem and complaint resolution, scoring 96 points behind mass merchandisers and 111 points behind supermarkets in this critical area.
Supermarkets and mass merchandisers substantially outperformed chain drugstores in several key areas, including maintaining sufficient staff levels, enabling easy prescription ordering, ensuring quick prescription fulfillment, and building customer trust. Mail-order pharmacies excelled specifically in digital channel satisfaction, leveraging their technological infrastructure to provide superior online experiences.
Leading Performers by Segment
Among brick-and-mortar chain drugstore pharmacies, Health Mart (搜索) achieved the highest satisfaction score at 759, followed by Good Neighbor Pharmacy (搜索) at 732. In the mass merchandiser category, Sam's Club (搜索) led with a score of 778, closely followed by Costco at 765.
Wegmans (搜索) topped the supermarket pharmacy segment with a score of 764, followed by Publix (搜索) (760) and H-E-B (756). PillPack (搜索) by Amazon Pharmacy (搜索) maintained its leadership position in the mail-order category for the second consecutive year with a score of 745, while Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy (搜索) scored 740 and Amazon Pharmacy achieved 734.
Market Forces Driving Change
The ongoing closure of major chain drugstore locations by CVS, Rite Aid Pharmacy (搜索), and Walgreens is forcing customers to seek alternative pharmacy providers. This displacement is creating opportunities for non-traditional pharmacy formats to capture market share.
Lis explained that "some are turning to non-traditional, mail-order, and digital pharmacies, which, as a segment, experience the largest year-over-year gains in this year's study." These alternative providers are successfully capitalizing on convenience factors, streamlined ordering processes, and reliable delivery services.
Strategic Implications for Traditional Pharmacies
The study identifies several areas where chain drugstores could improve their competitive position. Beyond the obvious challenges of staffing and medication costs, Lis suggests that "potential recommendations would be for chain drugstores to pursue improving their overall digital experience—which represents an opportunity for improvement for brick-and-mortar pharmacies as a whole."
The research indicates that customer service consistency and personnel quality remain critical factors influencing pharmacy switching decisions. The ability to provide accurate prescription fulfillment time estimates and reduce customer complaints represents immediate opportunities for improvement.
Future Outlook for Pharmacy Services
The trend toward digital and mail-order pharmacy adoption appears likely to continue, driven by major market entrants like Amazon and their established delivery infrastructure. Digital pharmacies offer advantages including 24/7 access, customer support, and potentially lower prices due to reduced overhead costs.
As Lis noted, "With a major brand and disruptor like Amazon investing in the pharmacy space, chances are likely that the trend of increased awareness and increased interest in using a digital pharmacy will continue." This suggests that traditional pharmacy chains will need to adapt their service models significantly to remain competitive in an evolving healthcare delivery landscape.