Report: Thirty-Five Percent of Consumers Will Switch Grocers, Pharmacies for Better Digital Features

Consumers’ preferences for how they shop have radically changed since the pandemic caused them to reevaluate how they interact with their favorite grocers and pharmacies. PYMNTS’ research reveals that eight out of 10 grocery consumers shop at physical stores, but their desire for digital features to improve their in-store shopping experiences is significant.

Although most consumers describe themselves as loyal, our research determined that consumers have redefined the term to include much more than brand affinity. More than one-third of grocery and pharmacy consumers can be moved to reassess their loyalty to their favorite stores based on elements other than price — namely digital capabilities.

In Decoding Consumer Loyalty: The Customer Loyalty To Merchants Survey 2022, a PYMNTS and Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions collaboration, we examine new findings on the influence of consumers’ shifting priorities on their loyalty to grocery and pharmacy brands and why consumers abandon favored retailers. We surveyed 2,097 consumers between Nov. 30 and Dec. 7, 2021, to understand how factors, such as technologies that make shopping and fulfillment more efficient and convenient, have changed consumer behavior.

Key findings from the survey include:

Consumers want to know that the products they are looking for are in stock and ready to buy. Fifty-one percent of grocery shoppers cited the ability to check inventories as among the top influences on their loyalty to a store.

Being able to use the payment methods they prefer is a draw for roughly one-third of consumers. PYMNTS found that 33% of grocery customers and 30% of pharmacy shoppers cited being able to use their preferred payment methods as a leading influence on their loyalty.

The digital draw is especially pronounced among high-earning consumers. We found that 42% of pharmacy and grocery consumers earning more than $100,000 annually would be willing to switch from their current merchants for access to better digital capabilities.

These findings offer just a glimpse of what we uncovered in Decoding Consumer Loyalty: The Customer Loyalty To Merchants Survey 2022. To learn more about the features that impact consumers’ loyalty with grocers and pharmacies, download the report.