Walgreens has nearly 8,900 stores in the US and filled 819 million prescriptions last year.- The pharmacy's customer loyalty percentage is slightly above that of chief competitor CVS.
Walgreens is one of the leading drugstore chains in the US and Europe, with worldwide sales of $132.7 billion last year. The company estimates that 78% of the US population lives within five miles of one of its pharmacies, and it filled 819.6 million prescriptions in 2022.
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Slightly less than two-thirds of all US shoppers are Walgreens customers, according to data from the analytics firm Numerator prepared for Insider.
The typical customer visits Walgreens a little more than once a month on average — about 16 trips per year — and picks up 4 products for a total cost of $23.25 per trip, Numerator found. Their annual spend is about $384.
Prescription medication constitutes 74% of Walgreens' US retail revenue, and the drugstore offers a variety of over-the-counter medical supplies, personal-care items, food and beverages. These front-of-store sales account for the remaining 26% of retail revenue.
Nearly 86% of Walgreens shoppers visited the store in 2021 and 2022, a loyalty percentage slightly higher than that of chief rival CVS. Last year, the pharmacy added a new customer to replace each one that stopped shopping with the brand, indicating a stable customer base overall.
Like CVS shoppers, Walgreens customers have an affinity for M&M's and Reese's candies and Hallmark greeting cards, but prefer Coca-Cola sodas where CVS customers prefer Colgate toothpaste.
Some of their favorite categories to buy from the pharmacy include candy and soft drinks, as well as first-aid supplies, cough and cold remedies, and digestive health products. Just 1.3% of a Walgreens shopper's total dollars are spent at Walgreens, compared with 11% of their spending at Walmart.
Read more typical shopper profiles:
- Walmart: A 59-year-old white suburban woman earning $80,000 a year
- Costco: A 39-year-old Asian American woman earning more than $125,000 a year
- Target: A millennial suburban mom with a household income of $80,000
- Whole Foods: A highly educated West Coast millennial woman earning $80,000
- Amazon: A college-educated married woman in the South earning $80,000
- Dollar General: An older rural worker with a high school education and an income of less than $40,000
- Trader Joe's: A younger, married, college-educated person earning over $80,000