Kline Study Reveals Gold Standard for Retailer/OTC Marketer Partnerships
-- Retailers Seek Qualities Beyond the Product Lineup --
LITTLE FALLS, NJ, May 21, 2008 – U.S. drug retailers are looking for a more interactive relationship with over-the-counter drug marketers and have gone so far as to identify a “gold standard” for the marketer/retailer relationship, built on communication and sales support, according to the latest research from worldwide consulting and research firm Kline & Company.
Data from Kline’s U.S. Retailers’ Perceptions of OTC Drug Marketers 2008 report shows that while most marketers earn high points for product quality and performance, retailers would like to see more in the way of category leadership and a more hands-on approach at the store level.
“Most of the store-level managers we spoke with said they felt left out when it comes to the sharing of market and consumer insights, and that most of this takes place at the corporate level,” said Laura Mahecha, industry manager of the Healthcare practice for Kline’s research group.
In addition to more local-level interaction, retailers identified other key attributes that make up the gold standard for retailer/OTC marketer relationships. These include having a better appreciation for the retailer’s business, valuing personal relationships, and fostering brand awareness among consumers to help keep products moving off the shelf.
“This gold standard list is enlightening because these were unprompted responses from the retailers,” Mahecha said. “They didn’t check off a list or rank criteria that we provided. These were open-ended feedback opportunities and the data we collected reveals what they really want.”
To gather the most up-to-date responses, Kline interviewed more than 300 executives and managers from drugstores, food stores, mass merchandisers, and other retail channels from February through April of this year. The data represents feedback from leaders in each channel, including drugstores such as CVS, Rite-Aid, and Walgreens; mass merchandisers Wal-Mart, Target, and K-Mart; food stores such as Food Lion, Kroger, and Safeway; and other outlets including Costco, Sam’s Club, Family Dollar, and DrugStore.com.
U.S. Retailers’ Perceptions of OTC Drug Marketers 2008 provides a detailed analysis of retailers’ perceptions of the top 10 OTC drug companies in the U.S. across 30 different product categories, including digestive products, internal analgesics, topical treatments, upper respiratory products, vitamins and minerals. Retailers rated each company’s performance in 22 different attributes ranging from products, services, and category leadership to pricing and promotions.
For more information about U.S. Retailers’ Perceptions of OTC Drug Marketers 2008, go to www.klinegroup.com/reports/y648.asp or contact Laura Mahecha at +1-973-435-3446.
About Kline
Kline is a worldwide consulting and research firm dedicated to providing the kind of insight and knowledge that helps companies find a clear path to success. The firm has served the management consulting and market research needs of organizations in the chemicals, materials, energy, life sciences, and consumer products industries for nearly 50 years. For more information, visit www.KlineGroup.com.
