Products

EMARKETER delivers leading-edge research to clients in a variety of forms, including full-length reports and data visualizations to equip you with actionable takeaways for better business decisions.
PRO+
New data sets, deeper insights, and flexible data visualizations.
Learn More
Reports
In-depth analysis, benchmarks and shorter spotlights on digital trends.
Learn More
Forecasts
Interactive projections with 10k+ metrics on market trends, & consumer behavior.
Learn More
Charts
Proprietary data and over 3,000 third-party sources about the most important topics.
Learn More
Industry KPIs
Industry benchmarks for the most important KPIs in digital marketing, advertising, retail and ecommerce.
Learn More
Briefings
Client-only email newsletters with analysis and takeaways from the daily news.
Learn More
Analyst Access Program
Exclusive time with the thought leaders who craft our research.
Learn More

About EMARKETER

Our goal is to unlock digital opportunities for our clients with the world’s most trusted forecasts, analysis, and benchmarks. Spanning five core coverage areas and dozens of industries, our research on digital transformation is exhaustive.
Our Story
Learn more about our mission and how EMARKETER came to be.
Learn More
Methodology
Rigorous proprietary data vetting strips biases and produces superior insights.
Learn More
Our People
Take a look into our corporate culture and view our open roles.
Join the Team
Contact Us
Speak to a member of our team to learn more about EMARKETER.
Contact Us
Newsroom
See our latest press releases, news articles or download our press kit.
Learn More
Advertising & Sponsorship Opportunities
Reach an engaged audience of decision-makers.
Learn More
Events
Browse our upcoming and past events, recent podcasts, and other featured resources.
Learn More
Podcasts
Tune in to EMARKETER's daily, weekly, and monthly podcasts.
Learn More

CVS and Walgreens go toe-to-toe with new retail clinic strategy

The news: CVS announced a $1 billion plan to shutter 900 of its retail stores over the next three years (nearly 10% of its US locations)—and convert its remaining stores into primary-care offices with services like diagnostic testing, mental health services, and hearing exams.

3 driving factors: Retail clinic giants like CVS have seen a nearly 10% bump in consumer adoption over the past two years, likely driven by these three key factors:

  1. COVID-19 vaccines. CVS’ foot traffic to its existing health and wellness services shot up thanks to consumers’ vaccine appointments. It's given 43 million COVID-19 vaccines to date—a figure which will likely continue to balloon as it is now offering the vaccine for pediatric consumers aged 5 to 11.
  2. Low-cost and transparent pricing. Retail clinics are a far less expensive options than traditional primary care practice visits, especially for the uninsured. CVS’ current walk-in Minute Clinic appointments cost $89 for a general medical exam, while traditional primary care visits can run up to $600 without insurance, per PlushCare.
  3. Digital convenience. Unlike most traditional primary care practices, entrants like CVS offer easily accessible online scheduling on their websites, which consumers value: About 78% of consumers say they want to be able to schedule their own appointments online, per a 2021 Experian Health report.

What’s next? Over the next few years, the race to acquire and retain healthcare consumers will likely heat up between CVS and Walgreens—which have both taken on a similar strategy to mirror traditional doctors’ offices to gain consumer trust.

In October, Walgreens announced a $5.2 billion investment in its retail clinic partner, VillageMD—and at the same time, indicated its care model will resemble traditional doctor’s offices since its clinics will be primarily physician-led, unlike retail clinics like Walmart.

Shortly after, in November, CVS indicated it’s adding more doctors to its primary care network, likely a play to keep up with Walgreens and boost its credibility among consumers:

About 16% of consumers aged 35 to 44 say they place trust in retail clinics to receive the best care, while 56% of consumers in the same group say they trust their primary care doctor, per an April to May 2021 Morning Consult survey of 2,200 US adults.

Go deeper: Check out our "Retail health clinics are banking on the COVID-19 bump" note to learn more about retail clinics' strategies to acquire consumers.