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Factors of Customer Loyalty in Pharmacy Retail: a Case from Bulgaria

Valeriya Nikolova, Reneta Dyankova, Hristina Petkova

Abstract

Introduction: Pharmacy retail in Bulgaria has been a growing market in last few years. There are more pharmacies in big cities than in smaller towns and villages. There is a large competition between pharmacies in big cities and they offer many services to retain their customers.

Materials and Methods: An empirical sociological research was conducted among 433 adult citizens in Varna, in February 2017, using a structured questionnaire. It was developed by the authors to explore the customers` preferences and attitudes when choosing a pharmacy.

Results: The respondents were predominantly women (65%). They were divided into several age groups. According to the social status, working individuals prevailed (44%), followed by students (32%), entrepreneurs (10%) and retired people (10%). These demographic characteristics have key role in the determination of the factors of customer loyalty.

Conclusion: According to this survey, customer loyalty to a particular pharmacy depends on the range of products it offers, low prices and competent and friendly personnel. The leading factors for customer loyalty are various and pharmacies must meet their expectations and challenges in this competitive market.


Keywords

pharmacy, loyalty, satisfaction, customers

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14748/ssvs.v1i1.4108

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