For drugstore.com, it's all about choice

Chain Drug Review, Jan 5, 2009

BELLEVUE, Wash. -- "Hard to find" is not in drugstore.com's lexicon.

Items that are difficult to come by at brick-and-mortar stores are readily available at the e-tailer, says vice president and chief marketing officer Dave Lonczak.

Products that are "long lost and forgotten" and without wide distribution, or for which there is relatively low demand, can be found across the spectrum of the online retailer's 44,000 SKUs, Lonczak says. That's double a typical brick-and-mortar drug store's 22,000 SKUs.

"We want to make sure we offer choice," explains Lonczak. "That choice extends through our entire assortment on both the drugstore.com and Beauty. com sides."

As an example, he points to a chain drug store's mix of the top-selling 20 or 40 hair colors in a 200-SKU line. Drugstore.com's unlimited virtual shelf space allows it to carry all 200.

"CVS or Walgreens may not be able to afford slow-turning items," says Lonczak. "We have them and they're available at the customer's convenience. Our reach is national and it's 24/7. Marketing pushes on that."

Moreover, drugstore.com covers a broad price range. For women who prefer an expensive hair color, Beauty.com offers such high-end brands as Frederic Fekkai.

At the other extreme, the e-tailer, through its partnership with Rite Aid Corp., offers several hundred Rite Aid private label products. Drugstore.com also has its own store brand products such as drugstore.com naturals daily vitamin packs. In 2006 it acquired the de-luxe natural skin care and personal care product line, which was recently extended with the MAISON de-luxe natural household product subbrand.

"It fits right in with that hard-to-find strategy," Lonczak says.