Loves relaxing with family and personal relationships

Drug Store News, June 17, 2002

The Intimates segment-with its high household income and focus on the family and home-represents an ideal segment for community pharmacy to consider more closely. Tied with Funseekers as the largest group, Intimates make up 21 percent of the population. With 49 percent being female the group tilts more heavily to male than just about every other segment. Its median age is 41.2 and the average household income totals $41,600 per year. Intimates also have a sizable amount of college-educated consumers (24 percent) and 69 percent are employed, the second-highest percentage among the six segments defined by RoperASW.

Intimates' core values center on love and family, according to RoperASW's findings. Seventy percent of Intimates are married and 50 percent have children under the age of 18.

Socially, this group remains home and family-oriented, while leisure also is an important part of their lives. They are most often one-half of a dual-income family and striving to be a good parent and spouse, living by values that promote honesty, stable relationships, enduring love and protection of the family.

What the Intimates are telling marketers is, "Help me relax and enjoy life with those I love," according to the RoperASW ValueScope.

Intimates are people who will clearly want to develop a personal relationship with their pharmacist, noted RoperASW group senior vice president Carolyn Setlow. "These are the people who do want high-touch [from the store personnel].... If a customer establishes a meaningful relationship with a pharmacist, they're going to continue coming in and they're going to be loyal. And all of their impulse buying is going to be profitable."

By contrast, Setlow noted, the Creatives are much less interested in that intimate relationship with the pharmacist, and much more interested in simply getting information. "Creatives are much more active with technology online," she noted. "That is the segment of customers for whom the pharmacist may need to develop certain technology-based services that help inform these customers about the range of treatments or preventative actions to stave off illness."

Intimates tend not to be impulsive, but rather rely on past experience with a brand as an important part of their decision-making. The segment also is more likely to be working and taking care of the family. They are less likely to have the time to research products before buying, yet are open to experimentation. Intimates are willing to pay for premium brands, and their key categories are home care, children, food, packaged goods and automotive.

This also is a consumer group that's likely been thrown into a tailspin since Sept. 11, as the ideals of wealth and status become a bit less important than security and home. The response to the terrorist attacks, fraud among major public companies and the shrinking of financial investments has made consumers back away from some established purchasing patterns.

"The paradigm has changed so much [since Sept. 11.]," noted Anthony Cuti, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Duane Reade. "The consumer has become disenchanted and distrustful. In that mode, they're going to be more cautious. The more cautious consumer spends less. And despite unprecedented drops in the cost of borrowing, consumerism has not spiked up. ... I think your still getting consumer kickback, balking and conservatism. You're not getting the consumer reaching out and saying, "The storm has blown over. Let me go back to my consumable ways.' There's still a cautious consumer out there," he added. The challenge for marketers is to make this consumer feel secure again.

RELATED ARTICLE: Demographic snapshot:

Female: 49%

Median age: 41.2

HHI: $41.6

College grad+: 24%

Married: 70%

Single: 16%

Kids <18:50%

Employed: 69%

Core Values

ROMANCE STABLE RELATIONSHIPS

PROTECTING FAMILY

HONESTY