ion in 1999.Customer ProfileWalgreens, unlike other retail drugstore chains, does not tailor its offerings to any specific consumer or market segment. Walgreens provides a diverse array of product lines so that each consumer and market segment may fulfill their shopping needs whether it is beauty, prescription, over the counter medications, toys, photography development, greeting cards, gifts or convenient store items at any local Walgreens. Therefore, the market segment as defined for Walgreens consists of any consumer who seeks the everyday necessities that may be found at a super store such as Wal-Mart or K-Mart, but without the hassle and inconvenience of large crowds and the challenge of a difficult search to locate desired products.Walgreen's research of customers in Chicago and San Antonio reveals two specific types of customer; browsers and lasers. Browsers are customers that come to Walgreens for the shopping experience. Lasers are customers who come to Walgreens for one or two specific items with an emphasis on time and convenience. According to the American Demographics Magazine, "customer on a constrained time budget will likely favor small shops over large ones, spend less time comparing prices, use technology to reduce transportation time, and patronize businesses that make life easier." Walgreens' strategy is directed toward the time-starved "laser" shopper. The average Walgreens' transaction time from car door open to car door close, is 13.5 minutes with the average being 3.3 items (Walgreens 1999 Annual Report).The “Baby Boom” generation born between 1946-1964, a time in which 3.8 million to 4.3 million babies were born annually, is an unusually large generation that started turning fifty in January 1996 (The Market for Boomers Turning 50, 1999). This generation is a large and important market segment in the area of vitamins and health, including prescription and over the counter medications. The p...
