Optimising Options For Pharmacies Against The Background Of Customer Expectations And Their Fulfilment An Empirical Analysis With The Means-End Theory Of Complex Cognitive Structures

Research objectives Against the background of a grown competition, amongst others by online pharmacies, and the health care ethics of local pharmacies, this research aims to evaluate the customer expectations and their fulfilment by local pharmacies. On this basis, local pharmacies are provided with options of customer-oriented optimisation.Method The basis for the empirical research is a hierarchical model of evaluating pharmacies, consisting of three levels: the pharmacy as a whole, the services of a pharmacy and the particular quality attributes of a pharmacy. The Means-End Theory of Complex Cognitive Structures is used to measure the expectations and their fulfilment with 293 customers of pharmacies.Results The customers rate the "classic" services of a pharmacy, distribution of pharmaceuticals and advisory, higher than extra services. Pharmacies fulfil the customer expectations on the "classic" services, except online ordering, to around 70 %. The pharmacies fulfil the customer expectations towards extra services with less than 50 %.Conclusion On the basis of the empirical findings, pharmacies should firstly focus on their core business to secure and enhance the quality of the distribution of pharmaceuticals and the advisory of customers. Of second priority is the build-up of high quality extra services.