Wellness Offerings Boost Grocery Store Foot Traffic

Once upon a time, grocery stores were meant for—well, groceries. People shopped at these centers for food basics (and the occasional paper goods). However, the rise of the one-stop shop (think Target and Walmart) is forcing the “pure” grocery chains to think of other ways to be competitive and increase foot traffic.

According to a Placer.ai white paper, more extensive healthcare offerings are making their way into grocery chains. While many national chains have offered pharmacies and healthcare services (like vaccinations) for a while, “recent years have seen a shift toward more extensive healthcare offerings,” according to the white paper.

In addition to providing an important healthcare service to the community, grocery-anchored healthcare clinics can “boost traffic at chains, help health providers reach more patients, and allow shoppers to manage their health and home needs in one convenient trip,” the white paper added.

The white paper also noted the following:

Health Clinics and Foot Traffic Increases

Chains with on-site healthcare offerings attracted more visits in H1 2024 than chain-wide averages. For example, eight Dillons stores (a Kroger regional chain) with clinics experienced 93% more visits per location than the chain’s banner-wide average.

More Affluent Visitors

The Placer.ai research also revealed that grocery stores with healthcare clinics tend to attract more affluent visitors from the trade areas. The white paper indicated that in-house clinics in King Soopers, H-E-B and Jay C tended to have higher median household incomes than the overall averages of the chains.

The Winning Combo

The white paper pointed out that as grocery stores continue taking on the mantel of health care, “they’re transforming into multifaceted hubs that offer both essential health services and everyday shopping needs.” This means increased foot traffic, higher-income visitors and stronger community ties.