SAS helps Russia’s 36.6 pharmacy chain personalize communications with customers

First automated marketing campaigns in Russian pharmaceutical retailing use SAS to help focus on customers’ health needs instead of technical details 

Pharmacy chain 36.6 used to communicate with customers “by hand.” The Russian retailer sampled customers, processed its data, loaded messages into email and social channels, and analyzed the results of mailings manually. A single marketing campaign routinely took a full day to launch, and results were fragmented and often ineffective.

When SAS analytics entered the picture in 2020, 36.6 quickly moved to automated, cost-effective, flexible marketing campaigns. Before, the retailer struggled to launch 40 to 50 campaigns annually. But with SAS, a comprehensive campaign takes 30 minutes to launch. The retailer now launches six to eight campaigns daily.

“We want to have an individual approach to the customer in everything - in offers, incentive policy, communication channels, pricing, assortments,” said Maria Brenes, Marketing Director of PJSC Pharmacy Chain 36.6.”To do this, we accumulate and analyze a large database so that each of our interactions gets a positive response. By meeting the expectations of our customers, we build trusting relationships with them and can be a reliable partner for them in maintaining health. We are pleased that the SAS solution allows us to do this as quickly as possible and focus on working with customers and their needs, and not on technical details.” Brenes said the company plans to increase the number of monthly campaigns launched and use SAS to trigger customer service campaigns and polling to further refine communications.

GlowByte Consulting works with the retailer to implement SAS across the enterprise.  “Our mutual efforts with 36.6 helped to personalize customer experiences through micro-segmentation. Moreover, business users can now concentrate on organizing targeted marketing processes rather than manual chores” - says Yuri Vlasov, Head of Retail Department.

“It’s essential for retailers to communicate in a timely and meaningful way – especially during a pandemic,” said Dan Mitchell, Global Director of Retail and CPG at SAS. “SAS analytics helps retailers better communicate with not only their customers, but also with all segments of the supply chain so customer satisfaction can remain high.”   

About 36.6

PJSC Pharmacy Chain 36.6 is a holding company that includes retail and distribution divisions. The main retail brands of the company are pharmacies 36.6 and Gorzdrav. The company was established in 1991. As of Jan. 1, 2021, the network consisted of 1,450 pharmacies in eight regions of the country: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novgorod, Tver, Pskov, Leningrad regions, as well as the Republic of Karelia. According to the analytical agency RNC Pharma for 2019, Pharmacy Chain 36.6 ranks third in Russian pharmacy chains with a market share of 4.2%.

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