Amazon, CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens

Trend / Opportunity Article | Innovation, Digital Strategy, E-Commerce Managers | Keywords: Amazon CVS Walgreens advertising healthcare United States, retail media pharma USA, CHC e-commerce platforms

Retail media is reshaping the digital marketing landscape in the United States. In consumer packaged goods, the movement is already well advanced: brands are massively investing on advertising platforms from Walmart, Target, Kroger and Amazon to reach consumers closest to the point of purchase. But in the consumer healthcare (CHC) sector, this revolution is just getting started.

And that's precisely what makes it so interesting.

In the United States, online sales of over-the-counter medications and consumer health products represent approximately 15% of total healthcare retail sales. This figure may seem modest compared to other categories. But behind this statistic lies double-digit growth dynamics, driven by evolving purchasing behaviors, the rise of specialized platforms, and the emergence of a retail media ecosystem that offers healthcare brands a new playing field—one that's still relatively uncrowded.

Amazon, CVS Pharmacy, and Walgreens are not simply additional distribution channels. They are full-fledged advertising environments, with their own auction mechanics, their own ad formats, and their own audiences. Brands that invest today on these platforms position themselves as pioneers in a market where advertising competition is still low, cost-per-clicks are accessible, and growth potential is considerable.

This article explores this new frontier of health retail media in the United States: the market dynamics driving it, the advertising options available on each platform, the concrete advantages for brands that position themselves early, and the most promising use cases for the CHC sector.