Impact of Consumer Sales Promotion on Consumer Patronage of Pharmaceutical Products in Nigeria

This study investigated the effect of consumer sales promotion on the patronage of pharmaceutical products in Nigeria. The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of consumer sales promotion (discount, rebates, premiums, and demonstration) on consumer patronage of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. The methodology used was based on a descriptive research design using multistage sampling techniques. The sample size was four hundred (400) respondents, which was further analyzed using regression analysis. The findings revealed that there is a significant effect of consumer sales promotion in terms of premiums, discounts and rebates used in marketing and sales of pharmaceutical products to drive customer patronage as a consumer sales response. The study however found that consumers' sales response towards demonstrations as a consumer sales promotion was insignificant. In light of the findings, the study recommended that pharmaceutical organizations should engage in more sales promotional strategies like customer loyalty programs and the electronic and online variants of consumer sales promotion, which tends to be more creative to consumers who are now more technology-driven.