Purchasing attitudes of consumers towards domestic and foreign products sold in community pharmacies: A case study of the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria

Purpose: To investigate consumer/client purchasing patterns regarding domestically produced and imported goods in community pharmacies in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nigeria.Methods: A cross-sectional survey of clients of community pharmacies in the FCT was used. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire containing both open-ended and closed-ended questions.Results: The results showed that 67.6 % of the respondents preferred to purchase foreign products stocked in a community pharmacy, 30.7 % domestic ones, while about 2 – 7 % were neutral. Most consumers preferred to purchase locally manufactured herbal products and beverages, although a majority preferred to buy foreign medicines, other medical products, cosmetics, and toiletries. In decreasing order of consideration, cost, availability, prescription, and experience with the product determined their preference for domestic products, while quality, prescription, and experience with the product dictated their choice of foreign products.Conclusion: Nigerian consumers prefer foreign drugs, cosmetics, and toiletries because they are aware of their superior quality. However, they prefer locally produced herbal products and beverages.