Collier Drug Stores Inc. (Web Page Review)

Collier Drug Stores Inc.

Fayetteville

www.collierdrug.com

Refilling a drug prescription was never easier than logging on to Collier Drug Stores Inc.’s Web site and double clicking on the “Pharmaceuticals” page. Customers battling a cold or the flu can simply fill out their order information, click to submit the secured form and relax while Collier’s delivers the prescription to their front door.

What’s really impressive is the comment area where customers can add anything to their delivery from rubber water bottles to chocolate bars. This function makes www.collierdrug.com one of the best local “click-and-mortar” sites in Northwest Arkansas.

Deliveries are available, whether ordered via the Web or telephone, in Fayetteville, Springdale and Pea Ridge. The only catch is that the site is not yet doing original fill orders. In other words the prescriptions must first be called in by a physician or the customer must visit one of Collier’s physical locations.

Once the order has been established, refill service and delivery are easily accessible over the Web. Even orders that originated with other pharmacies may be phone-transferred to Collier’s for Web access.

Collier’s technicians said eventually their prescription-filling and ordering system will be upgraded, thereby allowing orders to be originated over the Web. The store is already receiving a handful of refills every day.

The site, designed two years ago by Taylor Mack Advertising in Fayetteville, was upgraded in 1999 to handle credit card orders. Taylor Mack’s designers said the site’s goal is to be informative and efficient, and our reviewers said the site accomplishes both.

One of our reviewers said she will move her own prescriptions to Collier’s because of its on-line service and free deliveries. And she likes the fact that descriptions of gift items are updated as products are added to the inventory.

The best thing about the site’s design is that it’s simple. The menu bar is colorful and stays static, and site downloads in a flash over a DSL line.

Another reviewer said the down-home feel is in keeping with Collier’s theme of personal service versus national-chain pricing. Including photos of Collier’s staff was a good idea and adds to the “get-to-know you” feeling.

Other constructive criticism we heard included that Collier’s should offer online prices for its other retail products such as cosmetics and perfumes or photo services. There are excellent descriptions of the products that are offered, but they’re sans any prices.

We expect great things as this site continues to mature. It didn’t take a 102-degree fever to get us fired up about using collierdrug.com.