Innovations in the marketing communication mix as a tool for increasing competitiveness of retail drugstore chains in the post-Covid period

Abstract

The paper analyses the marketing communication mix of selected retail drugstore chains operating on the Czech market—dm drogerie markt s.r.o., Teta drogerie a lékárny ČR s.r.o., and ROSSMANN s.r.o.—in the context of post-COVID market recovery. The aim is to identify suitable innovations in marketing communication that can strengthen the competitiveness of retail businesses. The research is based on content analysis of official websites and communication channels, observation of offline marketing tools, and evaluation of social media performance (Facebook and Instagram) using engagement rate (ER). Benchmarking was applied to compare the selected drugstores with Lidl across defined marketing criteria. The results reveal notable differences in communication effectiveness. DM achieves the strongest performance in personalization, social media activity, loyalty programs, sustainability communication, and digital integration. ROSSMANN demonstrates high engagement on Instagram and strong omnichannel integration, while Lidl stands out in pricing strategy and environmental initiatives. Teta shows the greatest potential for improvement, particularly in social media activity, brand positioning, mobile application development, and sustainability communication. The findings indicate that digitalization, personalization, influencer marketing, loyalty program optimization, and clear sustainability communication are key drivers of competitiveness in the post-pandemic retail environment.