Digital Transformation and Customer Loyalty in the Algerian Parapharmaceutical Sector During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic acted as an unprecedented accelerator of digital transformation in Algeria's parapharmaceutical sector. Faced with lockdowns and contamination fears, pharmacists rapidly adopted digital tools to sustain their activity and preserve their advisory role. This exploratory qualitative study, based on four semi-structured interviews with pharmacists, a community manager, and a marketing director, examines the influence of e-marketing on parapharmaceutical purchasing paths during the health crisis. Thematic analysis identifies four main themes: emergency digital adaptation, social media as primary e-marketing levers, strategies for maintaining remote counseling and trust, and the enduring emergence of a "phygital" identity. The study introduces the concepts of "pharmacist-mediator" and "embodied trust" to account for professional transformations. It highlights the hybridization of purchase journeys (ROPO) and offers managerial implications for pharmacists, laboratories, and public authorities.