Downloads of Top U.S. Pharmacy Apps Jump 47% on Increased COVID-19 Vaccine Availability

Major pharmacy chains in the United States announced on February 2 that consumers would soon be able to set up appointments to receive COVID-19 vaccinations at their locations. This led to a surge of first-time installs for the apps of Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid, which have partnered with the U.S. government for vaccine distribution. In the first two weeks of February, the apps collectively reached 856,000 installs from U.S. consumers, climbing 47 percent from the previous two weeks, analysis of Sensor Tower Store Intelligence data has found.

CVS experienced the greatest growth, surging 68 percent to 300,000 installs between February 1 and February 14, up from 179,000 during the period between January 18 and January 31. Walgreens saw the most installs, climbing 42 percent from 345,000 to 491,000. Rite Aid's installs saw a slight uptick of 8 percent from 60,000 to 65,000, possibly because the company didn't announce the availability of vaccines at its brick-and-mortar locations until February 11.

Highest Weekly Installs Since 2014

Within the first two weeks of February, Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid also saw their highest weekly installs in at least the last five years. The apps collectively saw 484,000 installs from U.S. app stores during the period from February 8 to February 14, the most downloads they've seen in a single week since January 2014 when Sensor Tower's estimates for Google Play begin. The figure represents growth of 30 percent from 372,000 the previous week.

The cohort of apps also saw a total of 78,000 U.S. downloads on February 9, the most installs they have collectively seen on a single day since January 3, 2015 when they reached 86,000.

Continued Rollouts

Alongside nationwide pharmacies such as Walgreens and CVS, the U.S. government is also working with large chains such as Walmart and Sam's Club to aid in vaccine distribution and has reportedly reached out to Silicon Valley giants such as Amazon and Airbnb for additional support.

Public health officials are continually seeking solutions for an accelerated rollout of COVID-19 vaccines across the country, and just as consumers' mobile devices have become portals to virtual workplaces and classrooms during the ongoing pandemic, so might they play an increasing role in connecting users with local vaccine providers. Among the upsides for these businesses will be increased footprints for their mobile apps—but whether consumers continue to use them for more than setting appointments remains to be seen.