Walgreens creates a digital retail experience for everyone, everywhere

OCT04

By JESSICA ELENSTAR, WEB CONTENT MANAGER | Published: OCTOBER 4, 2013

Be the first to comment | This entry was posted in Events, Mobile, Retail Companies

Not everyone thinks of a brick-and-mortar drugstore chain like Walgreens as a digital retail pioneer. But the company’s thoughtful, deliberate approach to innovation places it at the forefront of omnichannel retailing, and earned Walgreens President and CEO Greg Wasson a spot on Shop.org’s Annual Summit keynote stage.

Each week, 45 million shoppers visit a Walgreens store, and 14 million visit Walgreens online or on mobile. The high number of store visits makes sense, considering that 75 percent of Americans live within five miles of a Walgreens location. A few years ago, the company set ambitious goals for developing a similarly impressive retail footprint in the digital arena, and found a new way to remain relevant to customers.

Wasson shared a few things he’s learned as Walgreens developed its “digital DNA”:

• Your digital audience may surprise you – The median age of Walgreens’ mobile customers is 45. Some 100-year-old customers use refill-by-scan to renew their prescriptions. Don’t assume that Millennials are the only demographic interested in using technology.
• Ideas from the front lines can drive innovation – Walgreens associates have embraced digital tools because they make their jobs easier. Many employees are digital-savvy and share their recommendations with executives. With 240,000 employees and millions of customers, Walgreens has access to a lot of great ideas.
• Digital makes in-store experiences better – The Walgreens app features in-store mapping that helps shoppers (and employees) find things faster. Health guides use iPads to assist pharmacy customers. App users start a task on their smartphones and finish in store, or vice versa. Walgreens’Balance Rewards was built for omnichannel from the ground up. Launched last year, the program already has 85 million users, and Walgreens can use the data to better tailor products, pricing, and promotions.

Trying to serve every possible consumer is a marketing pitfall for most brands, but developing innovative ideas for serving diverse customers gives Walgreens a distinct competitive advantage. Through multiplemobile apps and websites, Walgreens offers products and services that win a loyal following from customers of all ages, shopping whenever and wherever it’s convenient.

via Shop.org Blog http://blog.shop.org/2013/10/04/walgreens-creates-a-digital-retail-experience-for-everyone-everywhere/