The retail drugstore industry is currently on the rise, with a 10% growth expected in the industry over the next few years. This industry has both products and services that major pharmacies provide. Competitors in this industry are always looking for the next new source of innovation, and in today’s age, the biggest innovations are aided by the huge developments in technology. With the improvement of technology in the industry, consumers are now able to play more interactive role in their own healthcare needs. This can take form in various ways, such as with devices that help monitor their health or using a pharmacy in ways other than visiting a store. However, because of this new self-care role, consumers are going to rely more on pharmacies to provide guidance in medication usage and prescriptions.
While major retail drug companies like CVS Health are currently creating various innovations through Digital Innovation Labs, other companies have created consumer-centric services that are driven by the customer experience. For example, Walgreens recently released a new Digital Marketplace called Find Care Now, which connects online and mobile visitors to both Walgreens healthcare service and outside providers who have partnered with Walgreens. At the time of release, Walgreens had 17 connected providers to the system, including urgent cares, lab testing facilities, and even physician house calls. The purpose of Find Care Now is to provide an “omnichannel experience” for customers in order to improve access to healthcare services in communities. The websites allows users to filter by condition and location, which provides even more customization for their healthcare needs. It allows customers who are extremely busy and on-the-go to find healthcare services that work best around their schedules, including services that are closest to their home or work.
Find Care Now is just one example of great design in this industry. One of the most important characteristics of great design is connection–the ability for major pharmacies to connect to their consumers in more ways than just coming to the brick-and-mortar store. Walgreens has not only done this with Find Care Now, but also in their retail as well. According to one article, 70 percent of their customers engage the company through mobile, and half of digital sales are from mobile. Another design principle that is important for Walgreens to use is functionality, especially with their online services–if customers are not able to understand how their website or mobile applications work, then they will be less inclined to purchase items through those channels. Finally, Find Care Now is a service that is driven by positive customer experiences, which aligns with Walgreens’s overall emphasis on high quality customer service. They recognize that customer service has to change with the increase of technology, data, and AI, and much of the core business strategy is derived from customer service.
Walgreens is just one player in the retail drugstore industry that is using technology to enhance their overall customer service experience. While Find Care Now has done a great job connecting online customers to vetted healthcare providers, the website could be a bit more intuitive for customers to use. Because this is a growing industry, there is a lot more room for innovation, and I think that we are going to see a lot more of it in the coming years.