Walgreens is always trying to enhance the customer experience.
Earlier this month, Walgreens officially launched its app for Apple Watch that helps people take medications as prescribed through the easy-to-use Pill Reminder and Refill Reminder features. Medication non-adherence is an important issue that adds an estimated $300 billion a year to medical costs in the U.S. The Walgreens App for Apple Watch is currently one of only a few apps that addresses this issue by prompting users to adhere to medication regimens and reminding them when their prescription is due for refill.
The Walgreens App for Apple Watch is designed to help patients manage their medications, whether it is a simple, once-daily reminder or multiple complex drug regimens. The Apple Watch app connects with the user’s Pill Reminders inside the Walgreens iPhone app, and Apple’s “actionable alerts” allow the user to mark a medication as taken or skipped, as well as view which medications might have been missed or may be taken next. Refill Reminders predict when medication may be running low and offer users a one-touch method to initiate a refill. The user will receive a follow-up notification when the medication is ready for pickup.
What’s more, Walgreens announced a planned integration of its Balance Rewards loyalty program with Apple Pay, coming this fall to stores with the launch of rewards support for Apple Pay. Apple Pay will provide immediate access to Balance Rewards without separately scanning a Balance Rewards card. Balance Rewards members will have the ability to earn and redeem Balance Rewards points via Apple Pay, the easy, secure and private way to pay.
To get the most out of purchases, users can simply add the Balance Rewards digital card to the Wallet app in iOS 9 and seamlessly use it at checkout with Apple Pay. Members simply hold their iPhone near the contactless reader with a finger on Touch ID and the appropriate rewards information will be sent. On Apple Watch, they just double-click the side button, select their Balance Rewards card, and hold the face of Apple Watch up to the reader.
Walgreens spokesperson Mailee Garcia discussed with Loyalty360 the factors behind the company’s launch of an app for Apple Watch and the integration with the Balance Rewards loyalty program.
“We believe that providing our customers with a Walgreens Apple Watch app will help improve medication adherence,” Garcia explained. “Using the Walgreens Watch app’s intuitive interface, our customers can easily monitor and manage their medication regimens. Additionally, our customers also will receive timely notifications on their Watch app when their prescriptions are due for a refill. These features will make it even more convenient for our customers to engage with Walgreens. The goal of the Balance Rewards integration with Apple Pay is to reduce friction for our customers during the checkout process and make it even more convenient for them. We expect this initiative to increase customer satisfaction and positive outcomes for Balance Rewards.”
What’s more, Garcia said Walgreens designs its offerings to provide customers with ultimate access, choice, and convenience.
“We’re a customer-led company that aims to help remove friction and make the experience as simple as possible, helping our customers manage their lives,” she added.