DEERFIELD, Ill., March 03, 2011 - Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population lives within three miles of a Walgreens (NYSE: WAG)(NASDAQ: WAG). Now the drugstore chain’s more than 7,600 stores are getting even more convenient with new smart phone enhancements in the hands of many Walgreens customers nationwide. Walgreens newest mobile feature, Refill by Scan, already accounts for more than half of all prescription refills ordered through Walgreens mobile applications – less than four months after becoming available for both iPhone® and Android™ platforms.
Using a smart phone’s camera, Refill by Scan enables users to scan the barcode printed on a prescription label to seamlessly order a refill in seconds. The new, innovative technology was launched on the Walgreens mobile application in 2010 and has been available for both Android™ and iPhone® users since November.
“Our customers have enthusiastically adopted our mobile applications and we’re continuing to bring innovative technology to our online and mobile platforms to enhance the customer experience,” said Sona Chawla, Walgreens President of E-commerce. “With refill by scan, prescription text alerts, unique photo features and the ability to shop or browse products all available on a mobile device, we’re adding new levels of choice, control and convenience for our rapidly-growing numbers of mobile customers.”
Refill by Scan also gives users the option to change their store pickup location as well as the pickup time and day.
Walgreens is highlighting its suite of mobile pharmacy services and the new Refill by Scan technology with a new advertising campaign launched this week.
The Walgreens mobile application has a 4.5-star rating in the iTunes Store and a 4-star rating in the Android™ Market. The application is free and available for download via iTunes and the Android™ Market.
Prescription Text Alert Subscribers Surpass 1 Million
Prescription text alerts, a Walgreens mobile feature which notifies customers via text message when their prescriptions are ready, has surpassed 1 million subscribers. The alerts were introduced in March 2010.
Customers can sign up for prescription text alerts at any Walgreens pharmacy or by visiting www.walgreens.com/textalerts. Prescription text alerts are available through any mobile device that has texting capabilities.
Other features of the Walgreens mobile application include:
- Access prescription history
- Order photo prints direct from your phone
- Find the nearest Walgreens or Take Care Clinic
- Browse products and check in-store availability
- Shop from your phone
For more information on Walgreens mobile application and services, visit www.walgreens.com/mobile.
About Walgreens
Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2010 sales of $67 billion. The company operates 7,670 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each day, Walgreens provides nearly 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with pharmacy benefit solutions and respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.
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Walgreens
Jim Cohn, (847) 315-2950
jim.cohn@walgreens.com
http://news.walgreens.com