10 July 2020 - Deborah Wilkes
Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) is working with Microsoft and Adobe to launch a digital platform that will deliver “personalised healthcare and shopping offerings”.
The platform, said WBA, would provide customers of Walgreens and Boots with “products and services from its global pharmacy and retail businesses wherever, whenever and however they may want them”.
Giving examples of initiatives that would be made possible by the platform, WBA said Walgreens would launch an “individually-tailored prescription experience for patients”, while Boots would introduce a “bespoke beauty experience for customers”.
WBA added that the platform would “dramatically enhance its marketing effectiveness and power its strategic initiative around mass personalisation”. This would make it possible to deliver the “right offers and content to the right customer, in the right context, at the right time and through the right channels”.
Second phase of digital transformation
“Establishing this platform will advance WBA into the second phase of its digital transformation,” commented the company, adding this was one of its “key strategic priorities”.
Vineet Mehra, WBA’s global chief marketing officer, said the company’s mission was to deliver “extraordinary experiences that enrich our customers’ lives”.
“Capabilities to combine previously disparate customer data sets, including information from more than 100 million members of our loyalty programmes, into a more singular, unified view of the customer – powered by these modern technology platforms – will enable us to truly personalise our omnichannel healthcare and retail offering,” pointed out Mehra. “This digital magic coupled with the valued knowledge and quality of care provided by our pharmacists and team members is what allows us to best serve our customers.”
As part of the strategic partnership, WBA will use Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights and Adobe’s Customer Experience Management solutions.
WBA commented that the partnership would allow it to “harness insights to deliver more engaging and personalised experiences, while respecting and protecting privacy choices of patients and customers”.
Reporting its financial results for the three months ended 31 May 2020, WBA said worldwide sales had reached USD34.6 billion, representing a rise of 0.1% as reported compared to the same period a year earlier. At constant currencies, sales were up by 1.2% (click here to read the News story).