Walgreens Reimagines Customer Engagement
Walgreens is partnering with two of the biggest names in the tech and CX world to reimagine how it engages with shoppers.
The Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) this week said that it is working with Microsoft and Adobe “to launch a world-class digital experience and customer insights platform to deliver personalized healthcare and shopping offerings.”
Via this effort, Walgreens said it “will launch an individually tailored prescription experience for patients at Walgreens, and Boots will launch a bespoke beauty experience for customers by enabling Boots Beauty Consultants to provide custom product recommendations. This new platform will also dramatically enhance WBA’s marketing effectiveness and power the company’s strategic initiative around mass personalization – delivering the right offers and content to the right customer, in the right context, at the right time and through the right channels.”
More specifically, the effort will have Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights serving as WBA’s Customer Data Platform “to provide a unified, 360-degree view of the customer and unlock insights that power personalized customer experiences,” the retail chain said. “Adobe’s Customer Experience Management solutions will enable the company to deliver those unmatched customer experiences, with the industry’s only end-to-end solution for analytics, content management, personalization, campaign orchestration and more.”
The Walgreens move comes amid increasing focus on personalization and the omnichannel experience in the broader retail world.
“Capabilities to combine previously disparate customer data sets, including information from more than 100 million members of our loyalty programs, into a more singular, unified view of the customer – powered by these modern technology platforms – will enable us to truly personalize our omnichannel healthcare and retail offering,” said Vineet Mehra, global chief marketing officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance. “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 retail changes, personalization will become more important.
"There's no denying that the retail industry has been in a constant state of change over the past several years and consumers expect personalized interactions, connected online and in-store experiences, and high-quality customer service when they shop,” said Shelley Bransten, CVP Retail and Consumer Goods Industries, Microsoft. “Through this strategic partnership, Walgreens Boots Alliance is transforming the future of retail, health and beauty, creating digital experiences that make shopping fun and rewarding. Dynamics 365, Power Platform and Adobe’s Experience Cloud will provide deep insights and a single view of the customer, enabling the nurturing of customer relationships on one platform for highly tailored experiences.”
The ongoing pandemic also is playing a part in these trends.
"Adobe has been a strategic partner for global brands in their digital transformation,” said Anil Chakravarthy, executive vice president and general manager, Digital Experience Business, Adobe. “COVID-19 has created a world that is more digital, while redefining the value of physical stores. Walgreens Boots Alliance, a global leader in retail and wholesale pharmacy, is taking this head on and paving the way for its next chapter. With Adobe Experience Cloud, WBA will be able to activate customer data and personalize experiences, while better blending online and offline customer experiences.”
