After ending the previous year with multiple store closures, popular big box retailer, Walmart, appears to be bouncing back in new and innovative ways. The company recently introduced MoneyCenters across branches to aid its customer’s financial services needs and now it is introducing a Same-Day Pharmacy Delivery system for customer’s medicinal needs.
Have your prescriptions filled from the comfort of your home
It seems that cutting its losses with underperforming stores has enabled Walmart to shift focus to innovating and broadening the spectrum of services offered to its customers. The latest attempt at improving the lives of customers has yielded the Same-Day Pharmacy Delivery service that is now available to millions of customers across 49 states.
A pioneer in the field, the retailer is the first amongst peers to integrate pharmacy, general merchandise and grocery in a single online order. The current digital era calls for a tech powered service and Same-Day Pharmacy Delivery is the company’s most expansive technology undertaking yet. It is a tech-powered store-to-door service, using a combination of highly complex in-store and cloud-based technology platforms, AI capabilities and a new geospatial platform.
Last October saw the launch of Pharmacy Delivery in six states. The retailer has taken its nationwide presence and paired it perfectly with its rich expertise in pharmacy and delivery to give customers an Adaptive Retail experience. Over 15,000 pharmacists across the country are currently leading Pharmacy Delivery and ensuring that customers are able to enjoy convenient access to care in the form of dispensing and delivery of prescriptions and medication refills. Controlled substances, those that need refrigeration, and Medicare Part B items are not included in the offerings for delivery, however.
Customer feedback
According to a company newsletter, Walmart Pharmacy customers shared that they tend to shop for other items and needs across the store when getting their prescriptions in store. The addition of a same-day delivery option adds a new level of ease to an already convenient set-up.
Melissa Y., a Walmart customer who lives in a rural neighborhood of North Little Rock, Arkansas shared, “I think the service is very important for people out in this area because it’s an older area. There are a lot of people out here – like my sister that is disabled – who can’t get out and go to the store.”
“It’s an expectation now that you can have your groceries delivered – you can have everything you need delivered to your home,” says Bonnie Chandler, pharmacy manager at Store 4460 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. “Your healthcare should be similar to that as well.”
Walmart 2.0
This new delivery systems comes from the collaborated work of hundreds of associates from dozens of technology teams. Their work has linked pharmacy systems to e-commerce, scheduling and delivery systems, while ensuring HIPAA compliance and protecting customer privacy. This network is connected to Walmart’s AI-powered delivery platform, Spark. The platform also uses new geospatial technology to define delivery catchments (areas) with greater precision. These catchments are customized for each store using customer insights and external data – an approach that far outperforms traditional metrics such as zip code or distance from the store.
Walmart + members can enjoy a member benefit of free Pharmacy Delivery while non-members will be charged based on delivery preference. Customers will be notified of their delivery-ready filled prescriptions via their Walmart account. Following this notification, customers can then select a delivery option that is best suited to their needs. These include Same-Day Scheduled, On-Demand or Express. New or existing insurance plans will be applied to the transaction just as they would when picking up a prescription in-store. A driver will safely and securely bring the order to the customer’s location during their preferred time window. Medications are delivered in tamper-evident packaging and customers can track their orders in real-time.