The battle for drugstore consumers is really heating up, as various chains add new and innovative services and products to their stores. The latest effort comes from Walgreens, which has entered into a collaboration with LabCorp testing services to offer various blood tests in stores. Thus shoppers can pick up their prescriptions, grab a candy bar, and stock up on a few essentials, but they also can test their glucose levels and blood pressure, all in one trip. Competitive chains have announced similar initiatives; for example, CVS is expanding its MinuteClinics, due to its recent purchase of Aetna health insurance, which will give it access to more health-related service options it can install in stores. Even beyond these direct competitors, grocers and other retail formats are adding more health-related services. In some Publix stores for example, kiosks allow shoppers suffering from minor health concerns to enter into live video chats with health professionals, who can help diagnose their problem, then point them to the aisle where they can find the optimal remedy. For Walgreens though, the goal is to create distinction from these general offerings, by adding advanced testing capabilities that normally would require people to visit a dedicated testing facility.

 

Source: Matthew Stern, Retail Wire, October 18, 2018