If you’re bored of pressing a call button and waiting for a clerk to unlock the deodorant, toothpaste, or over-the-counter medications you want to buy, CVS may become your go-to drugstore.
On Tuesday, the drugstore retailer announced the launch of a new app that allows users to unlock products with a few taps of their phone.
“As a company, we are super focused on improving the health care experience,” Tilak Mandadi, executive vice president of CVS Health, stated in a press release. “The CVS Health app will make it easier for our customers to access and manage their health and care, save time and money, and make informed decisions about their health.”
According to the announcement, the new software, which is the successor to the CVS Pharmacy app, will allow customers to manage prescriptions, schedule immunizations, and speed up checkout. However, the most talked-about feature, which is presently being tested in a few locations, is the ability to open locked display cabinets for better access to items.
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The CVS pilot initiative “is an example of how we’re applying technology as possible solutions to a common customer complaint,” Tara Burke, a CVS Health spokesperson, told The New York Times. “Customers like the convenience of being able to open the cases and not having to wait for a CVS colleague to help if one isn’t immediately available.”
According to The Times, the app’s unlocking feature is currently available at three New York City businesses as part of a test program that began in August. Plans are in place to install the “smart locks” at about ten stores on the West Coast early this year.
The announcement of the new app comes after Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth confessed that locking up merchandise is terrible for business.
“Locking things up, for example, reduces the number of sales. “We’ve pretty much proven that,” Wentworth said during the company’s first-quarter results call on Jan. 10. “It is a hand-to-hand combat battle still, unfortunately.”
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According to various sources, Wentworth claims that the company’s decision to lock up merchandise following a 52% spike in stolen inventory is discouraging paying customers. The CEO also stated that he is collaborating with Walgreen’s head of asset protection to devise “creative” measures to combat shoplifting.
Still, Wentworth made no assurances about unlocking the items, but CVS is placing that power in the hands of customers. The app’s unlocking feature will be available to registered loyalty members, according to The Times. To access the guarded products, they must be logged in to the app and connected to the store’s Wi-Fi network with Bluetooth enabled, according to the article.
“We know that keeping products locked up can be inconvenient,” Burke told The Times. “But it’s important that we ensure products are in stock and available for customers who need them.”
Burke explained that New York was chosen as the pilot program’s location due to its proximity to the teams evaluating the locks at cases throughout the city. So far, she says, customer feedback has been positive.
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