The idea of wasting a customer's time in a pharmacy store when they trying to to get their shopping done and be on their way sounds like a really bad idea that was not tested with actual consumers before it was launched. No customer will want to be subjected to an ad to earn the right to open the freezer door to grab their frozen pizza. This is simply not the time and place for it.
"People really appreciate their routines. They're not always seeking excitement," said Julio Sevilla, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Georgia who studies consumer behavior.
Digital screens, he said, can add uncertainty and physical barriers to a simple and literally transparent process: reaching into a glass fridge.
Sevilla doesn't believe consumers are looking for novelty when they visit a grocery store: "We all love to get into a supermarket and know exactly what we're getting. I know also exactly where things are. For this type of utilitarian-related setting, people like their certainty and simplicity." creativity within those constraints. People like feeling as though they're not just cogs in the machine.
There are infinitely better ways to engage the customer in the store and add value to their experience, what Walgreens is doing is exactly not the way to go. But again Walgreens has historically not shown the most acuity is sizing up the next big thing to bet on. Being an early adopter is great if the choices make sense and are properly vetted before execution.
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