DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Walgreens is adding scannable coupons to its mobile applications, offering exclusive discounts to its smartphone customers beginning "Black Friday," November 25.
Coupons will range in value from 50 cents to $5 and will be good toward a variety of products including beauty items, gifts, consumables and everyday essentials, such as diapers. Scannable coupons provide optimal convenience with no clipping or printing required. Cashiers scan a coupon straight from a user's smartphone.
With mobile scanning capabilities at all of the more than 7,700 Walgreens stores nationwide, this is the largest retail mobile coupon program in the United States, the company said.
"We're enhancing the shopping experience by giving our mobile customers greater convenience and exclusive savings during the holiday season," said Sona Chawla, Walgreens president of E-commerce. "Through our mobile application, no matter where people are, they can find an easy way to save next time they come to Walgreens--just download the app and you're ready to shop."
Coupons will be offered through the Walgreens mobile application from November 25 through December 24. Details regarding post-Christmas coupon programs are not yet available.
Other Walgreens mobile shopping features include viewing the weekly ad and the latest sales, shopping directly from any smartphone, browsing products and checking in-store availability and receiving text alerts regarding special offers and exclusive deals.
The Walgreens mobile application is free and can be downloaded by searching for "Walgreens" in smartphone application stores or marketplaces for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry. Standard data and text messaging rates may apply, internet connectivity is required at time of transaction for coupon to be accessible.
Walgreens is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2011 sales of $72 billion. The Deerfield, Ill.-based company operates 7,786 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Separately, Woonsocket, R.I.-based CVS/pharmacy has announced enhanced shopping and prescription refill functionality for its mobile site as well as iPhone and Android apps for on-the-go customers. Shoppers can now use mobile devices to manage their ExtraCare Rewards accounts, scan and send prescription refills and order photo prints (Logo:
"CVS/pharmacy customers are increasingly using smartphones to do everything from shopping to social networking while on-the-go," said Rob Price , senior vice president, chief marketing officer for CVS/pharmacy. "Given the popularity of mobile devices, CVS/pharmacy has added new mobile innovations that make it easier for our customers to order refills and manage their ExtraCare account."
Customers accessing CVS/pharmacy's mobile website can now take advantage of several features of the ExtraCare Rewards Program. This new functionality lets shoppers load select ExtraCare coupons received via email directly to their ExtraCare card through the "Send to Card" digital savings option, view the available balance of ExtraBucks Rewards, check ExtraCare transaction history and order a new ExtraCare Rewards card to replace a missing or lost card
In addition, CVS/pharmacy launched a comprehensive set of mCommerce options for shoppers using photo services. Customers using smartphones can now view photo albums and slideshows, order prints for in-store pickup in about an hour and share photos with friends and family.
For customers who have downloaded CVS/pharmacy's iPhone or Android app, CVS/pharmacy is making it easier to manage prescriptions from anywhere at any time. Customers with the iPhone or Android app can now use their smartphones to scan and send rapid refills (no sign-in required) to their local CVS/pharmacy for up to six prescriptions at once, just by using the camera in their mobile devices and the CVS/pharmacy app. These refills can be sent by scanning the prescription label directly. The apps also include a QR code scanner that customers can use for scanning any QR code at CVS/pharmacy stores or any other retailer.
Beyond the prescription refill functionality, the same ExtraCare Rewards Program management now available through the CVS/pharmacy mobile site has been added to the CVS/pharmacy iPhone and Android apps. Interested customers can download the apps by visiting Apple's App Store or the Android Marketplace.
These features are in addition to the already launched features that allow shoppers to spot nearby CVS/pharmacy stores by using their phone's GPS, check their weekly circular and find MinuteClinic locations and services.
CVS/pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Caremark Corp., operates more than 7,300 CVS/pharmacy and Longs Drug stores.
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