Associated Food Stores is adding digital displays to pharmacies in 40 retail locations it operates under the Macey’s, Lin’s and Fresh Market brands.
Located in waiting and pickup areas, the displays will enable Associated Food Stores retail members to provide customers with information on general health and wellness, symptoms, disease status, treatment options and other topics, as well as create custom messages advising customers of the available clinical services.
The technology comes from Mesmerize, a New York-based out-of-home media company that specializes in patient information at the point of care.
“Marketing and communications continue to evolve, allowing us to use additional methods to share the benefits of visiting our pharmacy,” said Felicia Crosson, Associate Food Stores Pharmacy Marketing Specialist. “Associated Food Stores is always looking for ways to reach our guests and provide convenience to our customers way to stay connected and informed.”
She noted that the organization is currently focused on installing Mesmerize digital displays in company-owned stores and plans to explore expanding to other locations in the future.
“All customers who come into our stores can benefit from the digital displays as they will provide information about our pharmacy clinical services as well as other health education information,” Crosson said.
Participating pharmacies will be equipped with 43-inch monitors that Mesmerize can scale to store format for optimal viewing. Groups of shoppers who may benefit from a digital display include health-conscious consumers waiting in line at the pharmacy to pick up their medications, and consumers who walk by the pharmacy area in the story while shopping for groceries, which helps them understand available clinical services.
“The pharmacy landscape is changing, with retail pharmacies becoming destinations for more medical services than just dispensing,” said Ian Stone, senior vice president of Mesmerize. “Pharmacy is offering services like testing and treatment, for example, Customers can have a strep test and be prescribed treatment for a positive result at the same time. Using dynamic displays to inform and educate customers through messaging and well-designed explainer videos can help convert new customers and generate incremental revenue.”
Stone noted that digital display technology continues to evolve, and Mesmerize regularly evaluates new platforms to enhance the patient experience, including interactive and shelf-level/category displays.
Associated Food Stores in Salt Lake City supports more than 400 independent grocery stores in Intermountain West.
