Walgreens is continuing to push forward in the mobile commerce space with the integration of its loyalty program with Android Pay, allowing users to seamlessly earn points and pay via mobile in stores.

The drugstore is one of many retailers leveraging the Equinox Payments’ POS system, which has now integrating Android Pay. Shoppers at Walgreens will now be able to pay with their Android mobile devices at checkout, tapping once for rewards capabilities and twice for Android Pay.

“Integrating our Balance Rewards loyalty program with Android Pay on all of the Equinox checkout terminals in our stores nationwide is another example of how we are always looking to enhance our customers’ in-store experience,” said Abhi Dhar, chief digital officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance & CIO at Walgreens. “It was evident just last month during the holiday shopping season that many of our Balance Rewards members enjoy the benefits of linking our loyalty program with mobile payments.

“We’re offering a convenient and secure way for our members to earn and redeem loyalty points in-store, eliminating the need to separately scan or enter their Balance Rewards card,” he said.

Walgreens innovation
Intertwining mobile payment with a rewards program at checkout helps usher in a more convenient checkout experience. The process may not only drive sales and consumer satisfaction, but also has the capability of creating a faster checkout.

Equinox Payments will now allow Android Pay checkout at all its POS systems. Walgreens Balance Rewards Android users can now add their info to their Android Wallets.

At Walgreens checkout, one tap on the users’ Android device will allow access to rewards information. This is when users can redeem a gift card or coupon and receive points.

Tapping a second time will bring up Android Pay in which users can pay for their purchases using their saved credit information.

To make the experience even easier, customers can adjust their settings to earn points and pay at the same time without an additional tap.

Walgreens is the first retailer to enable Equinox’s inclusion of Android Pay.

Walgreens and mobile
The addition of Android Pay to its checkout is only one of the numerous mobile-forward choices the drugstore chain has made. For instance, Walgreens also was the first retailer to intertwine Apple Pay with its loyalty program, enabling customers to scan only once to pay and receive rewards.

Data has shown that interest in mobile payments is low, but mobile wallet services which provide rewards programs is much more desired amongst consumers. Walgreens was looking to drive sales with the Apple Pay-loyalty integration following a series of successful mobile wallet incorporations for other retailers (see more).

“The migration from cards to mobile wallets intensifies the demand for a quick and easy payment experience, and our integration with Android Pay makes this possible,” said Rob Hayhow, vice president at Equinox. “Shoppers can simply tap their phones at the terminal, which replaces the time-consuming process of entering loyalty program information, inserting a chip card for payment, and waiting for the transaction to complete.”