The new enhancements also include prescription text alerts that notify consumers via SMS when their prescriptions are ready. In addition, consumers can sign up for special text-message offers to receive deals and coupons.

“Our strategy is to make it easy for our customers to manage their prescriptions wherever they are – at home, at work, on the go, on vacation or at our corner drugstore,” said Jim Cohn, spokesman for Walgreens, Deerfield, IL. “We’re trying to ‘keep life moving’ for our customers by providing on-the-go convenience. 

“We’re targeting our busy, on-the-go, pharmacy customers who already use text messaging and mobile phones,” he said. “We are sending our alerts in both English and Spanish today.”

Walgreens is one of the United States’ largest drugstore chains and its retail locations provide consumer-goods, pharmacy, health and wellness services.

On-the-go deals
Consumers can browse products by categories, including health and well-being, beauty, personal care, electronics, grocery, baby and children, pet and seasonal.

In addition, consumers can check the availability of products, sign up for an account to upload photos and order prints, view prescription history and find the nearest store.

Here is a screen grab of the application:

Consumers can view product information, read reviews and see associated costs:

After adding a product into their shopping cart, consumers can enter a special promotion or coupon code if they have one, view shipping details, calculate the total and checkout.

When taken to the checkout screen, consumers have to register or log into their Walgreen’s account.

“We have added the ability to buy products from our mobile Web site, and to check store availability of products on our mobile Web site,” Mr. Cohn said. “Additionally, we recently added the ability to register.

“On our iPhone application, we recently made some improvements in our refill process to make it simpler,” he said. “Finally, we have just put out small apps for Android and BlackBerry.”

Text for steals
In addition to its revamped application and mobile site, Walgreens is letting consumers opt-in for prescription text alerts.

Consumers can sign up at any Walgreens pharmancy or online at http://www.walgreens.com/gomobile.

Consumers can also opt-in to receive special offers by texting the keyword WALGREENS to the short code 21525.

“Our customers use text messaging today, and their phones are always with them, so alerting our customers by text message was a perfect fit and a valuable time-saving tool,” Mr. Cohn said. “They can get the alert at work, and stop by on their way home to pick up their prescription.”