Grocery chain Winn-Dixie is making prescription refills slicker with an SMS program, a mobile-optimized Web site and applications for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android devices.

Winn-Dixie is using mobile to help speed up the process of getting a prescription filled. The company is working with mobile platform mscripts on this initiative.

“For Winn-Dixie, mobile aligns with the need to keep patients healthy and help’s the pharmacy’s core business values by being efficient,” said Mark Cullen, CEO of mscripts, San Francisco.

“It also helps the company communicate with their consumers in more than one way,” he said.

Winn-Dixie is a supermarket headquarted in Jacksonville, FL, with 480 grocery stores and 380 in-store pharmacies in the United States.

Mobile health
Winn-Dixie is using an SMS program where consumers can opt-in to automatically have their prescriptions refilled.

Once a user receives a message about a prescription, Winn-Dixie’s pharmacy automatically keeps tabs on the medication and will remind consumers when it is time to get a refill.

Users can also access Winn Dixie’s mobile site at m.winndixierx.com to find nearby pharmacies and refill prescriptions.

Winn-Dixie is also rolling out a line of apps that help consumers stay up-to-date with their pharmacy records.

To use the apps, consumers must have an account.

They can then use the app to send push notifications when a prescription is ready or find a nearby pharmacy using GPS.

Users can also find out additional information about individual pharmacies and use the click-to-call feature.

The app also lets users find doctors by location.

“Adding mobile drives pharmacy revenue in three ways – it improves loyalty, frees up a pharmacist’s time and improves the way that consumers refill their prescriptions,” Mr. Cullen said.

Instant refill
Mobile has the possibility to be a game changer for the way industries have traditionally worked, including healthcare.

Mobile prescriptions help consumers save time and also keep them on track with their medications.

Walgreens recently claimed that 25 percent of online orders came through its mobile app, showing how powerful mobile is for everyday transactions such as prescription refills (see story).

By using cross-platform initiatives such as a mobile site, SMS and apps, Winn-Dixie is showing that it takes mobile seriously.

Winn-Dixie also has a mobile app for iPhone and Android devices that gives consumers weekly local deals for its locations.

“Paper prescription requires people to walk into stores without knowing how long it will take to fill a medication,” Mr. Cullen said.

“Going mobile marks a significant change in customer service,” he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York