Creating an omnichannel health solution

In the retail and CPG industry, few terms get thrown around quite as much as “omnichannel.” But regardless of how it is defined, the in-store experience is still a major part of the customer engagement equation.

(Click here to download the full Retail Health Summit special report.)



“The data says the consumer engages in store at a rate of 73%. They’re engaging and thinking and processing information right there at the shelf,” said Mack Elevation Forum founder and managing director Dan Mack, setting the table for a panel discussion among leading consumer health executives, in mid-June, in Bentonville, Ark.



To better understand how retailers and CPG companies could leverage the store and various other touch points along the path to purchase, Mack and the panel — anchored by Walmart senior director of product development, growth and payer innovation, Alex Hurd; and featuring Procter & Gamble associate director of brand marketing Phil McWaters; Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare SVP product management David Cohon; Gojo VP hygiene sciences and public health advancements Jim Arbogast; Abbott Nutrition director of insights, innovation and brand strategy Surya Manon; and Pfizer Consumer Healthcare senior director of disruption innovation wellness Rimma Fehling — explored the best opportunities to create a winning omnichannel experience and better engage with customers around health and wellness.



Excited for the opportunity “to reimagine how preventive care in our country is delivered,” Hurd challenged the group to keep the patient at the center of every decision along the way.



“Let’s focus on engaging and connecting with consumers in locations they’re already at with great frequency,” Hurd said. “That is the big promise of retail health — shifting the focus to where the customer is. And if we do it right, this can be a public health early warning system.”



As an example, Hurd pointed to Walmart’s October 2015 event, America’s Biggest Health Fair, which delivered nearly 300,000 glucose, blood-pressure and vision screenings, as well as 52,000 immunizations to patients in a four-hour period. But Hurd emphasized that screening is just a first step. “Screening, in itself, is almost meaningless ... if we’re not connecting folks to solutions that will actually allow them to make a change in their lives,” Hurd said. “If we are looking to engage folks that are not connected to their health, ... Walmart offers that unique platform.”