The Vision Thing

Consumers seeking new ways to combat rising healthcare costs are becoming more open to less-conventional options for managing their well-being. By adding self-service technology to respond to this consumer demand, Schnuck Markets has found a catalyst that is building traffic as well as shopper loyalty.

With the explosion of web-enabled consumer devices, shoppers are more empowered and educated than ever before. It is not surprising that more consumers are taking matters into their own hands and using technology to find answers to their health-related questions.

Conversely, not every consumer has access to the latest smartphone, computer or gadget that can connect her with WebMD or updated medical articles. It is this trend that is pushing more consumers to leverage the knowledge available right in their local supermarket’s pharmacy department. With shoppers hitting their favorite grocer at least once a week, and many living within four miles of a supermarket, it is not surprising that the importance of the supermarket pharmacy has grown over the last five years.

“More consumers consider the pharmacy a key for healthcare information and a trusted healthcare partner and provider,” says Mike Juergensmeyer, vice president of fuel and pharmacy for St. Louis-based Schnuck Markets. “As a result, we constantly have shoppers posing questions to our pharmacists.”

Empowering the customer
Forward-looking chains are taking advantage of this trend and using technology and health-related tools to further empower consumers to maintain their health. Blood pressure machines have been commonplace in retail pharmacies for years, but by adding new solutions to the mix, pharmacies are becoming wellness destinations. One approach is self-service kiosks.

While early versions got a bad reputation due to large footprints and configurations that often fostered downtime, new compact solutions rely on wireless connections that can be monitored and updated remotely.

The EyeSight kiosk from Duluth, Ga.-based SoloHealth, for example, is a touchscreen self-service vision test kiosk focused on total eye health — and offered as a free service to all consumers.

Using a combination of interactive health screening software and personal information supplied by the consumer, EyeSight collects various data. An integrated analytics engine evaluates these statistics along with the consumer’s age, ethnicity and potential risk factors, and the unit delivers individualized reports on vision status, as well as related information on eye health, product information and promotions. It also gives shoppers the opportunity to set up appointments with local eye care professionals.

“Half of all eye diseases are controllable, yet 30 million Americans are candidates for vision loss if they do not get the right exam,” says Bart Foster, SoloHealth’s CEO and founder.

There are some 100 EyeSight kiosks currently in use across the retail marketplace. Based on the data collected from the first 500,000 users, 58 percent did not have vision insurance and 25 percent reported having never previously undergone an eye exam.

Among those half-million people, 37 percent failed the kiosk’s near-vision test and 41 percent failed the distance test. Overall, 80 percent of those tested were directed to see an eye care professional.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. SoloHealth is capturing a plethora of consumer data that it uses to create relevant content for its users. Among the aggregated data it captures are its users’ age, gender, ethnicity and symptoms, including if they have dry or watery eyes.

This data is shared with retail partners on a monthly basis; retailers, in turn, use the information to educate shoppers on eye disease and prevention, as well as to learn who is using the kiosk and why.

EyeSight kiosks are also an avenue for retailers to drive traffic to their pharmacy departments and boost category sales of optical products and related categories. “It is also a great way to cross-promote the department and the service,” Foster says. “Retailers can put up signage throughout the store and specific aisles to direct consumers to the pharmacy and the unit itself.”

With 30 EyeSight units available in its stores, Schnucks is an exclusive provider of the technology in the St. Louis marketplace, where they are used by an average of 10,000 consumers monthly.

“Consumers are taking a more active role in their own healthcare,” Juergensmeyer says. “Kiosks are a natural offspring of self-awareness and in keeping with consumers’ determination to take care of themselves.”

Self-reporting health information
EyeSight is paving the way for retailers to put consumers in the driver’s seat when managing other facets of their health and well-being, as well. Schnucks is considering an expanded unit that can offer blood pressure and other assessments. “This type of unit is a more efficient way to deliver service, and an integrated footprint is a much better usage of our in-store space,” Juergensmeyer says.

This new configuration holds a great deal of promise to play a role in the growing “health and wellness ecosystem,” Foster says. “The integrated unit really can be a front porch for consumers to sit and answer questions through a touch-screen, video-based interface.”

With the help of a $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, SoloHealth is bringing free medical screening technology, education and wellness programs to a wider audience, including traditionally underserved communities.

Similar to EyeSight, the new Health and Wellness kiosks’ software is integrated with self-reported health information. The data helps generate customized reports on prevention, as well as doctor referrals centered on follow-up care and treatment and merchandise coupons.

“Considering that in the U.S. there are millions of people with vision impairment, obesity, hypertension, pre-diabetes and diabetes, SoloHealth’s kiosks will play a significant role in disease prevention, wellness and access to needed healthcare,” Foster says.

SoloHealth plans to test the Health and Wellness kiosks this fall and expects to begin piloting the technology with at least two retailers early next year.