Walgreens Rolls Out 30-Min Pickup Option

Walgreens said it has begun offering customers in some markets the option of order pickups that are ready within 30 minutes.

According to an announcement sent to PYMNTS Wednesday (Oct. 26), the program launched this week at locations throughout New Mexico and Oklahoma and select markets in Texas, allowing customers to pick up their merchandise curbside or at the drive-through.

The pharmacy giant said these orders are guaranteed to be ready in 30 minutes, or they are free, assuming certain conditions. For example, it applies to orders up to $50, and is only valid until January 31 of next year, and is only available for online customers who order from eligible locations between 9 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. local time.

As PYMNTS noted recently, curbside pickup options are a key priority for many consumers who purchase groceries online.

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Research from our study “Satisfaction In The Age Of eCommerce: How Trust Helps Online Merchants Build Customer Loyalty,” created in collaboration with Riskified, found that a quarter of eGrocery customers cite curbside pickup options as the single most important online shopping feature, a larger share than said the same of any other capability.

Meanwhile, 14% said the same thing about same-day delivery. Another 25% of shoppers cited the ability to pick up orders curbside as important but not their chief priority, and 26% did the same when asked about same-day delivery.

PYMNTS also spoke earlier this year with Stefanie Kruse, vice president of digital commerce and omnichannel at Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), about the complexities and importance of catering to the new pharmacy consumer.

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“We’ve done a lot to invest in those capabilities and think about how we become the fastest, most seamless, frictionless player from a same-day pickup and delivery standpoint,” Kruse told PYMNTS. “That’s where our physical stores and footprint played a significant role in allowing us to do that and have that coverage.”