How Walgreens is Transforming the Traditional Drug Store

In a keynote presentation yesterday at the Shop.org Annual Summit in Chicago, Walgreens’ President and CEO Greg Wasson detailed how the company is embracing digital throughout its organization, from its e-commerce site to 10 mobile apps to its retail stores.

With the brand mantra of happy and healthy made easy in mind, Walgreens has identified three focus areas for its ongoing digital transformation: create a wellness experience; transitioning the traditional community pharmacy; and creating an unprecedented global platform. The final one is quite a sea change for Walgreens, Wasson said. Walgreens’ strategy for decades was to find the best corners for its brick-and-mortar stores. While that's still part of the company's plans today, fostering digital innovation has joined it as an overarching goal.