Retail chains including CVS Health, Walmart and Walgreens are using the data they collect from millions of customers who sign up for COVID-19 vaccines to better tailor their marketing efforts and promote their stores and services, according to a March 2 Wall Street Journall report.
Five details:
1. The retail giants are able to gather information from their customers when they register for shots and enroll in their patient systems. In addition to marketing efforts, the data also help streamline vaccinations and improve record keeping, the companies said.
2. CVS executives told the Journal said the company plans to stay in touch with vaccine recipients after they receive their second shot and use the information collected from the registration process to better market to them. A company spokesperson declined to comment on CVS' use of medical information for marketing purposes.
"Every one of these customers is coming through our digital front end, so we have their email, we have their text message, and we have the ability to communicate with them regularly," CVS COO Jonathan Roberts said.
3. Walmart requires anyone receiving a vaccine to set up a patient profile in its online system, which has added new customers to its overall system.
4. Walgreens makes its website visitors sign up for a Walgreens account to search for open vaccine appointments; this lets Walgreens "automatically collect information about you and your use of the Services, including without limitation, your real-time location, MAC address, and IP address," according to the report.
5. Walgreens said medical data is not used for marketing purposes, and that the consumer data "helps us better understand our customers, meet changing needs and continue to enhance and deliver the tailored solutions that we have been known for throughout the pandemic."