Mike Maresca began his role as chief technology officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance during the pandemic. Despite the chaotic start to his tenure, Mr. Maresca explained some of the company's new partnerships and how Walgreens uses data to create a better experience for its customers to Tech Republic Dec 6.
Mr. Maresca said that Walgreens is looking to modernize some of its digital platforms through cloud computing.
"Certainly Microsoft has been important in terms of driving our position cloud and some capabilities around data and analytics," he said.
Customer experience remains a top priority, with Walgreens making partnerships with Verizon and BT in the U.S and U.K, respectively, to bring enhanced networks into stores.
"We're one of the first 5G-powered pharmacies in the world," he said.
He continued to emphasize the value of partnerships, saying the company had recently signed deals with Snowflake and ServiceNow to boost connected data and analytics platforms.
He also mentioned that Walgreens had relaunched some of its customer loyalty programs and within them had integrated health and wellness incentives.
"I think that's really impactful when you can start thinking more than just the shopper experience, but more of the patient experience," he said.
Patient security is also a priority, and Mr. Maresca said that the company values privacy very highly.