After splitting with Air Miles earlier this year, Rexall has launched its new loyalty program, which not only gives it direct control over the loyalty experience, but is allowing the retailer to respond to a growing consumer need to better manage their health.
Be Well will include features that will be familiar to members of other loyalty programs, who can earn $10 for every dollar spent on most products in store, with the ability to earn extra points based on personalized offers around specific products or total store and category spend. The minimum threshold for point redemption is 25,000, equivalent to $10 in cash value. Points and offers are managed through a personalized platform, available online or through a mobile app, though physical cards are available for members who prefer an analog experience.
However, where Be Well differentiates itself is around added health and wellness features. Users will be able to securely access their medication, vaccination history and lab results, as well as information related to wellness offerings from all Rexall pharmacies. The app will also allow users to manage and refill prescriptions digitally, including by sending photos of their prescription, and access virtual consultations and tools to help them take their medications properly. The app also features biometric tracking capabilities, letting users keep a record of things like their heart rate and steps.
Positioning the program around health and well-being, the pharmacy chain says, is based off insights from the “State of Wellness” report it conducted in July, revealing that 37% of Canadians have found that COVID-19 has moved their health and wellness experience to more digital or virtual channels. Furthermore, 66% say they would be willing to try digital services to facilitate their health and wellness in the future, even though 44% of respondents are finding that going more digital has made their ability to manage their health more complicated.
Nicolas Caprio, president of Rexall, tells strategy that Canadians are looking for better tools to manage and improve their health and wellness through a crisis. Though points cannot be earned or redeemed on prescriptions, the addition of health-related tools is helping Rexall bring that focus to the loyalty environment, especially given that they address a major consumer need: simplicity.
“We know that one in every three Canadians has missed or knowingly delayed a prescription refill because the process isn’t convenient,” Caprio says. That’s why “wellness simplified” is the message being reinforced in the creative, developed by agency partner Bensimon Byrne, and Caprio says Rexall is using all the assets available to it to reach as many Canadians as possible. This includes leveraging TV ads promoting the convenience of Be Well, as well as radio, flyers, and lots of different social media assets. There is also a heavy point of sale element in Rexall stores.
When it comes to integrating the full range of Rexall products into a health-focused loyalty program, Caprio says it still fits, as everything the brand is doing in store has been about shifting its focus to health, wellness and convenience. This includes food as well, with its “Be Better” healthier snack options and an offering from partner M&M that has helped Rexall offer healthier single-serve frozen meal options.
Caprio says Be Well was in development for two years, with 200 people having worked on it at one point or another. It was originally slated to launch on May 1 – which also happened to be the last day Rexall participated in the Air Miles program after the multi-decade partnership dissolved – but the national rollout was delayed until September due to store closures and uncertainty around the pandemic.
