Customers can refill prescriptions via the app as well as receive pickup and dosage reminders. Other features include the ability to find nearby stores and view weekly specials.

“Offering a mobile app goes back to our desire as a company to provide excellent customer service,” said Lynne Fruth, president and chairman of the board for Fruth Pharmacy, Point Pleasant, WV. “Beyond, simply filling a prescription, the app will have many benefits for our customers. 

“One feature of the app is the ability to have a record of prescription information for one’s self or for a family member,” she said. “Having this complete list of medications could improve the patient’s overall healthcare, as the patient can easily access to this information and give it to their healthcare provider.” 

Fruth Pharmacy operates approximately 27 pharmacy locations in Ohio and West Virginia.

 The new app and Fruth’s mobile Web site, m.fruthpharmacy.com, operate on a secure network created by mscripts.

QR code-enabled labels
With smartphone adoption quickly growing, providers of everyday services such as filling medical prescriptions are finding that mobile apps can bring added convenience to users.

Customers who download the app will be able to refill a prescription by scanning the pharmacy label on its packaging using the apps built-in scanner. A text message is sent to customers letting them know when their prescription is ready.

Users will also be able to bookmark stores, access driving directions and manage doctor appointments.

Fruth plans to expand the service in several months through the use of a new four-inch label that will feature a QR code to make it even easier for customers to refill prescriptions by scanning the code with the mobile app.

Convenience is key
Fruth is taking the extra step of ensuring that it can reach all mobile users with a mobile Web site, m.fruthpharmacy.com, as well as a text messaging option for non-smartphone users that provides many of the same benefits.

The app is available to download for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Fruth Pharmacy is engaging with its customers in a variety of ways to make them aware of the mobile pharmacy including via in-store posters and banners promoting the app. A QR code appearing on the signage enables users to download the app when scanned.  

Fruth is also leveraging social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook to promote the app and is featuring the app on the home page of its Web site.

“Mobile pharmacy is a must have for pharmacy retailers who want to remain competitive and offer superior customer service,” said Mark Cullen, CEO of mscripts, San Francisco.

“Several studies have shown that convenience is the single most important factor in why a customer selects a pharmacy,” he said.

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York