Pharmacy chain boosts prescriptions with kiosks

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By: Wise Marketer Staff |

Posted on August 31, 2005

Pharmacy chain boosts prescriptions with kiosks

The New York pharmacy chain Duane Reade has rolled out a private network of self-help pharmacy kiosks from New Edge Networks to help boost incremental prescription sales through its stores.

The rapid success of the self-help kiosks was enough to encourage the company to offer turn-key kiosk solutions to other drug store chains as a way of helping overcome a national pharmacy shortage and losses to mail order prescription services.

Duane Reade is also now trying to attract advertisers to market their products and services through the pharmacy kiosks, with the aim of converting the kiosk network into a profit-making income stream rather than simply being a cost of marketing.

Secured systems The multi-location broadband network provider New Edge Networks provides the necessary private and secure broadband network that uses a digital subscriber line (known as DSL or ADSL) to carry any combination of voice, data, and video streams without using the internet.

Each interactive kiosk is equipped with a flat-bed scanner, touch-screen monitor, telephone line and a web camera allowing people to talk live with a pharmacist. Patients can then opt to receive free home deliveries of their prescription drugs, or make arrangements for pick-ups at any of Duane Reade's pharmacy stores.

"Privacy, 100% reach, quality of service commitments, and cost are major considerations for building a network that can handle data, voice and video applications that are sensitive to transmission latency," said Dan Moffat, president and CEO for New Edge Networks.

Increased business The kiosks aim to support the pharmacist, shorten customer waiting times, provide better customer service and convenience, and increase incremental sales. This tends to translate into increased business for stores that operate the kiosks.

According to David Siegel, director of business development for Duane Reade, "The private and secure broadband network we are using to power our self-service kiosks is consistent with our strategy of using technology for increasing efficiencies."

There are now more than 60 self-service kiosks in Duane Reade stores. The company plans to double the number of kiosks every 12 months.

For additional information: ·  Visit Duane Reade at http://www.duanereade.com ·  Visit New Edge Networks at http://www.newedgenetworks.com