Beyond Wellness: What Shoppers Want

“Being part of people’s community and driving care and connection is incredibly important,” Condon explained.

NEW YORK — Speaking at WSL’s event on Thursday, CVS Health’s Erin Condon talked about how consumer expectations around health care are changing, requiring a more personalized, inclusive and holistic approach. “At the end of the day, health is about living,” Condon said.

Condon, who is chief marketing officer of pharmacy and consumer wellness at CVS, said that requires addressing other needs that also contribute to a patient’s health. She told the story of Jose, a customer and patient in Florida who valued his experience with his local CVS store so much that he and his daughter visited the store on his 100th birthday, and the staff marked the occasion with a celebration.

“Being part of people’s community and driving care and connection is incredibly important,” Condon explained, adding that it is vital to consider consumers’ emotional needs as well as their functional health needs. CVS aims to do that by rethinking the way it communicates with patients, and making health care more personal and less complex. It also means offering solutions to other aspects of consumers’ lives — including beauty, sexual wellness and even celebrations — that contribute to good health as well.

CVS’s acquisition of Oak Street Health exemplifies its innovative approach. These facilities serve the Medicare and Medicaid population, offering medical care but also hosting community activities like bingo and line dancing. “Human connections and being part of a community are absolutely important parts of managing overall health,” Condon said.

CVS is known for its bold moves, she added, pointing to such the company’s removal of tobacco from its shelves and initiatives like Beauty Unaltered and HERe for her, which reflect CVS’ commitment to address broader health and social issues.

Condon was one of several speakers at a WSL event this month called “Beyond Wellness. The Future of Health. What Shoppers Really Want.”

Andrea Brookhart, director of population health and wellness at Kroger Health, talked about her company’s upcoming Nourishing Change Conference (set for July 15 to July 17 at Cincinnati’s Hard Rock Casino and its annual Wellness Festival, which this year will be held September 27 and September 28 in downtown Cincinnati. She also described how Kroger is using technology to free its pharmacists to spend more time with patients, helping improve their health outcomes.

The event featured presentations on changing consumer demographics and priorities by Sherry Frey and Jacqueline Flam of NielsenIQ, and from Shivani Banerji of L’Oréal USA and Jessica Junquet of Estée Lauder Cos., both of whom work with Fashion Institute of Technology’s School of Graduate Studies.

Roar Forward founder and chief executive officer Michael Clinton talked about the misconceptions many people (including some marketing executives) have about older Americans, who represent a demographic cohort that is increasingly active, affluent and tech-savvy. And AARP enterprise strategic relationships director Reema Jweied-Guegal fleshed out that portrait with a description of the critical health care role many Americans of all ages play as caregivers.

The attention devoted to consumer demographics and changing shopping and product preferences at the event were in keeping with WSL’s own focus, noted CEO and chief shopper Wendy Liebmann.

“Our view is that if you want to see the future, follow the shopper,” Liebmann said. “And I think everybody here today has, in their own way, talked about the changing landscape, but talked about it through the lens of the people who buy our goods and services.

“Erin said ‘health is living.’ And it struck me that sometimes those of us in the health and wellness business may forget that, in the end, that’s what it’s all about.”