CVS Testing App Feature for Tech-Savvy, Loyal Customers
Toothpaste, condoms, makeup and deodorants are among dozens of products under lock and key inside clear cabinets at drugstores like CVS in order to deter thieves from shoplifting. It's become a source of inconvenience — for both customers who have to wait for a salesperson to unlock the cabinet, and for employees to stop what they're doing to dig out the key and unlock the cabinet — in a place that's meant to be ultra convenient.
Recognizing this inconvenience, CVS on Tuesday announced it was rolling out a new app with a feature that allows users to bypass the need for a salesperson to open the cabinet — but only if the customer is savvy enough with technology and is part of the company's loyalty program. In order to unlock the cabinet on their own, the shopper will need to log into the app, join the store's Wi-Fi and enable Bluetooth on their phone. Once that happens, the user will see a button on the app that allows them to unlock the cabinet.
This feature is being rolled out in just three stores in New York right now, but Tilak Mandadi, executive vice president at CVS Health, told The Wall Street Journal that the pilot program has gone well so far, and the company's next step will be expanding the feature to 10-15 stores.
Other features of the new app include personalized prescription barcodes for easier checkout; an artificial intelligence-powered search tool; and the ability to manage appointments, prescriptions and vaccines for the entire family.
Total Retail's Take: The National Retail Federation (NRF) released a study in December showing that retailers had reported a 93 percent increase in the average number of shoplifting incidents per year in 2023 vs. 2019, and a 90 percent increase in dollar loss due to shoplifting in the same period. The study surveyed 164 brands, which said they experienced a combined average of 177 shoplifting incidents per day in 2023, including some that were violent and put employees and shoppers at risk. The NRF said many of these shoplifting crimes were committed by organized retail crime gangs — groups of people who steal large quantities of merchandise from a number of stores and sell the stolen goods for cash at places like auction sites and flea markets.
With its new app feature, CVS — which has been facing sluggish growth and slow earnings in recent months, according to The New York Times — is trying to deter impatient shoppers from walking out of its stores and going to buy the products on Amazon.com, where there's no plexiglass to get around. However, in exchange for that frictionless experience the customer will need to part ways with some data.

Marie Albiges is the managing editor for Women in Retail, Total Retail, and Women Leading Travel & Hospitality. She is responsible for content development, management and production for the group. Marie is a former journalist, a travel aficionado, a French native and fitness enthusiast who lives in Philadelphia with her partner, stepdaughter and dog.Â