For Your Health?

Walgreens replaced some fridge doors with screens. And some shoppers absolutely hate it

Aside from the fact that there is no problem on the shoppers’ part that this is solving, there are a lot of issues from a usability perspective when replacing clear glass cooler doors with screens.

Digital Harm

Firstly, it’s worth noting that people are generally in a Walgreens to take care of a health-related issue. It isn’t clear how enhancing an evergreen part of the experience with technology supports people’s health. In fact, this change could actually harm people’s health. Some examples:

• Migraine sufferers’ symptoms could be triggered or made worse by the brightness or refresh rates of the digital screens
• Shoppers with executive function issues could be distracted or frustrated by the screens, particularly if being forced to watch an ad interferes with their ability to find what they’re looking for
• Colorblind users could have more trouble finding what they want

Please Stand By

Next, we have to consider the introduction of technical difficulties into a scenario where they aren’t needed. What happens if the screens short out, break, or the store suffers a partial power outage? Customers may not be able to see what is in the coolers at all in these cases.

Along with the above technical problems, we have to consider system integrity. Do the screens collect data? Who is collecting the data? How are they securing the data? Are they anonymizing the data? How do the screens receive their ad data? If via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or cell signal, how secure are these connections? Is there a risk of a nefarious actor interfering with the content shown?

From a business perspective, the screens could inspire someone to purchase an item or brand they hadn’t originally intended. But if there are any issues with the screens, they instead add friction to the purchase process, which could result in more people not making a purchase at all. Even just the addition of advertising could frustrate the shopper enough to turn them away from making a purchase. And if the functionality of the screens is unclear (“People aren’t sure whether to tap the screens or talk to them”, from the article), there is a risk of causing embarrassment or shame, turning away additional potential customers.

Is It Ethical?

Finally, we have to consider the ethics of the scenario. Is it ethical to add another source of advertising, when according to the American Association of Advertising Agencies, the average consumer can see hundreds of ads per day, not counting ads seen on the internet? How can it be ethical to collect advertising data on shoppers who are unable to opt-out?

The cooler screens may make money for the company offering them, and for the companies installing them, but the issues are too numerous, and the risk of problems for everyday shoppers too high.