When I watched the Apple Keynote last week, it wasn’t the highly media-hyped Apple Watch, but the Apple Pay feature, that caught my attention. The introduction of this new form of payment got me excited for the future of mobile payment systems. Apple Pay offers users the chance to pay for things by simply touching a button within an app—no need to carry credit or debit cards. At the same time, this made me grit my teeth in frustration. The frustration came from realizing that this new type of payment service will arrive just in time to make my new credit card consolidation device obsolete. Rapid innovation has finally caught up to my wallet. As soon as one innovation arrives, it is replaced by another.
Healthcare is not an industry that tends to wow when it comes to consumer-friendly billing. With Apple Pay being instituted worldwide soon, it’s time these bleak expectations for healthcare billing change as well. We are in the midst of not just reinventing the wheel, but reinventing the way we think about how it should work.
The one-stop-shop, drone-flying powerhouse, Amazon, is also breaking ground once again. Not only is Amazon tackling the ease with which we pay for products, but they are now offering “Anticipatory Shipping,” that knows what you want when you want it. Based on your order history, Amazon will send products it predicts you’ll want to a shipping hub so that they are close by when you place your order. We are increasingly relying on and even expecting emerging technology and companies to do things for us. Automated predictive delivery could set the bar pretty high as we begin to rely even more on these systems for everyday life.
Amazon patent that shows possible logistics trail
About the Author:
As Managing Director of Innovation and Insights for Syneos Health Communications, Leigh is responsible for building and scaling a global team of healthcare experts who together help life science leaders better understand the complex lives, influences and expectations of their customers. Specifically, they uncover actionable insights that fuel empathy and creativity; lead co-creation events that let marketers learn from peers, trends, and new possibilities; and help clients identify the most valuable and useful new customer experiences to create.
Leigh has worked with Fortune 1000 companies to craft their digital, mobile, social and CRM strategies for nearly 20 years.She’s worked for category-leading agencies in retail, public affairs, B2B technology, and higher education. Prior to moving to Syneos Health Communications, she held several leadership roles at our largest agency, GSW. There, she founded an innovation practice fueled by the zeitgeist and spearheaded digital and innovation thinking across the business.
Leigh has taken a special interest in complex healthcare products that can change lives in meaningful ways. She was recently a strategic lead on the 3rd largest launch in pharmaceutical history: Tecfidera. Before that she had keys roles with Eli Lilly Oncology, Abbott Nutrition, Amgen Cardiovascular, and Eli Lilly Diabetes.
A critical part of Leigh’s work is trends and new ideas. Every year, she convenes a group of trend watchers from across our global network to identify the shifts most critical to healthcare marketers. This year, she led over 250 experts to experts to focus on the most important changes in the commercial, consumer, marketing, digital and healthcare landscapes. (See reports at trends.health)
Leigh is a sought-after writer and speaker. Recognized as one of the most inspiring people in the pharmaceutical industry by PharmaVoice and Top 10 Innovation Catalysts of 2017 by MM&M, Leigh also was recognized as a Rising Star by the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) for her overt passion, industry thought leadership and significant contributions in new business, strategy and mentoring.
