Kohl’s Decided To Accept Amazon Returns In Its Stores. What Happened Next Could Affect The Future Of Retail

For Kohl’s, a partnership with Amazon seems to be paying off. Since the launch of an October pilot program to accept Amazon returns in some stores, traffic at participating Chicago Kohl’s stores has been about 8.5% higher than others, according to geolocation data analyzed by Gordon Haskett Research Advisors. “For Kohl’s it seems like a no-brainer,” Chuck Grom, an analyst at the research group, said in an interview. About 56% of those who returned Amazon goods to a Kohl’s location were new Kohl’s shoppers — or they hadn’t visited Kohl’s at least since July 1, according to the study. That’s higher than in other locations, where less than 43% of those visiting were considered new to the chain. Shoppers also appeared to spend more time in stores that offered returns, according to the data, which is obtained by tracking customer traffic via cell-phone data. Read more at Fortune.