Kohl’s Pay Is The Latest Combatant In The Payment App Wars

Kohl’s has joined Apple and Walmart in the ranks of companies offering a mobile payment app. The department store launched Kohl’s Pay on Wednesday, aiming to foster loyalty and wring more business out of its already large cohort of store-card holders. What’s more, by integrating the new app with its Kohl’s charge card and its Yes2You rewards program, Kohl’s is looking to gain a big edge over rivals like J.C. Penney and Macy’s by speeding up checkout in stores (an increasingly important consideration for its shoppers) and making it easier to figure out how to apply coupons. Fortune first reported Kohl’s Pay was in the works in June. “We want to make it very easy and frictionless, both on our digital properties like our app and our stores,” Kohl’s Chief Technology Officer Ratnakar Lavu told Fortune in an interview. “You used to have to take out your loyalty card, your charge card, and your coupons. Now you just have to take out the app in one step.” Read more at Fortune.