Kohl's has added a faster way to get your online orders without needing to wait in line or for delivery.
Driving the news: The retailer shared exclusively with Axios that self-pickup is now available at its more than 1,100 stores nationwide ahead of the holiday shopping season.
- Shoppers can select "In-Store Pickup" for eligible online orders, which are often ready within two hours during store hours.
- Select items also can be shipped to stores and picked up with self-pickup.
- In most stores, the self-pickup area is located near customer service or Amazon return counters.
What they’re saying: “Kohl’s uses a self-pickup system similar to something you may see at a fast-casual restaurant,” Siobhán Mc Feeney, the retailer's chief technology officer, told Axios.
- “Each order is individually bagged and placed in a bin with a number," Mc Feeney said.
Meanwhile, Kohl's confirmed to Axios that it has "temporarily paused" its Drive-Up curbside pickup, which was added in 2020 while stores were closed in the early days of the pandemic.
- Retailers added more buy-online-pickup-in-store options at the start of the pandemic, especially curbside as a way to limit potential exposure to COVID.
Flashback: Kohl's started testing self-pickup last summer in a 12-store pilot that expanded to 100 stores last fall.
Kohl's self-pickup: How it works
Details: When orders are ready, shoppers will get an email about how to pick them up.
- Take your phone with the email to the self-pickup area and click the link to "open pickup pass."
- You'll enter a four-digit code displayed at the store and will then be told what bin number your order is in.
- Tap "Complete my order" on your phone to finish the pickup process and get an email receipt.
State of play: Most shoppers using pickup will likely have a smartphone but Kohl's said those who don't can get help at customer service or by asking a store employee.
Kohl's self-returns, self-checkout tests continue
What's next: Kohl's is continuing to test ways to leverage automation, including self-returns and self-checkout, Jill Timm, the retailer's chief financial officer, said in May.
- “We’re constantly listening to our customers and using technology pilots as a way to understand how to make their experience as efficient and enjoyable as possible,” Mc Feeney told Axios.
Go deeper: Unwanted Amazon purchases can earn you a Kohl's discount