Kohl’s Rolls Out Self-pickup
Kohl’s Corp. has expanded its self-pickup service so shoppers can avoid those long checkout lines during the holiday season.
The self-pickup service had been piloted for about a year at 100 stores and is now in place at all 1,100 Kohl’s stores.
More from WWD
“Our teams have been working hard to ensure Kohl’s self-pickup service was available for all of our customers ahead of the holiday rush,” said Siobhán McFeeney, Kohl’s chief technology officer. “At Kohl’s, we’re focused on listening to what shoppers want, and using technology to make it as easy as possible for families to get everything they need quickly, and through a simple experience.”
In its announcement Wednesday, the company said that after shoppers place orders online, within two hours they receive a “ready for pickup” email that will specify if the order is in the designated self-pickup area. Not all orders made online can be picked up in a store; some must be delivered to homes from a fulfillment center or a store.
“We make it really easy for the customer to be able to see what products are available for in-store pickup when searching online,” a Kohl’s spokeswoman said.
In the new pickup areas, orders are in freestanding bins without locks — bags are white and tagged with the customer’s name for easy identifying. “An associate is always nearby for help and questions,” the spokeswoman said.
With an order ready for store pickup, customers click on a link in the email to open the “pickup pass.” Once in the pickup area, they select “start pickup” and enter a four-digit code at the self-pickup station to get the number of the bin that has their merchandise. Once they have retrieved their order, the user selects “complete my order.”
Kohl’s rolled out buy online, pick up in store across all of stores in 2015. So now in-store pickup includes both self-pickup and pick up from the customer service section.
“Our customers love the convenience of same-day buy online, pick up in store, and now we’re taking the experience to the next level. With some of the busiest months ahead for both customers and associates, we’re excited to offer self-pickup at every store for an easier and more efficient omnichannel experience,” McFeeney said.
Kohl’s said it received positive feedback from customers during the testing phase, motivating the company to expand the self-pickup option.
The company cited other shopping conveniences offered including the Kohl’s app, which has the option to store Kohl’s gift cards, Kohl’s Cash coupons and savings offers, and redeem Kohl’s Rewards in the mobile wallet at checkout. Kohl’s Pay allows shoppers to pay quickly by connecting to a Kohl’s Card account and applying offers and coupons with one scan.
