Kohl’s Puts Amazon Smart-Home Hardware, Staff in Stores Ahead of Holiday Season

Kohl's customers in 10 stores across Los Angeles and Chicago will have a chance to test out and purchase Amazon Echo, Dot and Fire devices — and sign up for Amazon Smart Home Services for in-home consultations.

Published: September 13, 2017Chelsea Cafiero

It's Amazon's third retail deal this summer. Not long after acquiring Whole Foods for $13.7 billion and adding Sears' Alexa-enabled Kenmore appliance line to Amazon.com, the e-commerce giant announced plans to roll out a “smart home experience” zone in 10 Kohl's stores in Los Angeles and Chicago ahead of the holiday shopping season.

The new 1,000-square-foot zones will allow Kohl's shoppers to try out Amazon devices like Echo, Dot, Fire TV and Fire tablets and purchase them directly from Amazon. The experience zones will also have Amazon staff members on hand.

“Kohl's and Amazon share a customer obsession,” says Michelle Gass, chief merchandising and customer officer, Kohl's. “We believe in the power of our store portfolio and know that our future as a best-in-class omnichannel retailer will be driven by how inventive, compelling and unique we can make our store experience.”

Through the partnership, Amazon will be able to push its Home Services (for things like cleaning and plumbing) and Smart Home Services (for smart home device consultation and installation), which was announced earlier this year. (Read about CE Pro editor Julie Jacobson's free consultation review.)

“We are thrilled to offer a unique new way for customers to try out our lineup of Alexa-enabled Amazon devices, learn more about our smart-home services from Amazon experts, and then buy those items directly from Amazon — all within Kohl’s stores,” says Dave Zimmer, sales and marketing VP, Amazon Devices.

The move is the latest in a string of brick-and-mortar retail partnerships with GAFA giants. While Best Buy offers many Alexa-enabled products in its stores, Home Depot has supported Google by carrying Google Assistant devices. Amazon hardware has also been popping up in Whole Foods across the country since the blockbuster acquisition.