Amazon returns helped boost Kohl's traffic a staggering 24%, data shows

• Kohl's is now accepting Amazon returns at all its stores, and it's a "slam dunk" for business, according to the location data advertising firm inMarket.
• Shopper visits to Kohl's stores rose nearly 24% in the three weeks after all of its locations started accepting Amazon returns, compared to the previous three weeks, data from inMarket shows.
• "Micro" visits lasting under five minutes increased the most. Visits lasting longer than 16 minutes also rose - by roughly 14% - indicating a potential sales lift for Kohl's.
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Foot traffic to Kohl's stores is soaring since it started accepting Amazon returns at its stores nationwide last month, according to the location data advertising firm inMarket.

Shopper visits to Kohl's stores rose nearly 24% in the three weeks after the program launched, compared to the previous three weeks, data from inMarket showed.

Short visits lasting under five minutes increased the most, by roughly 17%, according to the data. These "micro" visits are likely from shoppers who returned Amazon orders to Kohl's stores and then left without making any purchases, said Cameron Peebles, the chief marketing officer of inMarket.

Longer visits also rose, however, indicating a potential sales lift for Kohl's. Visits lasting more than 16 minutes increased about 14%, according to inMarket, which analyzes anonymous location data from the mobile devices of 50 million US shoppers.

If shoppers are staying longer than 16 minutes in the store, they are most likely making a purchase, Peebles said.

He called the returns program a "slam dunk" for both Amazon and Kohl's.

Read more: You can now return Amazon orders for free at all Kohl's stores - here's how it works

"Kohl's has no interest in making Amazon more money," Peebles told Business Insider. "But they made a strong business case that these people coming in to make Amazon returns are going to stick around and shop. And it seems, based on foot traffic, that it's working."

Peebles said he expects Amazon to announce similar partnerships with other retailers in the near future, given the success of the Kohl's program and how easy it could be to replicate.

Kohl's did not respond to a request for comment on the data. An Amazon spokeswoman declined to comment specifically on the data and pointed Business Insider to a fact page on Amazon returns.

The companies started testing the returns program in 2017 and launched it nationwide on July 8. Kohl's CEO Michelle Gass described the nationwide rollout as the company's "single biggest initiative of the year."

The program allows shoppers to return Amazon orders to any of Kohl's more than 1,150 US stores. Customers don't have to worry about boxes, tape, or labels - Kohl's will pack and ship the items for free.