Instant Alert: Macy's is copying Amazon in its latest attempt to lure customers back to its stores

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Macy's is copying Amazon in its latest attempt to lure customers back to its stores

by Kate Taylor on Mar 28, 2018, 2:39 PM

Macy's is adding lockers for picking up online orders in certain stores.
The pick-up stations look extremely similar to Amazon Lockers.
Across the retail industry, companies are fighting to better meld online and in-store shopping.

Macy's is taking a page out of Amazon's playbook as it works to boost online sales.

The retailer has added lockers for online pickups at certain locations. Macy's has already quietly installed the lockers at 50 locations, according to Crain's Chicago Business.

In a photo posted on Twitter by Fortune's Phil Wahba, the lockers at a New Jersey location look extremely similar to Amazon Lockers.

Spotted at a Macy's in NJ. Testing Amazon-style lockers for online orders, next to customer service desk "At Your Service" pic.twitter.com/Tg1WQxaB67
— Phil Wahba (@philwahba) March 28, 2018

Macy's currently has a deal for customers who buy online and pick up their purchases in the store, offering up to 20% off customers' next purchase.

The company did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. However, Macy's is working to better meld its online and in-store services, according to executives.

"In 2017, we put a strong focus on improving customer experience through new service and delivery models, an expansion of Buy Online Pickup in Store, enhancements to our mobile experience and the use of AI to improve customer service," Macy's CEO Jeffrey Gennette said in a call with investors in late February.

Gennette continued: "In 2018, we'll further scale a number of these, including the rollout of Mobile Checkout, At Your Service Centers across most of our doors."

Customers can pick up orders at Amazon Lockers instead of having them delivered to their homes, preventing package theft and inconvenience. With Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods, the company gained hundreds of convenient locations to install lockers.

Now, traditional brick-and-mortar retailers are experimenting with lockers of their own for online orders. Walmart and Nordstrom have both added pickup stations — shelves and "towers," respectively — to certain locations over the last year.