2018 Will Be Very Tech-Enhanced HolidayRetailers of all stripes are trying to make holiday shopping less daunting.

[Collection]Now, it’s all about the experience. If price was the weapon of choice of retailers in past holiday seasons, that changed last year as brick-and-mortar retailers duked it out over delivery. It seems physical retailers need to have three core competencies entering the critical season. In addition to having sharp prices and fast-and-free delivery, retailers are stressing convenience and experience in their stores. The likes of Wal-Mart, Target and Kohl’s are getting increasingly tech-savvy to make the shopping experience as seamless as possible. Kohl’s wants to make holiday shopping more rewarding for customers. The retailer today launched a pre-Black Friday event with the offer of $15 in Kohl’s Cash for every $50 spent. Kohl’s is piloting an elevated loyalty program for top shoppers that combines the existing Kohl’s Cash and Yes2You, a points system, into Kohl’s Rewards with Kohl’s Cash used exclusively for payouts. The Menominee Falls, Wisc.-based retailer is testing Kohl’s Service Center, a new concept that brings all service elements to the front of the store, including self-checkout, buy-online-pick-up-in-store and pick-up lockers, along with a bigger impulse zone filled with top sellers to tempt consumers who only visit the store to pick up online orders. Kohl’s is launching a smart cart option for the holidays,

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