Study Reveals Who Benefits When Online Retailers Let You Buy Online and Return at a Competitor’s Stores
A peer-reviewed study in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science revealed that direct competitors in retail, online and offline firms, can both benefit by working together when it comes to handling product returns. The research shows that “buy online, return in store” (BORS) partnerships, such as those between Amazon and Kohl’s, can impact competition in a way that benefits both companies. At the same time, consumers can also be better off under some circumstances, leading to a win-win-win scenario for all players.