Kohl’s leans into clearer pricing, gift bundles and Uber Eats for the holidays

Kohl’s consistently pushes affordability in its messaging, but the company is making a more concerted effort this holiday season as shoppers deal with inflation, higher energy costs and tariff-driven price increases. A recent National Retail Federation survey found that more than half of holiday shoppers (56%) say the state of the economy will affect their holiday spending plans this year. And data indicates that Kohl’s shoppers are already looking for deals. Placer.ai found that visits to Kohl’s during its October sale ran 9.6% above the recent same-weekday average.

Kohl’s knows it has “a responsibility to cut through with value,” Arianne Parisi, Kohl’s chief customer officer, told members of the media on Oct. 21. In today’s macroeconomic environment, Kohl’s is “thinking about how pinched consumers are [at] this time,” she added. But the company hasn’t always communicated that message effectively, executives acknowledged, which is why holiday shoppers will see more signs pointing to concrete discounts online and in stores.

“The data that we’ve seen is that we haven’t always been as clear about our prices and as clear about value,” said Ryan Waymire, Kohl’s chief merchandising officer. Signs like “50% off” make it “easy to do that calculation in your head” and stick to a $20 budget, he said.

Bundles are proving crucial to this messaging, as well. This year, Kohl’s will offer more than 400 gift sets, including from brands like Laneige, through its partnership with Sephora. Forty of those gift sets are exclusive to Sephora at Kohl’s. There will also be Advent calendars across categories, including toys.

“Anywhere we can bundle to provide a lower price per unit for the customers is a great gift and also great for self-purchase,” Waymire said.

Like its competitor Target, Kohl’s is playing up both its owned brands and national brands this holiday season. Shoppers can buy items from Sonoma Goods for Life and LC Lauren Conrad, as well as Nike, Under Armour and Adidas. More than half of Kohl’s gifting department is net new this year, and customers can snag sought-after toy brands like NeeDoh and Lego. “We definitely see squishies as a big opportunity,” Waymire said.

Kohl’s wants to ensure shoppers can buy these items both online and in stores, so it’s updating its inventory capabilities to keep more items in stock. During the holidays, more than 50% of Kohl’s digital orders are “touched by a store,” including through fulfillment, Parisi said. Kohl’s has more than 60 million active customers, and 80% of Americans live within 15 miles of a Kohl’s store, she said.

Delivery is top of mind for Kohl’s this November and December, too. The company is now live with Instacart and DoorDash and will launch with Uber Eats next month. About 80% of these partners’ same-day customers are net new to Kohl’s, Parisi said. This year will also be the first holiday season that Kohl’s customers can use Klarna’s buy-now, pay-later capabilities in stores and online.

Across channels, Kohl’s is emphasizing its holiday offerings through a marketing campaign called “The North Kohl’s.” The content focuses on themes such as coziness, style and home, and features actress Ellie Kemper as “Kohl’s Mom.” Kohl’s is also encouraging shoppers to use its AI-powered shopping assistant. Still, the company is finding that most product discovery stems from traditional search.

Kohl’s holiday efforts come as the company attempts a turnaround under CEO Michael Bender, who took up the role in 2025. Kohl’s, once a department store giant, lost nearly 70% of its stock value in a five-year period. To spur growth, it’s now investing more in categories like fragrance, expanding its private labels and scaling its creator efforts. In August, Kohl’s posted a quarterly net sales decline of 0.9% year over year, but it also raised its full-year 2026 financial outlook.

As the fourth quarter is when Kohl’s sees most of its sales, the company hopes its holiday efforts will attract both new and loyal customers. “We’re thinking about serving our core, as well as resonating with the broader market and competing in what is a very competitive moment,” Parisi said.