The app that delivers dinner is about to deliver a holiday sweater, too.
Kohl’s is rolling out nationwide same-day delivery through Uber Technologies’ (UBER) Uber Eats in November, adding a third delivery partner to a holiday plan built around making gift shopping faster, clearer, and easier on the wallet.
The retailer announced the move on Oct. 21, alongside a slate of other convenience upgrades ahead of Thanksgiving.
Shoppers can already order same-day delivery from Kohl’s and Sephora at Kohl’s through DoorDash and Instacart, which is run by Maplebear. Uber Eats joins them next month, putting Kohl’s inside one more app that millions of people already have on their phones.
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Kohl’s wins as delivery apps bring in new crowd
Kohl’s says the partnerships are paying off in a big way. About 80% of same-day delivery customers through those partners are new to Kohl’s, Chief Customer Officer Arianne Parisi said.
For a department store competing for every holiday dollar, that is a sizable pool of first-time shoppers arriving without a single marketing push in the store itself.
Parisi laid out the company’s thinking at its Oct. 21 holiday presentation, and the order of priorities says a lot about this season. “We’re thinking first and foremost, value. Next, experience. Third, gifting and then finally, convenience,” Parisi said, according to Women’s Wear Daily.
In a news release, she said customers are being “very intentional about making every dollar and every moment count this season,” which is why Kohl’s wants to be “the easiest choice for families.”
The campaign tying it all together is called The North Kohl’s, which leans into cozy, style, home, and gifting themes. It features actress Ellie Kemper as “Kohl’s Mom,” according to Modern Retail.
Kohl’s stores will be closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, as they have been in past years.
Kohl’s holiday offerings: price tiers, gift sets, stocking stuffers
Value is the main selling point. Kohl’s is putting clear $5, $10, $15, and $20 pricing tiers across departments, with stocking stuffers starting at $4.99. Nearly half the assortment in the in-store Holiday Gift Shop is new, and the majority of items cost less than $15.
Modern Retail reported that the retailer is also marking items more clearly as “X percent off,” both in stores and online, to help value-focused shoppers see the savings at a glance.
Gift sets are getting a bigger spotlight, too. Sephora at Kohl’s is offering more than 400 festive gift sets, along with more than 2,000 prestige beauty items under $30, according to the company’s news release.
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In toys, Kohl’s is stocking more than 1,000 LEGO sets, plus dedicated in-store Toy Towers filled with gifts under $10.
For shoppers who would rather skip the trip, there are more ways to buy. This is the first holiday season Kohl’s customers can use Klarna’s buy now, pay later option in stores and online.
Buy now, pay later has become a mainstream holiday tool.
An Experian survey last year found that 43% of consumers had used or planned to use BNPL for holiday expenses, more than double the share from a similar survey two years earlier.
A holiday run that starts on the couch
Kohls.com and the Kohl’s app now have an AI-powered shopping assistant and digital gift guides. Free in-store pickup is available with most orders ready in two hours through Christmas Eve, and free in-store returns run through Jan. 31, 2027, on purchases made from Oct. 4 through Dec. 30.
Put it all together, and the pitch is simple. Kohl’s wants the gift run to feel less like a chore, with prices that are easy to read, gift sets that are easy to grab, and delivery that can show up the same day.
For families trying to stretch every dollar without a last-minute store dash, the real hook is that Kohl’s will be a tap away on the same app that handles dinner.
