Kohl’s Has Big Plans For Back-To-School

Under a new administration led by CEO Thomas A. Kingsbury, Kohl’s is coming out swinging for the back-to-school season. It will be a season full of excitement and many value offerings. There will be many events going on that should make the coming weeks a very notable season for the company.

It is the new management’s effort to simplify shopping for the whole family. This is a period when the company will sharpen the focus on timely apparel, footwear, and backpacks. The company has many brands that appeal to younger customers.

Here are some highlights of what’s planned for back-to-school:

1. Save Money Every Day: This umbrella strategy includes Kohl’s value offerings, Kohl’s cash coupons, and Kohl’s Rewards.

2. Kohl’s Assortment Will Focus On Back-to-School: This includes Kohl’s brands, national brands, must have back-packs, and back-to-school fashions for the whole family at special prices.

3. Summer Cycle Deals: Biggest saving events of the season include savings at Kohls.com; the site will offer up to 60% off on select apparel, name-brand toys, and much more.

4. Kohl’s Reward Program: Customers will immediately earn 5% Kohl’s Rewards on every purchase. There will be personalized deals and perks as well. Kohl’s members that pay with their Kohl’s Credit Card will enjoy 7.5% Kohl’s Rewards on their purchases.

5. Kohl’s Cash Offers: Kohl’s customers will receive $10 Kohl’s Cash for every $50 spent. Kohl’s Cash can be used during specific redemption periods on eligible items.

6. Additional Kohl’s Card Offers: Kohl’s shoppers can also use their card for additional savings throughout the year.

7. Sales Tax Holidays: Many U.S. states have set aside a short period where sales tax will not be charged on specific back-to-school items. This can range from apparel to computers and adds to all the Kohl’s programs mentioned here. I will publish a complete list tomorrow (July 13, 2023) at 6:45 AM as a blog.

There are 1100 Kohl’s locations throughout the U.S. Kohl’s promises that shopping will be easy this season at all of them as well as on its website and app. Shoppers can browse the curated back-to-school assortment on Kohls.com or use the Kohl’s app for shopping on the go. The Kohl’s app also includes an option to scan and store Kohl’s gift cards, Kohl’s cash, coupons, and other savings offers which later can be redeemed.

Many stores have easy check-out lines and all of them accept Amazon
AMZN
returns. In addition, there are now more than 600 Sephora boutiques open in stores. By the end of this year, there will be 850 Sephora boutiques. Beauty is now a winning category at Kohl’s. Sephora has great appeal to younger shoppers and may well add even more energy to all the other back-to-school activity going on. (As a side note: additional Sephora units will be open in the next three years. Some will be smaller than the 2,500 square foot units in stores now.)

POSTSCRIPT: Kohl’s is preparing for the back-to-school season with unusual values. Thomas Kingsbury and his new team will be tested during this critical time. The consumer is trying to save at this time, yet wants to have his/her children in spanking new clothes when they march off to school. I think Kohl’s will be a winner this year. The team is seasoned and is ready to fight for the consumer’s attention.