<\/p>\n
\n\tChristmas 2026 at retail is looking much more price-sensitive than holiday seasons from years past.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe challenges are mounting with lower consumer confidence and rising prices in food, fuel, housing and health care. <\/p>\n
\n\tTarget and Kohl\u2019s both aim to keep the shopping experience simple, convenient and filled with more items priced $5, $10, $15 and $20. Executives don\u2019t say prices for gifts will be lower than last year, or that markdowns will be steeper. But they do say there\u2019s more being offered at the low end of the price spectrum, knowing Americans are getting pinched by inflation. Value continues to be the catchphrase, with retailers saying they\u2019re doing a better job at communicating the inherent worth of their products. They\u2019re also beefing up conveniences and services like speedy delivery; buy-now, pay-later options and AI agents that provide help finding and purchasing gifts.<\/p>\n
\n\tSeveral retail authorities and organizations have predicted that holiday retail sales in the U.S. will be up around 4 to 5 percent, but the season could end up at or just above flat when factoring in higher prices overall. <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tTarget sees plaid and fleece among the important trends for holiday 2026.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cValue plays an important role all year, especially during the holiday season. And yes, of course, that means incredible pricing,\u201d said Michael Fiddelke, Target\u2019s chief executive officer, at the retailer\u2019s holiday presentation Tuesday afternoon in Manhattan\u2019s Chelsea neighborhood. \u201cThirty-five bucks for that throw over there is an incredible deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAt the Kohl\u2019s holiday presentation Wednesday morning, Arianne Parisi, chief customer officer overseeing marketing and digital, said: \u201cWe\u2019re thinking first and foremost, value. Next, experience. Third, gifting and then finally, convenience. We have really focused this year on clarity, making sure that value cuts through and that our pricing is really clear because that construct, when there\u2019s so much going on, can get easily confusing. So it\u2019s bigger, broader messages and then it\u2019s items at a price point.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tRyan Waymire, Kohl\u2019s chief merchandising officer, added: \u201cValue and really clarifying value is critical as a strategy. You\u2019re going to see a lot more percent-off messages. You\u2019re going to see a big focus on $5, $10, $15 and $20 gifts and we\u2019re really excited that 75 percent of our gifts are under $15.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tHe said toys represent a double-digit growth area. \u201cWith Lego, we will have over 1,000 sets. We are going to be culturally relevant with (brands) like KPop Demon Hunters, and we\u2019ll be all over the squishy trend.\u201d He said more than 50 percent of Kohl\u2019s gifting assortment is \u201cnet new\u201d this year.<\/p>\n
\n\tWith Sephora at Kohl\u2019s, there will be an expanded fragrance presentation, over 400 gift sets including about 40 specific to Sephora and more than 2,000 prestige items under $30, including $25-and-under Sephora Collection gift sets. Kohl\u2019s said brand arrivals are happening across all beauty categories, such as Khlo\u00e9 Kardashian, Givenchy, Crown Affair and Topicals, as well as expansions from Kayali and Jo Malone.<\/p>\n
\n\tOn the ready-to-wear front, the retailer is emphasizing faux fur, shine, fabric texture, denim, athleisure, activewear and the \u201ccozy\u201d trend, which largely calls for fleece, blankets, pajamas and soft sweaters.<\/p>\n
\n\tRegarding Black Friday and Cyber Monday, \u201cWe\u2019re focusing on top brands, top items and clear value,\u201d said Waymire. \u201cYou will see a huge 50-percent-off message that\u2019s really clear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThrough the year, Kohl\u2019s has been re-merchandising to simplify its fashion presentation with fewer brands and greater depth of key items. For holiday, there will be new head-to-toe mannequin displays and streamlined presentations across Nike, Levi\u2019s and Kohl\u2019s private brands like LC Lauren Conrad, Sonoma Goods for Life, Nine West, SO, Little Co. by Lauren Conrad, Simply Vera Vera Wang and Apt. 9. Shoppers will find \u201cfestive\u201d partywear, \u201ccozy\u201d sweaters and active fleece from FLX, Tek Gear and Nike, along with collections from Disney and The Grinch. Other key brands for gifts are Shark, Ninja and Keurig, as well as exclusive lines from Martha Stewart and Bobby Flay.<\/p>\n
\n\tAdding conveniences, Kohl\u2019s recently went live with Instacart and DoorDash, and will be live with Uber Eats soon. The Klarna buy-now, pay-later service was introduced last August. Also, Kohl\u2019s has extended its returns policy to offer free in-store returns through Jan. 31, 2027, on items purchased from Oct. 4 to Dec. 30.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tSweaters from Kohl\u2019s budget-minded SO private label brand.<\/p>\n
\n\tAt Target, \u201cWe\u2019ve been focusing on choices that are bold, that are distinctively Target and that are affordable,\u201d said Cara Sylvester, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer. \u201cThe Deal of the Day is back for us.\u201d Beginning Nov. 1, Target offers a different Deal of the Day every day through Dec. 24. Early Black Friday deals will run Nov. 5 to 7, followed by new, limited-time offers each weekend through the holiday season. \u201cWe\u2019ve got those big deal moments as we think about Black Friday,\u201d Sylvester said. \u201cAs we get into December, we have a whole new wave of newness coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tShe also said, \u201cThe entire back of the store will be transformed into what we\u2019re calling Christmas Morning Magic. Think $3, $5, $10 and $20 killer gifts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tTarget has about 8,000 new gift items for this holiday season, including more than 4,000 exclusive to the store and thousands priced $5 and under.<\/p>\n
\n\tAmong the key times Sylvester sees for holiday: matching pajama sets for the family, priced $10; cashmere sweaters starting at $25; faux-fur accessories starting at $10; scented candles and candy at $5, and $20 beauty advent calendars, which she said are anywhere from $80 to $90 in value.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWe have 170 new baby and baby apparel gifting items, 100 percent of them are exclusive to Target, 90 percent of our assortment is under $20 and 40 percent are under $10. So again, easy, grab-and-go, design-style items,\u201d meaning items with fashion and affordable pricing.<\/p>\n
\n\tSylvester said toys are \u201cone of our highest market share businesses. This is an incredible must-win category,\u201d during the holiday season. \u201cWe\u2019re introducing over 3,000 new items every year,\u201d including exclusives from Disney and Lego.<\/p>\n
\n\tAsked if prices are lower than last year, Sylvester responded: \u201cIf you think about candles as an example, we didn\u2019t have anything like this at $5 last year. We might have had a beautiful candle for $10. Now we\u2019ve got $5 options, $10 options, $50 options. So I\u2019d say there\u2019s the right range of price points across the board.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re leveraging AI this year in completely new ways, really practical ways, but also really fun ways,\u201d Sylvester said. Target\u2019s AI agent, called Ask Target, is in beta mode on target.com and the Target app. \u201cYou can have a conversational conversation with our app around gift ideas.\u201d Earlier this year, Target formed partnerships with ChatGPT and Google Gemini. Additional AI-powered features and a digital holiday kids catalogue offer more ways to discover gifts.<\/p>\n
\n\tIn November, Target plans to launch an \u201cAcademy of Giftology\u201d holiday marketing campaign whimsically depicting gifting dilemmas and ways to help shoppers find what they want.<\/p>\n
#Target #Kohls #Prioritize #Price #Newness #Convenience #Holiday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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