Dive Brief:
- Kohl’s has promoted Arianne Parisi to the newly created chief customer officer role, the company announced Tuesday. She currently serves as chief digital officer. Parisi will report to CEO Michael Bender.
- Parisi will be charged with overseeing improvements to the omnichannel customer experience across loyalty, personalization, marketing and more. Chief Marketing Officer Christie Raymond will depart the company in September.
- "Bringing marketing and digital together under one leader will help foster a greater focus on the full customer lifecycle and how Kohl's shows up across customer touchpoints,” Bender said in a prepared statement.
Dive Insight:
Kohl’s creation of the chief customer officer role comes as the company pursues a turnaround strategy that emphasizes its omnichannel experience.
The company is making progress and is creating a more consistent in-store journey while modernizing its digital experience, Bender said on a Q2 2026 earnings call Wednesday.
“Delivering a seamless, inspiring experience, whether in store or online, remains a critical component of our strategy,” Bender said on the call. “Product relevance and consistent in-stock levels are the primary enablers of this experience, and we are sharpening our focus on both.”
The company is elevating the experience for brands including Sonoma and Lauren Conrad through a combination of fully outfitted mannequins, better signage and wayfinding and sizing charts designed to help customers find the right styles and fits, according to Bender.
Kohl’s is improving the experience for its selection of Nike and Levi’s products as well, Bender said. “The elevated product displays will showcase fresh looks and inspire our shoppers by building a more engaging environment that spotlights key brands.”
These changes are being made as Kohl’s reduces its overall assortment choices to improve clarity, simplify the customer journey and better assure customers what they see online is available in-store, according to Bender.
For digital shoppers, Kohl’s has modernized its e-commerce experience, with early results showing faster page performance and improved customer behavior around product pages, carts and checkout, according to Bender. The company plans to add more flexible payment options ahead of the holiday season.
“Collectively, we believe these investments will benefit us over the long term to improve the experience for our current customers and to help us attract new customers,” Bender said.
The changes have helped Kohl’s slow its sales declines, but growth remains elusive for the retailer.
Same-store sales fell 0.9% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, according to an earnings release. Net sales dropped 0.9% year over year as well, and both numbers were improvements from the first quarter of 2026.
Kohl’s is showing signs of stabilization, but “a better performance does not equate to a good performance,” Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, said in an analyst note. The retailer’s investments are a step in the right direction, but they have failed to offer a compelling reason for consumers to shop with the brand.
“Addressing this not only requires a more serious elevation of the shopping experience, but it also necessitates more energy and excitement in stores,” Saunders said. “This could be more exclusive products, more limited time drops, more in-store events and activations — anything that provides an edge and helps to differentiate Kohl’s from the rest of the market.”
