Michelle Gass, chief executive officer of Kohl's, said although sales have plummeted since the company's stores were forced to close in mid-March, there have been some bright spots that will now become a permanent part of the its strategy going forward. That includes a substantially stronger digital presence. In April, the company's online sales rose 60%, a number that jumped to 90% in May, when most Kohl's stores were closed. Even though online sales cannot begin to rival in-store sales, the move toward digital has significantly accelerated the company's ominchannel strategy. Gass said that "in normal times," getting to this penetration of online sales would have taken five years […] "COVID-19 is the great accelerator on so many trends. And clearly, for us, we're benefiting from the acceleration on an already high-growth channel for us."

Curbside pickup and working on a more-edited merchandise assortment will also become part of Kohl's permanent strategy.

wwd article: Kohl's Sees Big Digital Boost, Curbside Pickup Continuing Post-pandemic