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Guest Post: BY SANDRA GUY Senior Editor Internet Retailer

Kohl’s aims to boost customer engagement with mobile devices and apps as Walgreen’s did under Sona Chawla’s leadership.

Kohl’s Corp. has hired Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.’s e-commerce chief, Sona Chawla, to its newly created position of chief operating officer, as the department store aims to increase its customer engagement via apps, e-commerce and mobile devices.

Kohl’s, No. 22 in the Internet Retailer 2015 Top 500 Guide, announced Chawla’s hire Tuesday. Chawla, who will start Nov. 30, will oversee e-commerce strategy, information and digital technology, planning and operations, and logistics and supply chain network, in addition to store operations and store construction and design, Kohl’s said.

Kohl’s, which does not break out quarterly e-commerce sales, last week reported third-quarter earnings, and for the first nine months of the year, net revenue was $12.82 billion, up 1.2% from $12.67 billion during the same time last year. E-commerce sales for 2014 were $2.17 billion, up 23.3% from $1.76 billion in 2013, according to Top500Guide.com data. The company in September relaunched its mobile commerce site with an eye toward making it easier for on-the-go shoppers to buy online.

“Kohl’s want its apps, e-commerce and mobile strategy to help differentiate itself competitively and be seen as a thought leader in the digital space,” says Forrester Research analyst Brendan Witcher.

“Kohl’s is asking themselves, ‘How can we offer something new?’” he says. “When Neiman Marcus introduces Snap. Find. Shop feature, Kohl’s leaders are asking, ‘Why didn’t we do that? We need to bring in the kind of talent that can create that level of creativity.’”

CEO and president Kevin Mansell said of Chawla’s hire, “We saw an enormous opportunity to create something truly unique in retail—a leader who has oversight for the full omnichannel experience. When stores, online and digital teams are not just compatible but truly integrated, new thinking and new ways of delivering a seamless customer experience emerge.”

Chawla’s hiring also coincides with Kohl's push to target female customers as parents shopping for their families and as women looking for fashion and workplace apparel.

But challenges are ahead for Chawla and Kohl’s, Abe Garver, M&A adviser with BG Strategic, says. “Walgreen’s, where Sona comes from most recently, is a $90.3 billion dollar company, while Kohl’s is 10x smaller ($8.6 billion). I understand Kohl’s may be fast-tracking Sona to take over the CEO position, and I would bet on her to turn the e-commerce business around. My concern is that the deck is very stacked against her given her new employer has $5.1 billion of debt on the balance sheet,” Garver says.

As Walgreen’s president of digital and chief marketing officer, Chawla led a team responsible for increasing such customer conveniences as refilling prescriptions in seconds, printing photos from smartphones directly to stores, linking its loyalty program with Apple Pay, and launching digital health coaching and health apps. Walgreen is No. 44 in the 2015 Top 500 with an Internet Retailer-estimated $1.13 billion in web sales in 2014, up 15.4% from $975.0 million in 2013, Top 500 data shows.

Prior to joining Walgreens, Chawla was vice president of global online business at Dell Inc.; executive vice president of online sales, service and marketing at Wells Fargo’s Internet Services Group and worked at Andersen Consulting and Mitchell Madison Group.

(Guest post) BY SANDRA GUY Senior Editor, Internet Retailer  You may follow Sandra @Sandraguy or email her at [email protected]

August 19, 2015, 5:03 PM

The actress and former TV host is selling products made exclusively for The Oprah Winfrey Network, plus items from her O List.

The world’s most famous talk show host is making it easier for her fans to get a piece of her online.

The Oprah Winfrey Network on Wednesday launched a new O Store, billing it as the official online retail store for exclusive OWN and Oprah merchandise along with curated lifestyle content.  

The store sells products made exclusively for OWN, as well as items from the popular O List in O, The Oprah Magazine and OWN’s online learning platform, O Courses, the company announced.

“We are an ever-evolving brand and the O store is a new extension for us into the online retail space,” said Erik Logan, president of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. “This is a next step in connecting with our most loyal supporters, offering them a fun way to celebrate and be part of the OWN brand and what it represents.”

OWN has partnered with Delivery Agent to leverage the company’s data-driven commerce solution, integrated into television and social media platforms, to make it possible for fans to engage and buy on all their devices, from mobile to television, the company says.  

At launch, the O Store will feature “Peace Love Oprah” merchandise, created by Miami-based clothing retailer PeaceLoveWorld.  Styles from the line, made popular by Oprah’s The Life You Want Weekend tour last fall, include T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts and tops.  

The selection of O List items, from O, The Oprah Magazine, includes such items as Oprah’s favorite jewelry and accessories to appliances and gadgets and treats she has loved over the years. Additionally, online O Courses from teachers such as author and speaker Iyanla Vanzant, pastor and author Rob Bell, speaker and author Brené Brown and media executive Arianna Huffington will be available, the company says.  The O Store also will carry merchandise from TV shows on OWN, including “Super Soul Sunday.”

Abe Garver, Managing Director of BG Strategic Advisers, points out that businesses typically experience a huge boost in their website traffic and in store visits after being featured on the Oprah’s Favorite Things segment.

“For small businesses with limited resources and a small staff, the resulting boost in customers can cause the business to become overwhelmed and unable to meet customer demands,” he says. “(It’s a) quality problem to have.”

Garver says the new Oprah e-commerce site differs from many others in that it doesn’t ask for his email address the minute he landed on the site.

“It was not until I clicked ‘Shop Now’ that I was asked for my information, which felt fair,” he says. “Just like I’d be willing to give my credit card # as part of making the purchase.”