Tube Trends: How Kohl’s Is Using YouTube For Head Start On Holidays

Data & Measurement

Nov 19

Kohl’s is not waiting around on holiday content. According to data from Tubular Labs, the retailer is already the No. 3 YouTube channel in the U.S. by holiday-related views with over 271 million views on 35 videos. And their uploads are not just blanket advertising posts, either.

The brand has generated 178K engagements as well on videos by leaning into formats that resemble Shorts and user-generated content. By making videos about deals and holiday tips as creator-forward testimonials, Kohl’s is punching through what’s already a significant amount of holiday-related noise on social video.

Since Sept. 1, there have been 16.2 billion views for U.S. YouTube posts about the holidays and holiday shopping, with a recent uptick from Halloween through mid-November as shopping season and Thanksgiving inch closer.
Brands have accounted for just 669 million of those views so far, meaning that Kohl’s makes up 40% for brands – a strong effort out of the gate that puts them ahead of the competition .
The top holiday video for Kohl’s has over 22 million views and 14K engagements since it was first published in early October, using family gift-giving as a hook that makes the video instantly relatable for viewers.

While Kohl’s has been leaning into YouTube significantly for their holiday content, their reach on linear TV has stayed relatively static. According to iSpot, since Sept. 1 impressions and TV spend have stayed relatively similar year over year, with 6 billion impressions and $44 million in TV spend. Airings have also remained consistent, with 30k airings both years and an uptick after Nov. 1.

So with TV tracking similarly, it would appear that Kohl’s is looking to social video (and YouTube, in particular) to create real separation this holiday season — and earlier than the brand attempted to last year.

*Monthly YouTube views for Kohl’s, Jan. 1, 2024-Present (via* *Tubular Labs*)

In 2024, Kohl’s pushed YouTube content aggressively around the holidays, but that effort didn’t fully take hold until November. And even then, views peaked at 160 million.

For 2025, Kohl’s came out of the gate firing with holiday shopping content in October, and hasn’t let up since. October views totaled over 180 million, and November views are already on track to hit that number, if not higher.

The content also plays into Kohl’s audience in smart and targeted ways. By framing its content primarily around women making holiday shopping decisions, the brand shows an understanding of its YouTube viewers (61% female) while mimicking aspects of its Kohl’s Mom TV ad campaign.

Sponsored video activities follow a similar idea. Since October 1, Kohl’s has sponsored YouTube videos with Jessica Braun, Lisa J, Momma From Scratch and More Keta — plus one TikTok video from Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez.

With more than a month left in the holiday shopping season this year, Kohl’s seemingly has a long ramp for making the Q4 sales push. And already has a head start on competitors to capitalize on early shopping interest.