What happened Shares of Williams-Sonoma (NYSE: WSM) were climbing today after the home furnishings retailer posted another blowout earnings report as the company continued to benefit from the pandemic-driven boom in home goods. The stock was up 7.5% as of 10:42 a.m. EST. Image source: Williams-Sonoma. So what Comparable sales at the high-end home goods retailer, which also owns West Elm and Pottery Barn, jumped 24.4% in the quarter as e-commerce sales, which make up about half of the company's revenue in normal times, jumped 49%, contributing nearly 70% of revenue. In-store sales were down 11% in the period, but gradually recovered over the course of the quarter, and sales were strong across all of its brands with Williams-Sonoma leading the pack with 30.4% comparable sales growth. Demand was even stronger as the value of all orders placed in the quarter rose 31%, and overall revenue increased 22.4% to $1.77 billion, easily beating estimates at $1.6 billion. The sales boom drove strong profit growth as gross margin increased from 35.9% to 40% due to improved merchandise margins and leverage on fixed costs. Operating income more than doubled in the quarter to $275 million. Adjusted earnings per share jumped from $1.02 to $2.56, well ahead of expectations at $1.53. CEO Laura Alber touted the company's momentum and its mission, saying: Our vision is to own the home. And, with our distinctive positioning we will only become more relevant. We have the strategies, the team and the world-class platform to maximize the industry trends that favor our business and successfully execute on our growth opportunities. Now what Shares of Williams-Sonoma are now up nearly 50% for the year as the company has gotten a huge tailwind from the pandemic, much like other home furnishings retailers, including Wayfair and RH. The company declined to give guidance for the key holiday quarter, but reiterated long-term guidance of annual revenue growth in the mid- to high single digits, adjusted operating margin expansion, and a return on invested capital that's above the industry average. With its strong e-commerce operations, Williams-Sonoma seems poised to benefit from the accelerated shift to online shopping, but the company will face some difficult comparisons once the pandemic comes to an end. 10 stocks we like better than Williams-SonomaWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Williams-Sonoma wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of October 20, 2020 Jeremy Bowman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Wayfair. The Motley Fool recommends RH and Williams-Sonoma. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source