The retail landscape has always been characterized by a constant evolution to meet the ever-changing needs and preferences of consumers. In recent years, and particularly accelerated by the pandemic-related changes in customer behavior that caused a seismic shift to online and in-app shipping, omnichannel strategies emerged as a response to provide some convergence of online and offline consumer behavior and deliver a consistent and seamless shopping journey. Still, many retailers’ omnichannel approaches were siloed, and while they offered customers options, they failed to deliver on a seamless customer experience. Enter unified commerce – a strategy that promises to be not just an enhancement, but a transformative leap beyond omnichannel.
Omnichannel approaches sought to bridge the divide between physical stores and digital platforms, with its success rooted in its ability to give customers a unified brand experience, whether they were shopping online from a desktop or mobile device or visiting a brick-and-mortar store. But while omnichannel platforms successfully addressed the front-end consumer experience, the backend often remained fragmented with data silos, leading to challenges in getting a consolidated view of the customer journey. The customer might have a similar experience with the brand in physical stores, as well as when shopping via the brand’s websites, mobile apps, or even social media, but the experience was not truly integrated. For example, on an in-store visit, a sales associate might have no idea what a customer’s preferences are due to having no ability to look up their online purchase history, or might not be able to check availability on an item for a customer in a different size or color even if it is available in another store or online.
Unified commerce takes the omnichannel blueprint and elevates it, keeping all of its benefits while removing its limitations. Instead of simply connecting different channels, it integrates them on a single, centralized platform. More importantly, it brings together the underlying systems that power these channels. The result? A seamless and uninterrupted flow of data. This holistic integration eradicates the bottlenecks posed by data silos, paving the way for real-time insights and unified customer interactions, regardless of where or how the purchase takes place.
The implications for the retail experience are significant. With real-time inventory visibility, centralized customer data, and seamless transactions powered by UC solutions, businesses can now access a more holistic view of their customer interactions, leading to more accurate inventory management, personalized marketing strategies, and a responsive supply chain. The operational benefits in terms of efficiency are clear, as are the benefits to the customer – by providing a truly integrated shopping experience, businesses can foster deeper loyalty and trust among their customer base.
Adopting a unified commerce strategy is the logical next step for “omnichannel” retailers. The unified commerce approach to retail places the customer experience at the heart of operations, with the understanding that consumers don’t see channels – they see brands, and expect a cohesive, integrated, and consistent brand experience.
If you’re a retailer considering an upgrade to a unified commerce solution, here are a few questions to ask yourself:
- System Integration: Are your online and offline sales systems fully integrated to provide real-time inventory and customer data or do you often find discrepancies?
- Data Silos: Are you struggling with isolated data pockets that hinder your 360-degree view of your customer’s journey or difficulty passing data between channels?
- Customer Experience: Do your customers experience any inconsistencies between online and offline shopping, such as differing promotions or product availability, or unsynchronized carts?
- Operational Efficiency: Are you spending more time reconciling data across systems than focusing on customer service and strategy?
- Real-time Data: Does your current system delay access to real-time data, or have challenges in real-time order management or updating inventory levels promptly?
- Personalization: Are you able to offer personalized customer experiences seamlessly across all touchpoints? Do you find limitations in leveraging customer data from one channel to enhance experiences in another?
- Scalability: Are you restricted in integrating new technologies or platforms because of your current system’s limitations, or do you feel your current system won’t scale sufficiently for your expansion plans?
- Unified View: Do you lack a single view of customer transactions, behaviors, and preferences across all sales channels?
- Cost Implications: Are you incurring additional costs due to the manual integration of data, system upgrades, or workarounds for your legacy omnichannel platform?
- Future Readiness: Do you feel your current platform might restrict your ability to leverage future technological advancements like AI, AR, or VR?
By addressing all these points, unified commerce strategies outperform omnichannel implementations that aren’t fully integrated. It delivers unparalleled customer experiences, streamlined operations, and sustained growth for you and your customers. With a single view of the customer across all channels, it’s easier to deliver personalized and consistent experiences, streamline your operations by eliminating silos, and leverage a single platform for managing all of your customer data. This can lead to significant cost savings and improved efficiency.
A unified commerce strategy can also help to grow your business by providing the tools you need to reach new customers and increase sales. By delivering a seamless and consistent experience across all channels, you can make it easy for customers to do business with you on any channel of their choice, and increase their overall brand loyalty.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Susan Jeffers, CEO, and Founder of XY Retail
Serial entrepreneur and digital marketing veteran with over a decade of experience founding and advising many consumer retail startups and fashion brands. Previously she was part of the founding team for two retail startups responsible for digital marketing and consumer experience, one of which was acquired by theFind. Susan is passionate about creating innovative and scalable products with a focus on UI/UX design. Her strength lies in bridging the gap between business and technology, while creating solutions on how to best leverage them to align expectations and attain business goals.