Unified commerce is coming, are you ready? In the future of retail, a unified trade system is a competitive advantage compared to omnichannel's separate solutions.
A seamless and unified customer experience across all sales channels has become one of the essential prerequisites of commerce. Customers expect to receive consistent, real-time service and benefits regardless of the channel.
In modern commerce, a customer can, for example:
Complete an online purchase in a physical store
Utilise loyalty benefits across all channels
See the real-time availability of products in different sales points
A successful omnichannel strategy maximises sales opportunities and increases profits. It has been observed that multichannel customers spend up to 20–30% more on purchases compared to single-channel customers. Multichannel sales also enhance business efficiency and strengthen customer loyalty and brand.
Unified Commerce is the natural goal for e-commerce
However, separate background processes and systems pose challenges and barriers to real-time, seamless sales.
Unified Commerce goes a step further than omnichannel. It integrates all business aspects, such as channels, back-end systems, inventory management, customer data, and payment processes, into one seamless whole.
Omnichannel | Unified Commerce |
E-commerce and physical stores work collaboratively, but inventory data may update slowly. | E-commerce and store inventory data update in real time, reducing errors. |
Customer loyalty information does not always transfer across all channels. | Customer information and purchase history are accessible across all channels. |
Marketing campaigns can be channel-specific. | A single campaign appears uniformly across all channels with real-time optimisation. |
Are you ready to gain a strategic competitive advantage?
Modern cloud-based e-commerce solutions equipped with AI and API-based integrations, such as Shopify, already enable Unified Commerce. It is not so much a major technological change, but rather a strategic business choice that truly prioritises the seamless collaboration between the customer and the business. At the same time, you improve your company's efficiency, reduce data interruptions, and support data-driven decision-making.
Are you ready to take your retail to the next level? Now is the time to act.
Crasman Ltd
27 Jan 2025
