Every day, customers hop between social media ads, Google search results, and in-store experience— all before making a purchase. Some 57% of shoppers want to touch and feel products in person, while 38% prefer buying online for in-store pickup. But when your channels don't work together, you lose these customers to stores that make shopping easier. That’s where omnichannel retail steps in.
Yet it’s no longer enough to simply connect channels. Leading retailers now use one system that combines online sales, store sales, inventory, and customer information. They operate more efficiently and reduce costs while maintaining the cross-channel experiences customers want.
Ahead, you’ll learn how omnichannel is changing the way customers shop, and how you can create a truly connected retail experience that captures their attention and sales through unified commerce.
What is omnichannel retail?
Omnichannel retail creates a seamless shopping experience across all customer touchpoints. It's where physical stores, online platforms, and mobile experiences work together as one system.
To make omnichannel work, you need:
- A consistent brand feel everywhere your customers find you
- Real-time inventory tracking across all locations
- One view of your customer data
- Marketing that works together across channels
While traditional retail has evolved from single-channel to multi-channel to omnichannel, unified commerce represents the next step in retail maturity. Where omnichannel connects separate systems, unified commerce builds everything on a single platform from the ground up, eliminating the complexity and cost of maintaining multiple systems and integrations.
Unified commerce means your ecommerce and point of sale (POS) systems share the same foundation, built on a common data model. It connects customer information, inventory, and order data across all your touchpoints. Instead of just making different systems talk to each other, unified commerce means everything runs on the same platform natively.
This approach has its benefits: According to EY’s POS Market Report, businesses implementing a unified commerce strategy see an average 8.9% increase in sales and a 5% boost in operational efficiency.
📚 Read: Omnichannel vs. Unified Commerce: Which is Better? (2025)
Benefits of omnichannel retail
Better customer experience
Traditionally, retailers used third-party data to understand their audience and create customer experiences. However, since those are phasing out, first-party customer data has become the foundation for omnichannel retail.
A report from Deloitte echoes this sentiment: 61% of high-growth companies are shifting toward first-party data for their personalization strategies.
Personalization shows up in several ways:
- Customized product recommendations based on shopping history
- Relevant offers that reflect past purchases
- Seamless customer experiences that carry over from online to in-store
- Customer profiles that help staff provide better service
Buyers appreciate this personalized approach. When done right, it creates the feeling of a skilled sales associate who remembers your preferences and anticipates your needs.
Western-wear retailer Tecovas brings this personalized approach to life in their stores by giving staff instant access to customer information through its POS system. This lets the team deliver truly personal experiences, from thoughtful product suggestions based on past purchases to special touches like complimentary boot shines for returning customers.
“I very much want to make sure my team's focused on one, solving problems that either elevate our customer experience and continue to allow us to differentiate ourselves there,” says Tecovas’ CTO Kevin Harwood. “Or two, allow us to streamline internal business operations and efficiencies.”
Higher revenue and conversion
When brands connect their online and physical locations, they make more money in two main ways. First, it helps staff sell better. Store employees can see what customers browse online, what they've bought before, and what they like. This personal touch can boost in-store sales by up to 40%.
Second, unified commerce makes smart product suggestions easier. If someone buys running shoes, both the website and store staff know to suggest matching socks or shorts. Targeted recommendations can increase average purchase amounts by up to 20%. Retailers can use insights into each customer’s shopping habits to time their offers perfectly, turning browsing into buying and one-time shoppers into loyal customers.
Better efficiency and reduced costs
Using one unified system instead of many saves both time and money. Having a single source of truth for all your business data means everyone works from the same, accurate information. You'll spend less on technology since you won't need multiple software subscriptions or complex connections between systems.
Your team also works faster because inventory, sales, and customer data flow automatically. And when you want to try something new, like opening a seasonal shop or adding a new sales channel, it's much simpler with everything already connected. It’s no surprise that retailers using Shopify POS benefit from a 22% lower total cost of ownership than comparable vendors.
Limitations of omnichannel retailer
Omnichannel retail tries to connect all shopping channels (stores, websites, apps) but often runs into problems. Each channel typically uses its own system, which means:
- Store inventory might not match what's shown online
- Customer data gets scattered across different databases
- Systems need constant work to stay connected, resulting in high maintenance costs
- Staff can't easily see what's happening across all channels
Unified commerce fixes these issues by putting everything into one system. It uses a single platform to handle all sales channels, inventory, and customer data. This brings several benefits:
- All information stays accurate and up-to-date across every channel
- Staff and customers can see real-time inventory
- Customer service has access to complete shopping history
- Adding new sales channels becomes much easier
Overall, unified commerce removes the complexity of managing multiple systems and gives customers a smoother shopping experience, whether they're buying in-store or online.
🧠 Learn: If Your Business is Striving for Omnichannel, You’re Already Behind
How to implement an omnichannel retail strategy
- Build your data foundation
- Unite your sales channels
- Add cross-channel features
- Align your operations
- Keep your prices the same everywhere
- Optimize inventory and fulfillment
- Deploy personalization
1. Build your data foundation
Retailers need a core commerce operating system to power their omnichannel retail strategy. While many vendors claim to offer unified commerce solutions, most just stitch together separate systems with APIs and middleware. This approach winds up causing more harm than good.
Instead, look for a platform like Shopify that natively unifies ecommerce and point-of-sale on the same system. It should share real-time inventory and customer data across channels, and integration shouldn't require complex technical work or ongoing maintenance.
For example, with Shopify, you can install a loyalty app like Smile from the App Store and have data automatically feed back to your unified customer profile inside your Shopify admin.
Shopify offers three key advantages:
- 20% faster implementation times for opening new locations
- Lower upfront costs compared to competitors
- Real-time inventory and customer data sharing across channels
The final piece is building a unified customer database that captures data from all touchpoints. It should track purchase history, preferences, and interactions across channels, giving you a complete view of each customer.
Shopify's unified system supports automatic customer profile creation whenever they place orders, sign up for mailing lists, or initiate checkouts. Retailers can also manually create and edit detailed customer profiles through the Shopify admin interface, adding custom fields like birthdays or preferences through metafields.
With this foundation in place, you can deliver consistent, personalized experiences and targeted marketing that drives repeat purchases and customer loyalty.
2. Unite your sales channels
After setting up your unified platform, link all your sales channels: stores, websites, social media, and marketplaces. These sales channels pull product data—such as SKU numbers, product imagery, and pricing—from your Shopify admin, while all orders feed back to the same order management system in your Shopify account.
Below are some channels you can add and manage right from Shopify:
- Online store: Your primary Shopify storefront (plus any Buy Buttons you embed on external sites).
- Shopify POS: Integrates in-store transactions with the same back end as your online store.
- Shop (App): Allows customers to discover and track their orders on the Shop app.
- Facebook & Instagram: Sync products for social selling, shoppable posts, and in-app checkouts.
- Google & YouTube: List products on Google Shopping, run Performance Max campaigns, or feature products on YouTube.
- TikTok Shop: Enable shoppable videos, in-feed product tags, and live shopping directly on TikTok.
- Shopify Collective: Connect with other Shopify stores to sell each other’s products without handling extra inventory.
- Faire: Wholesale B2B marketplace integration that lets you sync purchases, inventory, and orders.
💡 Tip: Search the Shopify App Store for integrations with eBay, Amazon, and other specialized platforms.
Some channels have eligibility requirements (e.g., particular Shopify plan levels, specific currency and locale needs, or compliance with the channel’s terms).
- In your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Apps and sales channels, and then click Visit the Shopify App Store.
- Search for and Add channel (e.g., TikTok, Faire, or Facebook).
- From mobile, use the Shopify app’s Sales Channel section to add channels on the go.
3. Add cross-channel features
Once all your channels are synced, you can make shopping a little easier for customers in a few ways.
Buy online, pickup in-store (BOPIS)
Customers can buy what they want online and grab it at your store with BOPIS. No shipping costs, no waiting for packages. The system keeps track of what's in stock, so you never sell something you don't have. If one store is out, another store can send the item over.
👉 Try the Zapiet app for pickup and delivery scheduling functionality inside Shopify.
Ship from store
Sometimes the item a customer wants is sitting in your store, not a warehouse. Retail staff can view an unfulfilled order from their POS system, pack it, and ship it straight to the customer. It's faster than waiting for warehouse shipping, and you can see all orders in one place, no matter where they ship from.
Easy returns
Did a customer buy something online? Let them return it to the store. Was it bought at the store? Let them process the return online.
A unified system allows staff to quickly find any order and process the return. When someone returns something, the inventory count updates right away.
Gift cards and loyalty programs
Whether customers shop online or in your store, their gift cards and rewards points work the same way. They can:
- Buy and use gift cards online or in-store
- Share digital gift cards with friends
- Earn loyalty points whenever they shop
- Use their rewards however they want
Cross-channel capabilities provide a frictionless customer journey. Customers can shift from online to in-store, or visa-versa, and remain engaged with your brand through rewards.
4. Align your operations
If your internal processes are scattered, customers notice, and it can undermine your omnichannel strategy. The solution starts with your retail staff. From sales associates to customer support, everyone should under and be comfortable with your unified commerce toolset:
- Product knowledge and policies. When customers pick up items they bought online, or want to return something they bought from a different store location, staff should be able to handle it well. They should answer questions with confidence, process sales correctly, and fix basic problems that come up.
- POS and admin. If you use Shopify POS in-store and Shopify’s admin for online management, train staff to look up orders, create draft orders, add discounts, and verify inventory. Because everything is unified on a single system, brands like Monos have already reduced POS training time to just half a day with Shopify.
- Consistent customer experience. Customers should get the same great experience no matter how they shop with you. Whether someone is talking to a worker in your store, chatting online, or calling on the phone, they should get the same friendly service and correct information about your policies.
💡 Tip: Have staff practice using any rewards programs or gift cards themselves. They can try out test purchases and other features. This way, when they help customers use these programs, they'll know exactly how everything works because they've done it themselves.
5. Keep your prices the same everywhere
Whether customers find you online, on social media, or in your store, they should see the same prices. Different prices in different places can confuse customers and make them lose trust in your business. They hold off on buying in search of a better deal elsewhere.
Here's how to keep your pricing consistent:
- One control center. Update all your prices in one place—your Shopify admin. Any changes you make here will show up everywhere you sell: on your website, in your store, and on all your social media channels.
- Price lists. If you supply products to other stores, you can share your price lists with them through Shopify Collective, keeping prices steady across all retailers.
- Currency management: Selling internationally? Shopify Payments handles all the currency conversions, so your pricing stays consistent no matter where your customers shop.
Managing your prices in one place makes everything simpler. It's easier to make changes, prevent mistakes, and guarantee customers the same fair price no matter how they shop with you.
6. Optimize inventory and fulfillment
Set up a good system to track and ship your products. You can use Shopify's built-in tools or get separate warehouse management software. This will help you keep track of everything whether it's in your warehouse, stores, or being shipped to customers.
Unified commerce promises that products are equally available, no matter the shopping channel. To deliver on that promise, inventory numbers must be accurate.
Shopify's real-time inventory tracking guarantees every product count updates whenever a sale occurs. Even if you store products in multiple warehouses—or have one main warehouse plus multiple retail locations—Shopify can unify inventory data so you have complete visibility into where items are located.
💡 Tip: Keep track of what sells best and set up alerts to warn you when items are running low. Shopify's inventory reports can show you what to order more of and help you move products to the right stores before they sell out.
7. Deliver personalized experiences
In a world where 81% of customers expect tailored interactions, personalization can increase sales and encourage loyalty. Shopify gives you the tools to make shopping feel personal for each customer, while keeping their information safe and protected.
The key is bringing all customer information together in one place. When someone shops with you, Shopify automatically combines their entire history, from past purchases to support conversations and wish lists, into a single profile. Your store staff can quickly pull up details about returning customers, greet them by name, and provide personalized service based on what they like.
To make this work smoothly, encourage customers to create an account or join your loyalty program. Store employees can then look up shoppers by email to add reward points or offer special discounts. When these same customers shop online, they'll see product suggestions based on their interests and previous purchases.
Omnichannel retail examples
BYLT Basics
BYLT Basics evolved from a purely digital brand by implementing an omnichannel retail strategy through Shopify's unified platform. Their key implementations included:
- Rapid POS deployment that enabled same-day store setup and allowed staff to place online orders directly from stores when items were out of stock
- A custom mobile app built through Tapcart that seamlessly integrated with their existing systems
- A unified loyalty program that lets customers earn and redeem rewards across both digital and physical channels
BYLT Basics scaled to seven profitable retail locations in under a year, achieved 400% growth in their Women's category, and drove over 50% of DTC conversions through Shopify Payments. Their mobile app strategy was successful, generating 10% of overall conversions.
Weebot
Weebot, a French urban mobility company, relied on Excel sheets to manage its operations across retail stores, repairs, and support services. As the brand grew, it became nearly impossible to provide consistent service across all channels.
The new focus on unified commerce through Shopify changed everything. When a customer visits any Weebot store, staff can instantly see every piece of information they need in one place, from available parts across all locations to the customer's complete purchase and repair history. If a part isn't available in-store, they can immediately check other locations and arrange a transfer.
Payments, repairs, and product sales all happen in the same system, which has cut their processing time in half. This unified approach made Weebot’s stores more efficient and has resulted in:
- 15% boost in retail revenue through better inventory management
- 50% faster store operations with unified checkout
- 50% improvement in customer satisfaction
RUDSAK
RUDSAK, a luxury performance apparel brand with 25 stores across Canada, had a major customer service problem.
Their old system, Microsoft Dynamics 365, kept their online and in-store customer data separate. When a regular customer walked into a store, sales staff couldn't see what they bought online last week. They had to cobble together this information using complex workarounds that often broke down over simple things like extra spaces in customer names.
RUDSAK switched to Shopify POS, which changed its daily operations. When a customer visits any RUDSAK store, staff can instantly see their shopping history and preferences.
Instead of asking generic questions like "How are you?", staff can have meaningful conversations like "How did you like the black jacket you bought last season?" This personalized approach is crucial for a luxury brand where customer relationships matter.
Shoppers can now buy more than they can carry by having items shipped home, customers can easily handle returns or warranty claims because their purchase history is readily available, and staff can focus on providing personalized service instead of wrestling with technology.
Create better omnichannel experiences with Shopify
Running your retail operation on separate systems is like trying to drive with one eye closed. You miss opportunities, waste time on workarounds, and risk losing customers to competitors.
Shopify brings everything into one system, and it works. Some 85% of mid-market retailers using Shopify are growing their online and in-store sales, creating the personalized, omnichannel experiences customers love.
Omnichannel retail FAQ
What does omni channel mean in retail?
Omnichannel retail means connecting multiple channels (stores, website, apps) so they work as one system. It lets customers shop however they want while getting the same experience everywhere.
What is an example of an omnichannel retail strategy?
A customer can buy a product online and pick it up in the store, with staff seeing their complete shopping history when they arrive. They can also start shopping in-store and have items shipped to their home if they don't want to carry them.
What are the three elements of omni-channel retailing?
The three elements are unified customer data, connected inventory across all locations, and consistent service quality everywhere. These work together so customers get the same experience whether they shop online or in stores.
Is Walmart an omnichannel retailer?
Walmart lets customers shop online, pick up in stores, and use their app while shopping in physical locations. They've connected their stores and website so customers can easily switch between shopping online and in person.
