Complete guide to omnichannel commerce

Take a deep dive into omnichannel commerce and how it can be used to expand your business’s reach across as many touchpoints as possible, while also ensuring cohesion across them all.

Long gone are the days of only interacting with customers in-person or by phone. Now, younger demographics often prefer to communicate through social media or SMS while older individuals may opt for the more traditional email or voice call. So how do you go about catering to these unique preferences and still ensure a consistent approach on every occasion? Omnichannel commerce serves as a viable solution to this question, empowering support agents to engage in cohesive conversations with consumers, no matter which platform they utilize.

An omnichannel approach goes beyond multichannel commerce by verifying that interactions across all touchpoints are connected, thereby providing customer service reperesentatives with a holistic understanding of each individual’s preferences and communication history. 

Today, we’ll take an in-depth look at what omnichannel commerce is, the benefits it can provide, and how to craft a strategy that aligns with your unique organizational requirements.

What is omnichannel commerce?

Omnichannel commerce acts as a business strategy that integrates multiple sales and communication channels to provide a more cohesive customer experience (CX). Unlike a traditional multichannel approach that operates channels independently, omnichannel commerce unifies these platforms—such as physical stores, e-commerce systems, mobile apps, social media, and customer service touchpoints—into a single, interconnected system. This ensures that individuals can switch between channels effortlessly to maintain a consistent experience across them all.

Studies have shown that organizations with strong omnichannel strategies are able to retain 89% of their customers, while those with weaker approaches only keep around 33%.

Benefits of omnichannel commerce

An omnichannel approach ensures that a customer’s journey—whether they start in-store, online, or on a mobile app—is consistent and interconnected. This not only simplifies the shopping experience for consumers, but also empowers companies to anticipate their needs and provide value at every touchpoint.

Let’s take a look at some of the key benefits that an omnichannel strategy can offer:

Better customer satisfaction and loyalty

Today’s customers increasingly value flexibility, and omnichannel commerce allows them to interact in a way that best suits their preferences. For instance, an individual can research products online, confirm availability via a chatbot, and pick up the item in-store without any interruptions in the experience. This streamlined process fosters trust and eliminates common frustrations like inconsistent service or unavailable products.

By integrating data from various channels, businesses can also better understand customer preferences and behaviors, enabling them to deliver tailored marketing campaigns, timely assistance, and more. These thoughtful, data-driven interactions create an enhanced sense of belonging, encouraging repeat purchases and promoting emotional connections with the brand. 

Better sales

Connecting online and offline channels empowers organizations to cater to customers wherever they are, enabling smoother transitions between research, purchase, and post-purchase support. This not only increases the likelihood of conversions, but also reduces cart abandonment, as consumers can conveniently continue their shopping journey across channels.

Additionally, features like ‘buy online, pick up in-store’ (BOPIS) or offering returns across different channels ensure customers can easily complete transactions without facing logistical hurdles. Recent research suggests that companies leveraging three or more channels as part of their marketing campaigns have a 494% higher order rate than those only using a single channel.

Enhanced inventory management

The synchronization offered through omnichannel commerce helps companies track stock across physical stores, warehouses, and online platforms, reducing instances of overstocking or stockouts. For example, if an item is unavailable in one location, the system can quickly redirect the order to another store or warehouse where the item is in stock, ensuring timely fulfillment.

This enhanced cohesiveness also supports advanced inventory strategies such as ‘ship-from-store’ and ‘endless aisle.’ With ship-from-store capabilities, organizations can use physical store inventories to fulfill online orders, thereby optimizing stock utilization and shortening delivery times. Similarly, the endless aisle allows customers in-store to order products that may not be physically available on-site, but are stocked elsewhere in the network.

Data analytics and reporting

A well-rounded omnichannel approach provides businesses with a complete view of customer interactions and preferences across all platforms. By analyzing this data, companies can identify trends such as peak shopping times, popular product categories, and channel-specific performance. This, in turn, allows for more informed decision-making, helping organizations optimize inventory management and resource allocation for maximum effectiveness.

Furthermore, the integration of data from multiple channels improves the accuracy and depth of reporting, enabling businesses to measure the effectiveness of their omnichannel strategies. For instance, detailed reports can reveal how often customers transition between channels, such as browsing online and completing purchases in-store, or vice versa. 

Increased efficiency and productivity

With a centralized inventory, companies can easily update stock in real-time, allowing for faster order fulfillment and reducing errors caused by outdated information. Similarly, employees can access unified customer data, enabling them to resolve issues more quickly, regardless of the channel used. This operational cohesion saves both time and resources, ensuring smoother workflows and faster service delivery.

Moreover, productivity can be enhanced through the automation and enhanced resource utilization made possible by omnichannel systems. Tasks like order processing, shipping coordination, and marketing campaign management can all be expedited, reducing manual workload and freeing up employees to focus on more value-added initiatives.

How to create an omnichannel commerce strategy

Here, start by mapping out how customers interact with your brand, from initial engagement to purchase and post-purchase support. You can leverage analytics to identify which channels are used most frequently and how they interconnect. Based on these insights, strive to design a seamless CX that allows individuals to transition effortlessly between channels, whether they’re browsing online, purchasing in-store, or contacting support via mobile apps.

Next, you’ll need to integrate your existing business systems to support the omnichannel approach. This might involve connecting tools like customer relationship management (CRM) software, inventory management systems, and analytics platforms that provide real-time visibility across all channels. Be sure to verify that these solutions are all interconnected, allowing for effortless data sharing and operational efficiency.

Lastly, don’t forget to train your team to leverage these resources effectively, focusing on collaboration across departments to deliver a unified customer experience. Once your approach has been implemented, you’ll need to regularly analyze performance data to identify areas for improvement, such as optimizing delivery logistics or enhancing channel-specific engagement.

Omnichannel vs multichannel commerce

The primary difference between omnichannel and multichannel commerce lies in the level of integration and CX provided across sales and communication channels.

Multichannel commerce involves offering customers several distinct touchpoints through which they can interact with a business, such as a physical store, website, mobile app, or social media. However, these channels all operate independently, often resulting in a fragmented experience. While this approach does enhance accessibility, it doesn’t prioritize a unified journey for the customer.

Omnichannel commerce, on the other hand, focuses on creating a cohesive customer experience by integrating all channels into a single, interconnected system. It allows individuals to move effortlessly between touchpoints while maintaining consistency in branding, messaging, and service. An omnichannel stance leverages shared data and synchronized systems to provide a more personalized shopping experience, often fostering greater customer satisfaction compared to multichannel commerce.

Omnichannel commerce trends in 2025 and beyond

The integration of physical and digital shopping experiences through technologies like BOPIS and curbside pickup have revolutionized modern omnichannel commerce. With consumers now expecting faster and easier ways to shop, these services allow individuals to purchase items online while enjoying the convenience of picking them up at a physical store. Approximately 71.8 million Americans, or 25.3% of all consumers, utilized curbside pickup in the past year, highlighting its growing popularity as customers continue to prioritize convenience as an integral component of the buying process.

Another increasingly popular trend is the integration of AI and machine learning (ML) into omnichannel strategies, especially for customer service and product recommendations. AI-driven chatbots, virtual assistants, and recommendation engines are now being deployed across websites, mobile apps, and even in physical stores to offer more personalized support. Sephora, for example, has embraced AI through its mobile app and in-store tablets, which provide virtual makeup try-ons and tailored product suggestions based on customers’ preferences.

Omnichannel commerce tools and software

Organizations can choose from various types of omnichannel commerce software, each of which caters to specific needs within the customer journey. 

For instance, CRM software can serve to help manage and analyze customer interactions across channels, while point-of-sale (POS) systems integrate in-store and online sales to ensure accurate inventory tracking and seamless order fulfillment. Meanwhile, marketing automation tools assist in delivering consistent messaging across touchpoints, while e-commerce platforms like Shopify or Magento provide the infrastructure for online stores and integrations with physical locations.

In order to choose the best omnichannel support solution for your specific business needs, you should begin by assessing your unique needs and goals. This demands identifying the channels you use or plan to use and prioritizing software that integrates seamlessly with them. You’ll need to evaluate features like real-time inventory tracking, data analytics, and scalability to verify that the solution supports your growth and operational complexity. Also, make sure to seek out user-friendly interfaces and vendor support to ensure smooth implementation and team adoption.

Optimize your omnichannel commerce support today with Freshdesk Omni!

Freshdesk Omni (formerly Customer Service Suite) combines the helpdesk capabilities of Freshdesk with the communication capacity of Freshchat to create a comprehensive solution designed to enhance customer engagement across all touchpoints.

With Freshdesk Omni, users enjoy the ability to reach customers on whichever channels they prefer and in whatever language they speak, as it integrates with websites, mobile apps, social media, and more, and can be configured in 33+ unique dialects. Additionally, our shared inbox consolidates all conversations in a single, unified location, ensuring that no ticket is overlooked.

Your support team will also have Freddy AI at its disposal, which can help gather valuable insights, deflect routine inquiries, and assist human agents in better supporting customers. 

While we could go on all day about the benefits of Freshdesk Omni, we’d rather that you experience them for yourself.