Omnichannel vs. Unified Commerce: Differences and Similarities

Omnichannel commerce is focused on providing your customers with a variety of shopping options. It blends online and offline experiences, creating a smooth transition between them. 

Whether a customer is looking through a website, stopping by a physical store, or using a mobile app, the goal is for them to feel like all these channels are interconnected.

• Your customers can switch between shopping channels without losing their progress.
• Brands connect with shoppers through email, social media, physical stores, and online marketplaces.
• Loyalty programs and promotions are accessible across all platforms
• Businesses use different systems for inventory, customer service, and payments.

Zara is a great example of how omnichannel commerce operates in practice.

Imagine a customer who browses Zara’s website, adds a jacket to their cart, but leaves without buying it. Later, they visit a Zara store, where a sales associate can access their online browsing history via the brand’s app and assist them in finding that same jacket in the store. 

If the desired size isn’t available in the store, the customer can easily order it online directly from the store and have it delivered to their home.

Following the purchase, Zara might send a personalized email suggesting coordinating accessories or alerting them to an upcoming sale.

Unified commerce is like the evolution of omnichannel. It doesn’t just link various sales channels together, but it actually integrates them into a unified system. 

Think of it like this: inventory, customer information, payments, and orders are all controlled from one central hub. This way, your business can monitor everything as it happens and provide your customers with a really smooth, uninterrupted shopping experience.

• One central system manages everything.
• With constant updates, you always know exactly what’s in stock, what your customers have bought before, and how much things cost.
• Your customers get a smooth experience throughout all platforms.
• This setup gives your business a much clearer picture of what’s going on, so you can make much sharper marketing choices.

Nike has cleverly blurred the lines between its online and brick-and-mortar stores, making shopping a breeze. 

Imagine a customer scoping out some new running shoes on Nike’s website and then quickly checking if their local store has them in stock. Once they head to the store, the Nike app acts like a personal GPS, guiding them right to the shelf with those shoes. 

If their size is sold out, they can just order them through the app and have them delivered right to their doorstep. 

Nike’s smart system makes sure every step of the shopping journey is smooth and tailored just for them. 

Both approaches aim to boost customer satisfaction, yet they also have some key distinctions.

Omnichannel companies tend to operate separate systems for their online shops, physical stores, and customer support. While these systems are linked, they’re not completely unified. In contrast, unified commerce consolidates all operations onto a single platform. 

Omnichannel strives for a smooth flow between different channels, but minor inconsistencies can still pop up. Unified commerce eliminates these inconsistencies by constantly synchronizing all data. This gives your customers a genuinely seamless experience.

Instead of just gathering information from various sources and then trying to piece it all together by hand, like with the omnichannel approach, unified commerce brings together everything automatically. All the times customers interact, every sale and any inventory changes are gathered in a single spot with unified commerce.

Omnichannel commerce improves operational efficiency by connecting different sales channels, but businesses may still use separate systems for inventory, payments, and customer service. Unified commerce streamlines operations by using a single integrated system, reducing errors, and ensuring real-time data accuracy across all departments.

Setting up an omnichannel is a bit easier because it’s like adding new features. On the other hand, unified commerce means starting fresh with a whole new system.

The decision to go with either an omnichannel or unified commerce approach really comes down to what a retail business is aiming for and how they’re currently structured. 

Omnichannel is a great fit for retailers who’ve already got separate systems in place for their online and brick-and-mortar stores but are looking to bridge that gap without a complete system revamp. It’s an affordable way to give the customer experience a boost without disrupting current operations. 

Businesses with solid omnichannel strategies are fixing customer retention, keeping around 89% of them happy, while those lagging behind in this area are only holding onto about 33%. (Source: invespcro)

Meanwhile, unified commerce is the way to go for retailers on the upswing who need a completely integrated system to handle inventory, payments, and customer interactions all under one roof. 

With the unified commerce market predicted to hit $23.47 billion by 2030, more and more retailers are jumping on this bandwagon to make their operations smoother, get better insights for decision-making, and keep their edge in the market. (Source: Virtue Market Research)

Both omnichannel and unified commerce strive to simplify the shopping experience for customers. The primary distinction lies in their approach to data management and operational processes. Omnichannel establishes connections across various platforms, whereas unified commerce consolidates them into a single, cohesive system. 

For businesses seeking a rapid method to enhance customer satisfaction, adopting an omnichannel approach can be an excellent initial step. However, for those aiming for a long-term, analytics-driven approach, unified commerce represents the future direction.