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Omnichannel Commerce

E-commerce strategy and analyticsIntermediate Level

Omnichannel commerce connects webshop, marketplaces, stores and social channels with shared product, stock and customer data, so shopping feels like one experience.

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What is Omnichannel Commerce?

Omnichannel commerce is selling through every channel, such as your webshop, marketplaces, physical stores, social media and customer service, as one connected experience. Product information, stock, prices, orders and customer history are shared, so a shopper can start on one channel and finish on another without starting over. That is the difference with multichannel commerce, where channels exist side by side but run on separate data. An omnichannel commerce platform usually combines several systems: an ERP such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for stock, prices and orders, an ecommerce platform for the storefront, and a PIM for the product content every channel shows. Typical omnichannel services are click and collect, returns in store for online orders and one stock view across locations. Read how a PIM fits next to the ERP in our Business Central PIM guide.

Why Omnichannel Commerce matters for e-commerce

Shoppers move between channels: they find a product on Instagram, compare it on a marketplace, check stock in the webshop and pick it up in a store. Omnichannel commerce makes that path work. When prices, stock or product details differ per channel, trust drops and orders get cancelled. McKinsey's 2024 B2B Pulse found that B2B buyers use an average of ten channels, so the same applies to wholesale. The foundation is shared data: one stock view, one order history and one version of the product content.

Examples of Omnichannel Commerce

  • 1Service: Click and collect, Channels: Webshop and store, Shared data: Store stock per location
  • 2Service: Return in store, Channels: Online order, physical store, Shared data: Order history and refunds
  • 3Service: Endless aisle, Channels: Store tablet, webshop, Shared data: Full catalog and warehouse stock
  • 4Service: Same product content everywhere, Channels: Webshop, Google Shopping, marketplace, Shared data: Titles, attributes, images from one PIM

Omnichannel Commerce: A 5-Step Implementation Guide

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How WISEPIM Helps

  • One version of product content: WISEPIM keeps titles, descriptions, attributes and images in one place for every channel.
  • Platform connections: Opt-in auto-sync pushes a saved product about 30 seconds later to Magento 2, Shopify, WooCommerce, Lightspeed eCom, Ecwid, CCV Shop, Kaufland, PrestaShop, ShopWired and Google Merchant Center.
  • Channel-specific content: Optimize for Platform and pricing rules per channel adapt content and prices without separate copies.

Common mistakes with Omnichannel Commerce

  • Treating omnichannel as adding more channels instead of connecting them.
  • Keeping product content in separate spreadsheets per channel.
  • Showing online stock that does not match what stores and warehouses really have.
  • Making in-store returns of online orders difficult.
  • Choosing systems that cannot exchange data with each other.

Tips for Omnichannel Commerce

  • Map every channel and decide which system owns which data: stock, prices, product content and orders.
  • Fix product data first; every channel shows the same gaps.
  • Start with one connected service, such as click and collect, before adding more.
  • Use a product feed checker to see how your data looks to Google Shopping.
  • Measure customers across channels, not each channel on its own.

Trends around Omnichannel Commerce

  • Unified commerce platforms that combine point of sale and ecommerce on one data model.
  • Social commerce on TikTok Shop and Instagram as a full sales channel.
  • AI shopping assistants that read product feeds directly.
  • Composable setups that connect ERP, PIM and ecommerce through APIs.
  • Store stock shown on the website for same-day pickup.

Tools for Omnichannel Commerce

  • WISEPIM: PIM that keeps product content in one place and sends it to connected shops and Google Merchant Center.
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central: ERP for stock, prices, orders and finance.
  • Shopify Plus: Ecommerce platform with point of sale and multichannel selling.
  • Adobe Commerce (Magento): Flexible ecommerce platform for complex catalogs.
  • Salesforce Commerce Cloud: Enterprise commerce platform with order management.

Related Terms

Agentic commerceAverage Order Value (AOV)Conversion Rate (CR)Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) for Product PagesDemand forecasting

Also Known As

omnichannel ecommerceunified commerceomnichannel retail

Frequently Asked Questions

In a typical setup, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central holds items, stock, prices and orders, and connects to the webshop and point of sale. Business Central is not built to manage rich product content such as long descriptions, many attributes, images and translations. Many companies add a PIM for that content and send it to the webshop and marketplaces, while stock and orders keep flowing through the ERP.

An omnichannel commerce solution is the set of systems that lets you sell on several channels with shared data. It usually includes an ecommerce platform, an ERP or inventory system, a PIM for product content, and order management that sees stock across locations. Some vendors sell this as one suite; others connect separate tools.

Multichannel means you sell on several channels, but each channel runs on its own data and processes. Omnichannel connects those channels, so stock, prices, product information and customer history are the same everywhere. A shopper can buy online and return in store, or see store stock on the website.

Every channel needs product content in its own format, from a webshop page to a marketplace listing. When teams edit each channel by hand, versions drift apart and shoppers see conflicting details. A PIM keeps one version of the product data and sends it to every channel.

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