The Era of Omnichannel Commerce

Stabilized growth and seamless journeys for a more cautious shopper

Shoppers don't think in terms of “online” or “offline” — they expect both to work together, seamlessly. The Future Shopper 2025 report explores how brands can meet this expectation and create connected experiences that work in today’s cautious market.

Online growth has levelled out. Rather than signalling a slowdown, it marks the arrival of a more balanced, blended approach to retail. Shoppers are rediscovering the value of physical stores while still expecting the speed, choice, and convenience of digital.

For brands and retailers, this means rethinking how channels work together — whether that’s through a full omnichannel presence or a more selective “optichannel” strategy that focuses on the most effective touchpoints.

Understanding a series of key questions will undoubtedly offer a strong starting point for shaping your strategy in this area…

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Omnichannel commerce is not just about having multiple channels; it’s about making them work together so customers can start a journey in one channel and complete it in another without friction.

And in 2025, omnichannel should be the north star for most businesses because 62% of global shoppers prefer to buy from brands with both physical and online stores. Marketplaces, supermarkets, and grocers dominate both online and offline stages of the journey, showing the need for integrated strategies.

With online spending stabilizing at 53% of total retail spend, the growth opportunity lies in blending physical and digital to meet customers’ expectations for convenience, flexibility, and consistency.

Omnichannel refers to providing customers with a fully integrated shopping experience across all available channels — online, mobile, physical stores, social commerce, marketplaces, and more — allowing them to move seamlessly between them. The goal is to be “everywhere the customer is,” ensuring consistent branding, pricing, and service.

Optichannel is a more strategic, focused approach. Instead of trying to be present on every possible channel, brands identify and prioritize the most effective channels for their audience, products, and resources. It’s about quality over quantity — focusing investment where it delivers the highest ROI and the best customer experience.

The Future Shopper 2025 report suggests that chasing full omnichannel presence without focus can stretch budgets thin and lead to underwhelming execution for many businesses. Optichannel strategies ensure brands meet customers where they are most engaged, without diluting resources.

A unified experience means customers feel they are dealing with the same brand — with the same promises, tone, and service — no matter where they interact. To achieve this:

Unify data systems so customer profiles, purchase history, and preferences are accessible across channels.
Standardize brand messaging and visual identity for consistency.
Integrate inventory visibility so customers can see real-time stock levels online and in-store.
Enable cross-channel fulfilment — buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS), ship-from-store, and easy returns across all locations.
Train staff to handle omnichannel interactions, from in-store returns of online purchases to live chat support for in-store queries.

When executed well, this creates a single brand conversation with the customer, regardless of channel.

The most effective omnichannel strategies in 2025 include:

Click-and-collect and curbside pickup to merge online convenience with offline immediacy.
Endless aisle technology in-store, allowing customers to order out-of-stock items online for home delivery.
Mobile-first store experiences — integrating QR codes, mobile payments, and app-based loyalty programs into physical shopping
.Consistent promotions across channels to avoid price mismatch frustration.
AI-powered personalization that works across touchpoints, ensuring recommendations in-store match those online.

The key is to make the physical store a fulfilment hub, brand theatre, and service center — not just a point of sale.

Operationalizing end-to-end commerce means aligning every stage of the customer journey — from inspiration to fulfilment — under a single strategy. This requires:

Integrated commerce platforms that connect product information, inventory, pricing, and promotions across all channels.
Marketplace optimization to ensure visibility where customers start their search.
Real-time logistics tracking and delivery scheduling to meet rising speed expectations, with 40% of shoppers unwilling to buy from brands that can’t offer next-day delivery.
AI-driven demand forecasting to position inventory closer to customers and reduce delivery times.
Customer journey mapping to identify and remove friction points between stages.

When these elements are connected, customers experience a smooth, predictable journey — which is a major driver of loyalty in uncertain times.

In 2025, the most impactful omnichannel technologies are those that:

Unify data and inventory across channels through cloud-based commerce platforms, headless CMS, and PIM systems.
Leverage AI for personalization, predictive analytics, and conversational commerce.
Integrate marketplaces directly into order management systems to streamline fulfilment.
Enable optichannel execution by tracking channel performance and reallocating resources dynamically.
Support mobile-first experiences, as 42% of all online sales now happen via mobile.
Enhance fulfilment flexibility with distributed order management and last-mile delivery optimization.

Emerging solutions also include agentic AI shopping assistants, AR/VR product visualization, and voice commerce integration, all of which will play a bigger role in the next three to five years.

At a Glance

53%

of consumer spend is online — the same as last year, suggesting a plateau.

At a Glance

62%

of global shoppers prefer to shop with a brand or retailer that has both physical and online stores.

At a Glance

22%

of global shopping spend is via marketplaces - down from 29% last year, reinforcing the omnichannel trend.

Read the full report to understand:

The current shopper trends and consumer behaviors driven by risk aversion and hesitation.
How economic and political uncertainties are reshaping consumer spending and shopping habits.
The current key financial stress factors for today’s consumer.
How can brands and retailers adapt their strategies to address evolving consumer psychology and purchase delays.
How businesses can build consumer trust and provide reassurance to cautious shoppers in uncertain times.

The role of economic and political uncertainty for the modern shopper is just one of the crucial themes we investigate in our new report which covers insights and recommended actions spanning the end-to-end shopper journey. Click for all ten themes to champion the e-commerce and hybrid retail challenge, through unified customers journeys and touch points, frictionless shopping, integrated channels, meaningful innovation and connected commerce.