One of the most transformative retail trends is the Unified Commerce concept. If you’re among those who still have one system for physical commerce and another for online commerce, read on. A Unified Commerce strategy is crucial for stores and online shops to connect all data from different sales channels in one place and ensure the best possible customer experience.

Unified Commerce goes beyond the familiar multi-channel strategy, where a company operates across multiple platforms but often has separate systems. Unified Commerce integrates all sales channels and back-end systems on a single platform. This provides a holistic view of the customer and a great customer experience across all touchpoints - whether the customer is shopping online, in a physical store, on mobile, or on social media.

In this blog, I explain what value Unified Commerce creates for you and what you should consider including in your Unified Commerce strategy.

What value does Unified Commerce create?

  1. Improved customer journey: Unified Commerce creates a coherent and consistent experience for your customers. With all data in one system, your customers can begin their journey seamlessly on one channel and end it on another. For example, a customer can research a product online, try it in a physical store, and buy it via a mobile app.
  2. Increased loyalty and engagement: An integrated system gives you a complete picture of each customer’s preferences and buying behavior. This enables personalized offers and recommendations, increasing customer loyalty and engagement.
  3. Efficient inventory management: Unified Commerce provides a unified view of inventory across all channels. This means you can optimize inventory management, reduce redundant stock, and process orders faster by shipping from the most appropriate warehouse location.
  4. Flexible payment solutions: Different payment methods, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and MobilePay, give your customers flexibility and convenience when paying for goods or services, which can increase conversion rates.
  5. Real-time data and analytics: With a unified commerce strategy, you’ll have access to real-time data and analytics, allowing you to make faster and more informed decisions. This can help predict demand, customize marketing strategies, and improve the customer experience.

What should you consider for your Unified Commerce strategy?

  1. Choose the right technology platform: The first step is to choose a platform that supports integration across all channels—selecting a solution that can scale with your business and handle data from both online and offline sales.
  2. Integrate CRM systems: Integrate your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems with your Unified Commerce platform. This ensures that all customer data is unified, enabling a personalized customer experience and effective marketing.
  3. Optimize mobile experiences: Ensure your webshop is optimized for mobile devices. This includes responsive design, fast loading time, and easy navigation. If you want to offer an even better shopping experience, consider developing a mobile app.
  4. Train your employees: Unified commerce requires employees to understand and utilize the new technology. Invest in training and education to ensure your team is equipped to deliver a consistent and positive customer experience across all channels.
  5. Focus on security: With increased integration and use of mobile payment solutions comes increased security requirements. Ensure your platform is secure and you comply with all relevant data and payment regulations.
  6. Continuous evaluation and customization: Implementing a unified commerce strategy is not a one-time task. It requires continuous evaluation and adaptation based on customer feedback and analyzing performance data. Be prepared to adjust your strategy to meet changing customer needs and market trends.

Of course, a unified commerce strategy must be supported by a complete POS system, i.e., intelligent software and a smart payment terminal. At Unzer, we cover the entire payment flow for stores and webshops, offering payment gateways and acquiring. In addition, we have launched a POS system called POS Go, with a compact, mobile cash register that does it all. This POS system makes payment extraordinarily smooth and efficient for customers while collecting all necessary data in one place and providing insight into inventory, prices, sales activities, financial reporting, CRM, coupon management, personalized PIN codes, and other data that make everyday operations smarter.

Unified Commerce represents a fundamental change in the retail landscape and is undoubtedly the digital backbone of retail. With continuous evaluation and customization, you can ensure your business remains agile and able to meet future challenges and opportunities across all sales channels. Most importantly, you can significantly strengthen the customer journey while gaining much faster and better insight into important business data.