TL;DR
Most of today’s consumers expect seamless experiences everywhere they shop – by default. Whether it’s offline, online, in a mobile app, or on social channels, they want the same consistency and a frictionless journey. No less. Yet, many retailers aren’t able to deliver it.
Disconnected systems create chaos: inventory data becomes mismatched across channels, sales slip through the cracks, and shoppers end up frustrated. Fortunately, unified commerce fixes that by connecting your customer-facing channels and back-end systems in one platform.
In this guide, we’ll define unified commerce, explore its benefits, explain how it differs from multichannel and omnichannel commerce approaches, and show you how Maropost makes unified commerce a reality with a single platform.
By definition, unified commerce is a business approach that brings together various sales channels (online, in-store, mobile, social media) and back-end systems (inventory management, order fulfillment, payments, marketing, service) into one platform.
It’s like a central brain for your entire commerce business. Instead of relying on scattered systems that barely talk to each other and update only after the fact, unified commerce centralizes everything and keeps data synchronized in real time.
What does it look like in practice? Imagine these real-world scenarios:
A unified commerce platform makes that all happen, creating a better experience for both your customers and your team.
Let’s now explore the key differences between multi-channel, omnichannel, and unified commerce approaches:
With the multichannel commerce approach, a business sells through multiple independent channels (store, website, marketplaces). The biggest challenge is that those channels don’t talk to each other (i.e., don’t share information in real time). Each one operates separately, with its own inventory, systems, and data. In reality, your sales, marketing, and support reps may all interact with the same customer – and not know it.
Pros:
Cons:
The omnichannel commerce takes a customer-centric approach by connecting all customer-facing channels to ensure shoppers have a truly seamless experience whenever they shop. But while customers enjoy a frictionless experience, the back-end systems may still be fragmented, which means the data may not be automatically synchronized in real time across all your systems.
Pros:
Cons:
Unified commerce is the next step in the evolution of omnichannel commerce. With a unified commerce solution, you get a single source of truth for your entire commerce ecosystem. All your operations (inventory, product catalogs, payments, POS, orders, marketing, customer data) are managed from one centralized platform – all while data automatically syncs across all your systems in real time.
Pros:
Cons:
Recommended reading: Omnichannel vs. unified commerce: the real difference explained
|
Multichannel Commerce |
Omnichannel Commerce
|
Unified Commerce |
|
| Evolution Model | Oldest model | Modern model | Future-forward model |
| Core Goal | Maximize reach and visibility by using many independent channels | Connect customer touchpoints so the shopping experience feels consistent across channels |
Integrate all customer-facing and back-end systems to optimize operational efficiency and personalize experiences |
| Channel Integration | Channels operate separately, each with its own data, processes, and tools |
Channels are connected to provide continuity for the customer, but back-end systems may still be fragmented |
All channels and back-end systems are fully merged into a single, centralized platform |
| Customer View | Fragmented; customer data is isolated within each channel |
Connected; customer data is shared and accessible across channels, providing a more complete view |
Holistic and real time; a single source of truth for all customer interactions across all channels |
|
Customer Experience |
Customer experiences differ between channels; no continuity between touchpoints | Customers can pick up where they left off on any channel, but slight friction and information gaps may occur |
Customers receive a truly seamless and personalized experience across all touchpoints, with no data gaps or delays |
| Staff Experience |
Can be challenging for staff to access a full customer history across channels |
Improved staff access to customer information across channels | Empowered staff with a complete, real-time view of customers, orders, and inventory |
| Scalability | Scaling becomes more complex as more channels are added | Flexible but dependent on integrations and tech maintenance |
Highly scalable, intended for managing many channels efficiently from one platform |
| Ideal Use Case |
Businesses expanding into new channels without needing deep integration |
Businesses aiming to enhance customer experience and cross-channel consistency | Businesses seeking operational efficiency, real-time insights, and long-term scalability |
| Cost Implications | Lowest initial investment, but highest long-term operational costs due to separate maintenance and manual work | Moderate initial investment and high ongoing maintenance costs to keep separate systems synchronized |
Highest upfront investment, but lowest long-term TCO thanks to simplified IT, single-system maintenance, and greater operational efficiency |
When you run your business through a unified commerce platform, your customers get a more consistent, frictionless, and highly personalized experience each and every time, no matter where and how they shop.
They can buy online and pick up in-store, redeem online promo codes in a physical location, shop in-store and have items delivered to their home, and make returns easily, whether they bought the item online or in-store. This flexibility and consistency in the experience they get at every touchpoint create a better experience that fuels greater satisfaction and brand loyalty.
From a business perspective, unified commerce helps you increase sales and ROI, improve operational efficiency, and reduce the total cost of ownership. According to research by Bain and Aptos:
On top of that, based on Shopify’s data, businesses using unified commerce platforms experience a 22% lower total cost of ownership compared to multi-vendor stacks. Instead of paying for several vendors (each with its own licensing fees and integration requirements), you can move to one consolidated platform that handles every aspect of your business.
How do you know that it’s time for you to upgrade your current commerce tech stack and switch to a unified commerce platform? Here’s a unified commerce readiness checklist to help you evaluate whether your current tech stack is holding you back:
Data and Customer Insights:
☐ Is your customer data fragmented across multiple systems?
☐ Do you lack a unified view of customer behavior, history, and preferences?
☐ Are your sales, marketing, and support communications siloed?
☐ Can you effectively personalize interactions across all touchpoints?
Products, Inventory, and Orders:
☐ Are your inventory levels inconsistent across different channels?
☐ Do you struggle to keep product information and pricing consistent everywhere?
☐ Do your customers frequently ask about product availability?
☐ Do you have trouble managing and fulfilling orders across channels?
Customer Experience:
☐ Are your customers frustrated by inconsistent experiences across channels?
☐ Do your competitors offer a more seamless shopping experience?
Technology and Scalability:
☐ Is adding a new sales channel a lengthy or expensive process?
☐ Are system integrations breaking frequently or requiring constant maintenance?
☐ Do you feel limited by your current platform’s ability to scale as your business grows?
Cost and Efficiency:
☐ Are you spending too much on custom integrations or third-party middleware?
☐ Is your team wasting time on manual workflows that should be automated?
If you answered “yes” to two or more of these questions, you're likely dealing with the hidden costs and inefficiencies of fragmented systems. A unified commerce platform can help you eliminate these challenges – so this may be the right time for you to make the switch.
Today’s retail landscape demands more than what omnichannel can possibly offer. When you rely on separate point solutions for core functions, you end up paying more for multiple tools, overlapping features, and ongoing integration maintenance. Plus, you spend more time chasing data than actually serving your customers.
That’s why at Maropost, we believe the future of commerce and retail is unified. And that’s why we’ve built a truly unified commerce platform to help retailers overcome the major challenges they face with fragmented tech stacks and traditional omnichannel setups.
“We’re building a unified commerce platform because retailers deserve technology that finally brings everything together. Fragmented systems slow growth and drive up costs – unified commerce fixes that.” – Ross Andrew Paquette, CEO and founder of Maropost.
Here’s how Maropost makes unified commerce possible by offering a set of solutions that are natively integrated and work in harmony within a single platform:
Book a demo now to see the Maropost Unified Commerce platform in action and learn how it can help your business scale without adding complexity.
A unified commerce platform connects all customer-facing channels (ecommerce, POS, mobile) and back-end operational systems (inventory, order management system, CRM) into one solution. This eliminates data silos, gives you a complete picture of each customer journey, and ensures consistent experiences across every touchpoint, no matter how your customers shop – online, in-store, through mobile apps, or on social media.
Not at all, and it’s a common misconception. Mid-market and growing merchants are increasingly adopting unified commerce solutions, too. In fact, mid-market retailers often benefit the most because they feel the pain of disjointed systems and data silos more acutely. With a unified commerce platform, they can scale in a cost-effective way without added complexity or integration burden.
Not all unified commerce platforms are created equal. In fact, many platforms that claim to offer “unified commerce” aren’t really unified – they are often just well-integrated. If you’re currently evaluating different platforms, ask the vendor these questions:
If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” it’s probably not a unified commerce system. With a truly unified commerce solution, you’ll get real-time inventory updates across all your channels, the ability to manage all sales channels and operations from one interface, and consistent customer profiles accessible to any employee.