Multichannel, Omnichannel or just Shopping?

I had the pleasure of being asked to sit on the ‘Achieving a seamless omnichannel customer journey through digital transformation’ panel at The Retail Conference in London this week run by The Retail Bulletin

I was asked ‘ Are retailers still misunderstanding the difference between multi-channel and omnichannel? Do we need a new term?’ My answer was quite simple

Yes, retailers often confuse or misunderstand the difference between omnichannel and multichannel. Multichannel refers to using multiple channels to engage with customers, like a physical store, an e-commerce site, and a mobile app, without necessarily integrating these channels. On the other hand, omnichannel goes a step further by not just using multiple channels but also ensuring they are seamlessly integrated, providing a consistent and unified customer experience across all platforms​​​​. The distinction lies in the integration and consistency of the customer experience with omnichannel, versus simply having multiple platforms available in multichannel. Many retailers focus on the ‘omni’ part. That is they want to be everywhere but don’t necessarily address the connected experience element.

Earlier in the day GFK talked about how today’s consumer will swap between researching online and shopping instore and vice-versa. If retailers don’t facilitate the connection between these touchpoints they risk losing that sale.

As a member of the audience mentioned, to consumers, it’s just shopping. He was spot on. Consumers don’t think about multi or omni channels. In fact, if anything, it’s the retailer’s role to limit the thinking needed to fulfil the customers needs and wants at that moment. Just make it easy for them .