Omnichannel: why getting it right is so difficult
Years ago, the webshop was simply added as an extra sales channel alongside the physical store. The store had its own inventory, POS system and processes, while the webshop largely operated independently.
That worked perfectly well when online and offline were two separate worlds.
Today, customers expect something different. They want to order online and collect in store, check store inventory online, return products in a physical location and see the same product information, pricing and promotions across every channel. For retailers, this means all sales channels must work together seamlessly.
This is exactly where many traditional e-commerce platforms start to show their limitations.
Omnichannel Requires More Than a Webshop
Many e-commerce platforms were originally built around a single channel: the webshop.
As omnichannel processes become more important, functions such as inventory management, order processing, product information management and store operations are often added through separate systems, integrations and apps.
The result is a technology landscape where information is spread across multiple applications.
Common examples include:
Inventory managed in multiple systems
Orders processed through several applications before completion
Store inventory that is not available to online customers in real time
Product information maintained in multiple locations
Loyalty programs that operate differently online and offline
As additional channels are introduced, complexity increases even further.
Inventory Is Often the First Challenge
Omnichannel starts with inventory.
Customers increasingly expect visibility into product availability, not only in a central warehouse but also across individual stores.
While this may seem straightforward, it requires POS systems, ERP software, warehouses and webshops to continuously share accurate, up-to-date inventory information.
When systems are not fully integrated, businesses often face challenges such as:
Selling products that are no longer available
Missed sales opportunities because store inventory is not visible online
Manual inventory corrections
Disappointed customers
Orders Create the Next Layer of Complexity
Once multiple inventory locations become available, the next question arises: where should an order be fulfilled?
Should it be shipped from the distribution centre?
From the nearest store?
Or from the location that still has stock available?
Many platforms were not originally designed to support these processes. As a result, additional systems are often required to enable order routing, ship-from-store, click & collect and reservation functionality.
Product Information Must Be Consistent Everywhere
Alongside inventory and orders, product information plays a critical role in omnichannel success.
Customers expect to see the same information across every touchpoint: webshops, physical stores, marketplaces and mobile apps.
When product data is distributed across multiple systems, inconsistencies quickly emerge. This not only increases the risk of errors but also makes product management significantly more time consuming.
Architecture Ultimately Makes the Difference
Many omnichannel challenges are not process problems, they are architecture problems.
When webshops, PIM systems, OMS platforms and channel management tools operate as separate solutions that constantly need to synchronise data, complexity grows as the business expands.
Retailers often experience this when they add new sales channels, connect additional stores or introduce services such as click & collect and ship-from-store.
Why NextChapter Takes a Different Approach
The NextChapter multiˣ suite was designed from the ground up for businesses operating across multiple channels.
Webshops, PIM, OMS and CMS work together within a single environment, meaning product information, inventory, orders and content do not need to be continuously synchronised between separate systems.
As a result, the important processes are part of the same infrastructure:
Real-time store inventory
Click & collect
Ship-from-store
Order allocation
Reservations
Marketplace sales
Centralised product information management
Therefore, businesses can add new channels and expand their operations without increasing technical complexity at the same pace.
Omnichannel in Practice
The challenges of omnichannel become truly apparent when multiple stores, inventory locations and systems need to work together.
SPORT 2000 is a great example of this. With more than 90 affiliated stores, customers expect a consistent shopping experience regardless of whether they shop online or in-store. Features such as real-time store inventory, click & collect and ship-from-store may seem straightforward to the customer, but behind the scenes they require continuous data exchange between stores, POS systems, inventory locations and the webshop.
When a customer sees that a product is available in a specific store, they expect that information to be accurate. To make this possible, inventory updates must be processed instantly and shared across all sales channels. The same applies to orders that can be fulfilled from different locations or collected in-store.
Conclusion
Omnichannel is no longer a competitive advantage. For many retailers, it has become the standard customers expect.
The real challenge is not adding another sales channel, but ensuring all channels work together as one.
That is where the underlying technology makes the difference. Ultimately, it is not the webshop itself that determines omnichannel success, but how inventory, orders, product information and stores are connected behind the scenes.