[[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"BlogPosting","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressRegion":"PA","postalCode":"19073","streetAddress":"3999 West Chester Pike","name":"The Future of Commerce","addressCountry":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/#Country","addressLocality":"Newtown Square","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/#PostalAddress"},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/","alternateName":"The Future of Commerce and Customer Engagement","additionalType":"news media","name":"The Future of Commerce","description":"News, information, and analysis on the future of commerce, including e-commerce, customer engagement, B2B, B2C, DTC, supply chain, sustainability, and purpose.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/groups\/4844282","https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/a-call-for-a-better-experience\/id1479742201","https:\/\/twitter.com\/FutureOfCEC","https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/feed\/"],"contactPoint":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/#ContactPoint","legalName":"The Future of Commerce","parentOrganization":"https:\/\/www.sap.com\/index.html#Organization","numberOfEmployees":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/#QuantitativeValue","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-foc-2x.svg","height":"96","width":"293","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-foc-2x.svg"},"@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/"},"name":"Omnichannel vs. multichannel: What\u2019s the difference and who is doing it?","headline":"Omnichannel vs. multichannel: What\u2019s the difference and who is doing it?","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/09\/13\/omnichannel-vs-multichannel\/","datePublished":"2017-09-13","image":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Omnichannel-vs-Multichannel-FTR-1200x370.jpg","about":["https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/09\/13\/omnichannel-vs-multichannel\/#About",{"@type":"Thing","name":"Retail","@id":"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q126793#Thing"},{"@type":"Thing","name":"omnichannel (Q16999365)","@id":"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q16999365#Thing"},{"@type":"Thing","name":"Omnichannel Commerce","@id":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Omnichannel#Thing"},{"@type":"Thing","name":"Retail","@id":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Retail#Thing"},{"@type":"Thing","name":"Multichannel marketing","@id":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Multichannel_marketing#Thing"},{"@type":"Thing","name":"Multichannel marketing (Q1952340)","@id":"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q1952340#Thing"}],"description":"Omnichannel and multichannel involve selling across multiple physical and digital channels. Tthe key difference is how the customer experience is coordinated across those channels.","dateModified":"2024-04-24","subjectOf":{"@type":"FAQPage","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/09\/13\/omnichannel-vs-multichannel\/","name":"Omnichannel vs. multichannel: What\u2019s the difference and who is doing it?","about":[{"@id":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Omnichannel#Thing"},{"@id":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Retail#Thing"},{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q126793#Thing"},{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q1952340#Thing"},{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q16999365#Thing"},"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/09\/13\/omnichannel-vs-multichannel\/#About"],"mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is omnichannel?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Omnichannel is a strategy used in e-commerce, retail, and marketing that aims to deliver a consistent and reliable experience to customers across all channels. As customers transition between different channels, their applications and data follow seamlessly, delivering a uniform experience from start to finish. For a retail e-commerce business, this translates into delivering a consistent shopping experience across all channels \u2013 including both physical and digital store fronts.","name":"What is omnichannel?","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/09\/13\/omnichannel-vs-multichannel\/#Answer1"},"@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/09\/13\/omnichannel-vs-multichannel\/#Question1"},{"@type":"Question","name":"How does omnichannel retail work?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"

Omnichannel retail works by integrating and synchronizing multiple channels to create a seamless and consistent customer experience, regardless of how or where a customer interacts with the brand. This is achieved by:<\/p>

  1. Integrating across all channels where the brand interacts with its customers<\/strong><\/li>
  2. Centralizing data management<\/strong><\/li>
  3. Real-time inventory management<\/strong><\/li>
  4. Offering flexible fulfillment and returns<\/strong><\/li>
  5. Consistent customer service experience<\/strong><\/li>
  6. Personalized customer interactions<\/strong><\/li>
  7. Consistent brand experience<\/strong><\/li> <\/ol>","name":"How does omnichannel retail work?","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/09\/13\/omnichannel-vs-multichannel\/#Answer2"},"@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/09\/13\/omnichannel-vs-multichannel\/#Question2"},{"@type":"Question","name":"What is multichannel?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","name":"What is multichannel?","text":"Multichannel is a strategy where a business provides customers with various sales channels to make purchases. This approach is often confused with omnichannel. Key sales channels in multichannel retail typically include brick-and-mortar stores, online stores or e-commerce platforms, third-party marketplaces (e.g., Amazon), social media platforms (like Facebook Marketplace, TikTok, and Pinterest), and mobile applications to facilitate shopping on the go.","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/09\/13\/omnichannel-vs-multichannel\/#Answer3"},"@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/09\/13\/omnichannel-vs-multichannel\/#Question3"},{"@type":"Question","name":"How does multichannel retail work?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","name":"How does multichannel retail work?","text":"

    Multichannel retail operates by providing customers with multiple, distinct channels through which they can make purchases - but these channels function independently of each other. It is characterized by:<\/p>

    1. Siloed sales channels<\/strong><\/li>
    2. Independent operations<\/strong><\/li>
    3. Fragmented customer interaction<\/strong><\/li>
    4. Separate marketing and promotions<\/strong><\/li>
    5. Inventory management<\/strong><\/li>
    6. Data collection and utilization<\/strong><\/li>
    7. Disconnected customer experience<\/strong><\/li> <\/ol>","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/09\/13\/omnichannel-vs-multichannel\/#Answer4"},"@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/09\/13\/omnichannel-vs-multichannel\/#Question4"}],"@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/09\/13\/omnichannel-vs-multichannel\/#FAQPage"},"author":{"@type":"Person","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cb38707a551a8f7ef04ec48c5d9ffbf1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96,"@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cb38707a551a8f7ef04ec48c5d9ffbf1?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/branwell-moffat\/","name":"Branwell Moffat","identifier":217,"@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/branwell-moffat\/#Person"},"mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/09\/13\/omnichannel-vs-multichannel\/"},"@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/09\/13\/omnichannel-vs-multichannel\/"},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"WebPage","abstract":"Omnichannel is a buzz word that\u2019s been around for over five years, but is still often confused with multi-channel when it comes to retail. Most retailers are now multichannel, where they sell their products across more than one channel. Very few, however, are truly omnichannel. Although both multi and omnichannel involve selling across multiple physical and digital channels, the key difference is how the customer experience is joined up across those channels. A traditional multichannel retailer may have a website and physical stores. These two channels are generally very siloed, and have very little interaction with one another. Stores will have their own stock and will sell directly to customers, while the website will have its own stock. Items purchased in stores can only be returned in store, and sometimes online orders cannot be returned in-store. As a customer, your online interaction with the retailer is completely separated from your offline interaction. In essence, the online and offline channels are treated as separate businesses.","about":["https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q16999365","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Omnichannel"],"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/09\/13\/omnichannel-vs-multichannel\/","name":"Omnichannel vs. multichannel: What\u2019s the difference and who is doing it?","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/09\/13\/omnichannel-vs-multichannel\/#WebPage"}],{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2017","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"09","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/\/09\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"13","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/\/09\/\/13\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Omnichannel vs. multichannel 2024: What’s the difference and who is doing it?","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/09\/13\/omnichannel-vs-multichannel\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]