The importance of an omnichannel strategy in e-commerce

In e-commerce, it is very easy to confuse omnichannel with simply being present in many sales channels. A company has an online store, an account on a marketplace, social media profiles, Google Ads campaigns, a newsletter, sometimes a mobile app, sometimes brick-and-mortar sales, sometimes sales representatives serving B2B customers. At first glance, this looks like a developed sales ecosystem. In practice, however, it is often only multichannel – many channels functioning side by side, but without a shared process, data and customer experience.

Omnichannel begins only when these channels no longer function as separate worlds. The customer can start contact with the brand in one place, continue it in a second, buy in a third, pick up or return the product in a fourth, and the company still understands who this customer is, what they have already done, what needs they have, what the status of their order is and what information should be available to them. In such a model, sales, communication, service and logistics channels do not compete with one another, but work together within a coherent experience.

From CREHLER’s perspective, an omnichannel strategy is therefore not only a matter of marketing, UX or customer service. It is primarily a matter of sales architecture. If the online store, ERP, PIM, WMS, CRM, marketplace, POS, marketing automation, customer service and the tools used by sales representatives are not connected, it is difficult to speak of true omnichannel. The customer may see many touchpoints, but the company will still work in silos.

Shopware emphasizes in its materials on omnichannel commerce that the modern customer rarely buys through a single channel. They may search for a product online, check it in a physical store, return to purchase via an app, come into contact with the brand through a marketplace or use the help of a salesperson. That is exactly why an omnichannel strategy should connect all touchpoints and create a coherent shopping experience, regardless of where the customer starts and ends the process.

Omnichannel does not mean being present everywhere, but being consistent everywhere

One of the biggest mistakes made by companies developing digital sales is the belief that the more channels they have, the more mature their e-commerce is. In practice, the sheer number of channels says nothing about maturity. It can even increase chaos if each channel has its own data, its own promotions, its own inventory, its own service, its own reporting methods and its own communication rules.

Multichannel means that a company sells or communicates in several channels. Omnichannel means that these channels are connected. The difference is fundamental. In multichannel, the customer can buy online, write to customer service, see an ad on Instagram or go to a marketplace, but each of these places can function independently. In omnichannel, the company recognizes the customer, their history, their context and their needs regardless of the channel.

For the customer, the difference is very concrete. In a multichannel model, they may hear in a physical store that the staff cannot see the online order. They may get a different price in the app than in the store. They may see product availability on the website and later find out that the warehouse does not confirm the stock. They may start a complaint through a form and then have to explain the case to an advisor again from the beginning. They may receive a newsletter with a product they have already bought or one that cannot be ordered in their region.

In omnichannel, such situations should be limited. Not because every channel is identical, but because each one is based on the same foundation of data and processes. The customer may have a different experience in the online store, a different one in the app, a different one on the marketplace and a different one with the B2B sales representative, but they should feel that the company functions as one organism.

This is especially important in companies that are developing dynamically. At the beginning, an additional sales channel may seem like a simple way to increase revenue. Over time, however, each channel begins to generate its own complexity: orders, returns, payments, inventory, promotions, customer service, product data, analytics and integrations. Without an omnichannel strategy, the company very quickly moves from revenue growth to the growth of operational chaos.

The customer does not think in channels, but in needs

Companies often organize sales by channels, but customers do not think that way. The customer does not ask themselves whether they are currently using the e-commerce channel, social commerce, marketplace, offline, mobile app or direct sales. The customer wants to solve their need: find a product, compare options, check availability, get an answer, pay, pick up an order, return a product or repeat a purchase.

This means that, from the customer’s perspective, the channel is only a means. If the experience between channels is inconsistent, the customer does not perceive this as an organizational problem of the company. They perceive it as a brand problem. If the price is different, the availability is unreliable, the service does not see the order history and the return has to be started from the beginning, the customer does not analyze that the cause is a lack of integration between systems. They simply lose trust.

That is exactly why omnichannel is so important. Not because the company has to be present everywhere. But because it must act consistently wherever the customer actually comes into contact with it. An omnichannel strategy should begin with mapping the real customer journey, not with a list of channels that the company wants to launch.

In B2C, the customer journey may begin with a social media ad, go through Google search, a price comparison site, a product page, a newsletter, a physical store and finally a mobile app. In B2B, it may look different: the customer checks the online catalogue, speaks with a sales representative, asks for an offer, compares conditions in the B2B panel, consults the purchase internally, returns to the cart after approval and expects the invoice and documents to be available in one place.

In both cases, the key is the same: the customer does not want to start from the beginning every time they change channels.

Omnichannel requires a source of truth

There is no effective omnichannel without organized data. If product data, prices, inventory, order statuses, customer information and promotions live in many systems without clear synchronization rules, the company is not able to provide a coherent experience.

One of the most important questions in an omnichannel strategy is: which systems are the source of truth for specific data? ERP may be the source of truth for prices, commercial terms and orders. PIM for product data, attributes, descriptions, images and translations. WMS for stock levels, reservations and availability. CRM for customer relationships and contact history. The e-commerce platform for the shopping experience, cart, checkout and sales channel. Marketing automation for communication and segmentation. POS for brick-and-mortar sales.

The problem begins when these roles are not clearly defined. If the price is different in the ERP, different in e-commerce, different on the marketplace, and the sales representative also has a separate file with discounts, the company does not have omnichannel. It has a data conflict. If inventory is updated with a delay, the customer may buy a product that is not actually available. If product data differs between the store and the marketplace, the brand loses consistency. If customer service cannot see orders from different channels, service cannot be smooth.

Omnichannel therefore requires not only technical integrations, but also organizational decisions. Who is responsible for product data? Who manages price lists? Who defines promotions? Who controls inventory? Who is responsible for the quality of customer data? Who decides which information is shared and which can be local to the channel?

At CREHLER, we very often emphasize that omnichannel does not begin with the frontend. It begins with data and processes. Only when the company knows where information comes from and how it flows between systems can an experience be built that looks simple to the customer.

The role of Shopware in building omnichannel

Shopware fits well into an omnichannel strategy because it allows a flexible sales ecosystem to be built on the basis of many channels, integrations and purchasing scenarios. Important elements here include Sales Channels, API-first architecture, integrations with ERP, PIM, WMS, CRM and marketplaces, central content management capabilities, and flexible tools such as Rule Builder and Shopping Experiences.

Shopware points out in its materials that the shop system is one of the key elements of omnichannel commerce because it acts as a central hub that connects channels and simplifies operations. Such a system should be flexible, scalable and capable of integration with other solutions such as ERP, CRM or marketplaces. This is very close to how we at CREHLER view a modern e-commerce platform: not as the store itself, but as the operational layer of sales.

Sales Channels allow different sales channels, markets, domains, languages, currencies and configurations to be managed within one ecosystem. This is particularly important for companies that sell simultaneously in B2C, B2B, D2C, on marketplaces, in many countries or in a hybrid model. Each channel can have its own logic, but it should be part of the same architecture.

API-first architecture allows Shopware to be connected with the systems that are necessary for omnichannel: ERP, PIM, WMS, CRM, POS, marketing automation, payment systems, courier services and analytics tools. As a result, the platform can be not only a place of sale, but part of a larger data and process ecosystem.

Shopping Experiences allow content and the shopping experience to be managed across different channels and contexts. Rule Builder supports flexible sales scenarios, promotions, delivery conditions, payments and cart logic. B2B Components can support more complex purchasing processes, such as user roles, quick orders, shopping lists, quote creation and approvals.

Most importantly, however, Shopware provides the foundation, but it does not replace strategy. Whether a company builds omnichannel is determined by the way the implementation is carried out: integration architecture, data quality, channel model, order fulfillment process, inventory logic and the way teams work.

Omnichannel and marketplaces

Marketplaces have become an important element of the sales strategy for many companies. They provide quick access to customers, allow new markets to be tested, increase reach and can significantly support sales. At the same time, they should not be treated as a replacement for a company’s own sales channel or as a separate world completely detached from the rest of e-commerce.

Shopware points out in materials on B2B and marketplaces that marketplaces offer greater reach, but also bring challenges related to price control, brand visibility and access to customer data. That is why they should complement a broader omnichannel strategy and not replace direct sales and the company’s own digital channels.

This is very important. A company that develops marketplace sales without integrating them with its own e-commerce can quickly lose control over inventory, prices, product descriptions, margin and order fulfillment. If the marketplace functions separately, the team has to manually update data, control availability, monitor prices and handle orders in several places. On a small scale, this may still work. On a larger scale, it becomes expensive and risky.

In an omnichannel strategy, the marketplace should be one of the channels in a larger ecosystem. Product data should come from one source. Inventory should be synchronized. Prices should be controlled. Orders should flow into operational systems. The handling of returns and complaints should be designed. Analytics should show how the marketplace affects overall sales, not only its own channel.

Thanks to solutions such as Shopware Multichannel Connect, developed with ChannelEngine, it is possible to connect Shopware with a broad network of marketplaces and centrally manage listings, inventory, prices and orders. For companies developing multichannel sales, this is an important element because the marketplace can be incorporated into the strategy instead of creating a parallel, difficult-to-control process.

Omnichannel in B2B – more than an ordering platform

In B2B, omnichannel has special importance because the business customer often moves between many touchpoints: sales representative, B2B platform, marketplace, customer service, technical department, documentation, offer, order history and internal approval process. If these elements are not connected, the customer experience becomes fragmented.

In practice, B2B omnichannel is not only about the customer being able to order online. It is about the customer being able to check their prices, see availability, repeat a purchase, download documents, send a request for quotation, work within the structure of their organization, receive support from the sales representative and continue the process without losing context.

Shopware points out that in B2B, an omnichannel strategy should connect customer touchpoints, regardless of whether the buyer starts on a marketplace, visits the company’s website or contacts the sales representative. Such an approach makes it possible to ensure a coherent experience, use data for personalization, give buyers more control over the process and improve operational efficiency by synchronizing inventory, orders and prices.

This is very close to how CREHLER designs B2B platforms. For us, B2B e-commerce is not a simple store with a catalogue. It should be an environment for cooperation between the company and the customer. The sales representative does not disappear from the process, but they stop being the only access point to information. The platform takes over repetitive tasks, and the sales representative can focus on consulting, negotiations, customer development and handling exceptions.

Omnichannel in B2B requires particularly good integration with ERP, PIM, CRM and WMS. Without this, the customer may see incorrect prices, outdated availability, missing documents or statuses that do not reflect reality. And in B2B, a lack of trust in data very quickly leads to a return to emails and phone calls.

Inventory and fulfillment as a test of true omnichannel

One of the most difficult areas of omnichannel is product availability. The customer may want to buy online and pick up in store. They may want to check whether the product is available at a selected location. They may buy on a marketplace, but the order should be fulfilled from the central warehouse. They may buy in a physical store and later return through an online channel. They may expect the company to see their order regardless of where it was placed.

This requires much more than the information “product available”. It requires inventory synchronization, reservations, warehouse logic, return handling, order status, integration with WMS and ERP, and a clear fulfillment model. Omnichannel then becomes very operational.

Shopware points out that in omnichannel commerce, managing inventory across different channels and having real-time data on orders, stock levels and customers are of crucial importance. Without this, it is difficult to create a smooth shopping experience. The customer expects current information, and the company must have a process that confirms this information.

In practice, it is very often logistics that verifies whether a company truly has omnichannel or only many sales channels. If the online store shows availability that the warehouse does not confirm, there is no omnichannel. If the physical store cannot see the online order, there is no omnichannel. If a marketplace sells a product that has already been reserved elsewhere, there is no omnichannel. If a return from one channel is not visible in another, there is no omnichannel.

That is why, when designing omnichannel, it is necessary to analyze not only the frontend and customer journey, but also warehouse processes, reservation rules, stock updates, channel priorities, error handling and order status. The customer sees a simple message. Underneath it, a complex architecture must function.

Personalization in omnichannel depends on data

One of the most frequently mentioned benefits of omnichannel is personalization. If a company sees customer behavior across different channels, it can better adapt communication, recommendations, promotions and service. It can understand that the customer viewed a product online, added it to the cart, bought a similar product in a physical store, responded to a newsletter or spoke with a sales representative. Communication can then be more relevant and less random.

The problem is that personalization without data integration very quickly becomes superficial. If the marketing automation system sees only newsletter clicks but does not see marketplace orders, recommendations will be incomplete. If the online store does not see offline purchase history, it does not build a complete customer profile. If CRM is not connected with e-commerce, the sales representative will not know what the customer did in the digital channel. If data is scattered, the company personalizes based on fragments.

Omnichannel gives the opportunity to understand the customer better, but only when data is collected, connected and used responsibly. It is not only about sales, but also about the quality of the experience. The customer should not receive messages detached from their actual actions. They should not receive a promotion for a product they have just bought in another channel. They should not be treated like a new customer if they have been cooperating with the company for years in the offline or B2B channel.

Shopware points out in materials on omnichannel that data from different channels can be used to analyze behavior, personalize recommendations and create better-adapted offers. From our perspective, this is an area where it is worth connecting omnichannel strategy with marketing automation, CRM, segmentation and analytics. First, however, it is necessary to take care of data quality, consents, integrations and a clear model for using customer information.

Omnichannel and mobile

Mobile is one of the most important elements of omnichannel because it very often plays the role of an intermediate channel. The customer may not finalize the purchase on the phone, but uses it for research, checking reviews, comparing prices, scanning codes in store, checking availability, receiving notifications, tracking shipments or contacting service.

That is why mobile should not be treated in an omnichannel strategy as a smaller version of desktop. It is its own usage context. The user may be on the move, in a store, on the way to a pickup point, during a conversation with a sales representative or at a moment when they need quick information and not a full catalogue exploration.

Shopware points in its materials on omnichannel strategies to a mobile-friendly website as one of the essential elements of building effective omnichannel e-commerce. This is not only a matter of responsiveness. It is about the mobile channel being integrated into the entire process: from product search through cart, payment, customer account, order status, pickup, returns and communication.

In B2B, mobile is also highly important, although often in a different way than in B2C. The business customer may use the phone to quickly repeat an order, check a status, download a document, scan a product, contact the sales representative or check availability outside the office. If the B2B platform works well only on desktop, it does not fully support the real way the customer works.

Omnichannel requires cooperation between departments

An omnichannel strategy cannot be locked inside one department. It is not exclusively a project of e-commerce, marketing, IT or sales. It concerns the entire organization: management, sales representatives, customer service, warehouse, finance, purchasing, content, marketing, analytics and technology.

If marketing plans a promotion, but the warehouse has no stock, customer service does not know the rules and the marketplace has a different price, the customer experience will be inconsistent. If e-commerce launches a new channel, but the ERP is not ready to handle orders, the team will work manually. If B2B sales representatives do not see the customer’s activity on the platform, they will not use data for consultative sales. If the product department does not prepare data, channels will publish incomplete information.

Omnichannel therefore requires a shared working model. Who is responsible for data? Who manages prices? Who decides on promotions? Who controls channel consistency? Who is responsible for availability? Who analyzes the customer journey? Who measures results? Without answers to these questions, omnichannel remains a buzzword, not a real operational change.

At CREHLER, we very often see that the biggest challenge is not the technology itself, but organizing responsibilities. The company wants to implement an omnichannel platform, but data is scattered, processes are not described, decisions are split between departments, and each channel has its own logic. Then the technology implementation must go hand in hand with a conversation about how work is organized.

The most common mistakes in omnichannel implementation

The first mistake is treating omnichannel as a frontend project. The company focuses on how the customer moves between channels, but does not design data, integrations, inventory, orders and after-sales service. As a result, the experience looks good only up to the moment when availability, status or order history needs to be checked.

The second mistake is the lack of a source of truth. If each channel works on different data, consistency is impossible. The customer will see differences, and the team will try to fix them manually.

The third mistake is implementing marketplaces without a strategy. A marketplace can be a great growth channel, but without control over prices, product data, inventory and order fulfillment, it quickly begins to create parallel chaos.

The fourth mistake is overlooking B2B in the omnichannel strategy. Many companies think about omnichannel mainly from a retail perspective, while in B2B consistency between sales representative, platform, offer, documents and customer service can be even more important.

The fifth mistake is the lack of metrics. The company launches channels, but does not know whether the customer actually moves smoothly between them, whether the number of service inquiries has decreased, whether conversion has improved, whether inventory is more reliable, whether sales representatives use data, whether the marketplace supports or cannibalizes the company’s own channel.

How to measure the effectiveness of an omnichannel strategy

Omnichannel should not be measured only by sales in individual channels, but also by the consistency of the entire process. It is worth analyzing how many customers use more than one channel, what their purchasing journey looks like, where they begin research, where they finalize the purchase, how often they return, which channels support conversion and which only take over the final transaction stage.

Operational metrics are also important. What part of orders requires manual correction? How often do stock errors occur? How many inquiries concern status, documents or availability? Does customer service see the full contact history? Are returns handled consistently across channels? Do promotions work the same where they should work the same? Are prices consistent with the company’s policy?

In B2B, it is worth measuring whether the platform truly relieves sales representatives. Do customers use self-service? Do they repeat orders online? Are requests for quotation handled in the system? Do sales representatives see customer activity in the digital channel? Do data from e-commerce support consultative sales?

In omnichannel, it is also important to look at margin and service costs. A channel that generates sales but requires a lot of manual work may be less effective than revenue alone suggests. That is why the analysis should include not only revenue, but also operational costs, logistics, returns, customer service, team working time and data quality.

The role of CREHLER: from channels to a coherent sales architecture

At CREHLER, we treat omnichannel as a sales architecture project and not as a simple integration of several channels. We begin by understanding how the company sells, which channels it already uses, where data is created, which systems are the source of truth, what order fulfillment looks like, what warehouse processes exist, how customer service works, how sales representatives work and where the customer experiences inconsistency.

Only on this basis can a platform be designed that connects channels in a business-meaningful way. In Shopware projects, we analyze Sales Channels, integrations with ERP, PIM, WMS, CRM, marketplaces and marketing tools. We examine how product data, prices, inventory, orders, customer information and content should flow. We design architecture so that the company can develop channels without creating new workarounds each time.

Our goal is not to add another channel to existing chaos. The goal is to create a model in which sales, communication and service channels reinforce one another. The customer has a coherent experience, the team has access to the right data, and the company can scale sales without increasing manual work proportionally.

Shopware is a good foundation for such an approach because it offers flexibility, API-first, Sales Channels, integration capabilities, B2B features, Shopping Experiences, Rule Builder and a growing ecosystem of tools that support multichannel and omnichannel. However, the implementation determines the value. The same platform can be only an online store or the central element of a sales ecosystem. The difference lies in the architecture.

Omnichannel as a condition for the further development of e-commerce

The omnichannel strategy is becoming increasingly important because customers no longer move linearly. They do not choose one channel and stay there from beginning to end. They search, compare, ask, buy, pick up, return and come back in different places. A company that cannot connect these points loses control over customer experience and operational efficiency.

Omnichannel does not mean that the company must be present in every possible channel. It means that the channels it chooses should be connected, measured and managed as part of a sales system. Sometimes it is better to have fewer channels that are well integrated than many channels that function separately.

A well-designed omnichannel strategy makes it possible to increase consistency of experience, make better use of data, improve personalization, limit operational errors, develop marketplaces without losing control, support B2B sales representatives and build a stronger relationship with the customer. Poorly designed multichannel presence, on the other hand, can increase costs, scatter data and weaken the brand.

That is why the question about omnichannel should not be: “In how many channels are we present?”. A much more important question is: “Do our channels work together?”.

At CREHLER, we help companies design and implement Shopware platforms in such a way that e-commerce is not a separate channel, but part of a coherent sales ecosystem. If a company wants to develop omnichannel, it is worth starting with architecture: data, integrations, processes, inventory, prices, customer service and the real purchasing journey. This is exactly where the difference begins between multichannel presence and an omnichannel strategy that truly supports the business.