Gone are the days when eCommerce operated in isolation from brick-and-mortar stores. Today, consumers expect a seamless, consistent experience across all touchpoints—be it online, in-store POS, mobile apps, or social media platforms. This shift necessitates a re-evaluation of traditional eCommerce systems deriving digital channels whilst ERP drives the rest of the business. ERPs are often legacy solutions with limited capabilities that simply haven't caught up with the digital world for many retailers.

So, what's the solution?

We think of it as the Omnichannel Engine (OCE) – an alternative view on the composable stack, designed to harmonise retail operations across all channels, where the ERP still exists to carry out its core functions and costs are reduced from the traditional approach with agility added.

The evolution of retail: from multichannel to omnichannel

The retail sector has undergone a significant transformation over the past two decades, evolving from a multichannel approach to a fully integrated omnichannel model. In the early noughties, retailers began adopting multichannel strategies, operating separate physical stores, websites, and call centres. With retailers managing separate systems for each sales channel where they functioned independently, this often resulting in disjointed customer experiences and limited integration between online and offline services.

As consumer expectations evolved with the rise of smartphones and social media, retailers were driven to offer a seamless and consistent experience. This shift gave rise to the omnichannel model, where all customer touchpoints—physical stores, eCommerce platforms, mobile apps, social media, and customer service—are integrated.

This allows for unified customer data, real-time inventory visibility, click-and-collect services, and personalised marketing. Major UK retailers like John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, and Tesco have embraced this approach, investing in digital infrastructure and AI-driven analytics to enhance customer engagement and streamline operations.

In the twenties, the COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated the need for omnichannel capabilities, as lockdowns highlighted the importance of flexible, interconnected retail ecosystems. Today, successful UK retailers understand that omnichannel is not just about technology, but about creating a cohesive, customer-centric experience across all platforms.

Supporting this shift, a growing ecosystem of omnichannel commerce solutions has emerged—from unified commerce platforms to customer data platforms (CDPs) - helping retailers integrate systems, personalise experiences, and scale operations across every channel. Perhaps perversely many of these solutions have stemmed from the agile SME market, often supporting mobile-driven pop-ups rather than the enterprise platforms which tried to cover all channels yet have struggled to react to consumer-driven changes.

Mastering pricing and promotions across channels

One particular challenge in an omnichannel environment is inconsistent pricing and promotions which can erode customer trust and loyalty. To address this, retailers must centralise the management of pricing and promotional strategies so that all customers receive consistent offers whether they're shopping online or in-store. This isn’t to denigrate personalisation but allows it to build on solid foundations

In today's composable digital commerce world, the one fixed point is often the ERP which acts as a master of price and inventory. Changing this takes a long time and costs a great deal for most retailers, and in the language of low code/no code this is a great example of the complete opposite

An ERPs ability to manage promotions and campaigns is frequently limited.

The centralised approach will not only enhance the customer experience but also streamline internal operations & reduce the complexity of managing multiple pricing systems.

Whilst ERPs provide a platform to manage and synchronise pricing across all channels, they aren’t a core part of their ERP offering. In our experience, few retailers have ERPs that were designed for the modern omnichannel age.

Ironically, the solution may come from the likes of Shopify, Shopline & VTex who have wide ecosystems to support pop-ups, mobile POS, retail stores as well as online. They have flexible promotional engines designed to change prices in real-time and apply new campaigns instantly.

Its clear that these solutions are not eCommerce engines - the time has come to call them what they are - Omnichannel Engines or OCEs.

Integrating systems for a seamless experience

An effective OCE will integrate with other elements of the composable stack such as Order Management Systems (OMS), Content Management System (CMS), Product Information (PIM), Point of Sale (POS) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions to provide a holistic view of operations.

These integrations (sometimes via an Integration layer) enable real-time data sharing, ensuring that promotions, inventory levels, customer information, and order statuses are consistently updated across all platforms. By breaking down data silos, retailers can offer personalised experiences, optimise inventory management, and respond swiftly to market changes.

The key strategic difference here is that the OCE will drive not just the digital channel activity but also act as the hub for the retailer's other customer touchpoints ie Kiosks and POS. This is not how traditional retail has typically managed promos, but it is an extension of the composable stack thinking.

Benefits for Retailers

For medium to large-sized retailers, adopting an OCE offers several advantages:

• Future-proofing: Adopting a composable stack means flexibility in terms of growth – you can replace the elements that you outgrow without great pain

• Enhanced Customer Experience: Consistent product information and pricing across all channels build trust and encourages repeat business.

• Operational Efficiency: Centralized systems reduce manual processes, minimize errors, streamline workflows and reduces friction

• Agility: Integrated platforms enable quicker responses to market trends and customer demands.

• Scalability: Today’s OCE platforms can easily accommodate business growth and the addition of new channels.

Implementing an Omnichannel Engine (OCE)

Transitioning to an OCE requires careful consideration and execution:

1. Assess current Capabilities: Evaluate existing platforms to identify gaps and understand the future needs of your business. Then you can work out the opportunities.

2. Choose the right Capabilities needed: Understand what capabilities are needed and which solutions will align with your business needs and the best approach to integrate seamlessly across your stack.

3. Centralise pricing and promotions: Implement tools that allow for unified management of pricing strategies across all channels - we believe that many composable OCE engines will have this capability.

4. Initiate a change programme: Change the way that you operate - take advantage of the immediacy of the new systems and free up the ERP from a task it really isn't suited to. This will lead to a change in process.

5. Integrate core systems: Ensure that ERP, CRM, and OMS platforms are interconnected to the OCE to align real-time data; consider an integration layer to allow for future flexibility.

6. Train Staff: Educate employees on the new systems and processes to ensure smooth adoption and operation.

Conclusion

The shift from traditional eCommerce to OCE reflects the evolving expectations of today's consumers. By adopting an OCE approach, medium-sized retailers can provide a seamless, consistent, and personalised shopping experience across all platforms without the pain of a major ERP upgrade.

Centralising product information, inventory and pricing & promotions not only enhances customer satisfaction but also drives operational efficiency and business growth. But they don't all need to be mastered in a legacy monolith system. In an increasingly competitive retail landscape, embracing an OCE is not just advantageous—it's essential.

Read Also:

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The Multichannel Podcast All Episodes - Click here

From eCommerce to omnichannel commerce