Omnichannel Excellence: A CEO’s Guide to Meeting Modern Consumer Expectations

Why Omnichannel Is Now the Baseline

Modern consumers don’t think in terms of “online” or “in-store”. They research on mobile, explore in store, purchase through whichever channel is most convenient and often return items somewhere else entirely.

This shift has fundamentally changed what customers expect from fashion, beauty, sportswear and specialty retailers. They want:

• A single, connected brand experience
• Accurate, real-time inventory visibility
• Flexible fulfilment options such as BOPIS and curbside pickup
• Store teams who recognise them and understand their preferences

Meeting these expectations requires more than adding new services. It requires digital and physical operations to be fully aligned, supported by a unified commerce platform that connects inventory, customer data, POS and store execution in real time.

Omnichannel Enhances Every Stage of the Shopping Journey

Omnichannel excellence is best understood through the lens of the customer journey, from research to returns.

1. Research: Empowered, Informed and Channel-Agnostic

The shopping journey often begins long before a customer enters a store. Shoppers now expect rich product information, visuals, reviews and comparisons to help them make confident decisions.

But research doesn’t stop at the store door.

Retailers that seamlessly blend digital access into physical spaces empower customers rather than losing them. In-store connectivity, mobile access to product details and real-time inventory visibility allow shoppers to research freely while staying engaged with the brand.

This connected approach ensures customers feel informed and supported, whether they are browsing online on mobile or standing in front of a product.

2. Product Exploration: Where Physical Retail Shines

Despite digital growth, physical stores remain irreplaceable for sensory engagement — especially in fashion, beauty and specialty categories. Touch, fit, scent and personal advice are critical to conversion and satisfaction.

Omnichannel excellence enhances this moment by equipping store teams with digital tools that complement human interaction. Mobile access to product information, availability across locations and customer profiles enables more personalised recommendations and reduces the likelihood of returns.

Rather than competing with digital, the store becomes the emotional centre of the brand experience, supported by real-time data.

3. Purchase and Fulfilment: Convenience Without Compromise

Consumers now expect flexibility at checkout. They want to choose how they buy and how they receive their products without delays or surprises.

Services such as Buy Online, Pick Up In Store (BOPIS) and curbside pickup have moved from differentiators to essentials. But these services only work when inventory data is accurate and shared across channels.

Unified inventory visibility allows retailers to confidently promise availability, optimise fulfilment from the closest location and reduce lost sales caused by stock discrepancies.

Mobile POS further enhances this stage by enabling fast, secure checkout anywhere in the store, while giving associates access to live inventory, customer history and alternative fulfilment options if an item isn’t immediately available.

4.Returns: Turning Cost into Connection

Returns are an inevitable part of modern retail but they are also a powerful opportunity to strengthen relationships.

Most consumers prefer to return online purchases in store, valuing speed, reassurance and simplicity. Offering seamless “return to store” experiences not only improves satisfaction, but also drives footfall and incremental sales.

A unified commerce platform ensures returns are processed quickly, accurately and consistently, regardless of where the purchase originated, which reinforces trust and transparency.

Inventory Visibility: The Foundation of Omnichannel Excellence

At the heart of omnichannel success lies inventory visibility. Without a single, real-time view of stock across stores, warehouses and channels, even the best omnichannel strategy will fall short. Inaccurate inventory leads to broken promises, cancelled orders and frustrated customers.

AI-powered inventory management changes this equation. By analysing demand patterns, seasonality and local performance, retailers can optimise stock allocation, improve availability and increase sales per square metre, while reducing excess stock and markdowns.

This approach has been central to the omnichannel growth of brands like L’Erbolario. As the natural beauty retailer expanded beyond 200 stores and into international markets, Cegid Retail provided the scalable, cloud-based foundation needed to unify inventory, POS and customer data to enable services such as Click & Collect, in-store reservations and consistent promotions across channels.

People First: Training, Adoption and Change

People omnichannel excellence. Successful retailers invest in training and change management to ensure store teams understand not just how to use new tools, but why they matter. When technology reduces repetitive tasks, improves visibility and removes friction, it is embraced rather than resisted.

Retailers using Cegid’s unified commerce and store execution solutions consistently see store teams spend less time on administration and more time with customers and so improve both employee satisfaction and customer experience.

A CEO’s Perspective: Omnichannel as Strategy

For CEOs, omnichannel excellence should be viewed as a strategic capability that supports growth, resilience and brand trust.

By unifying digital and physical operations, ensuring real-time inventory visibility, enabling flexible fulfilment options like BOPIS and curbside pickup and empowering teams with intuitive tools, retailers can meet modern consumer expectations with confidence.

Cegid Retail enables this transformation through a global, AI-powered unified commerce platform designed to scale across regions, sectors and channels, while keeping the human connection at the heart of retail.