The new baseline: going beyond omnichannel
Most retailers say they’re “omnichannel.” But if you ask five teams what that means, you’ll get five different answers, and five disconnected roadmaps.
At Restive, we see Unified Commerce not as a technology upgrade, but as an organisational mindset – one that aligns teams, data, and decisions around a single view of the customer.
If you lead digital, marketing, or retail operations, these quick-start actions will help you understand where you stand today, and what to fix first.
The gap between expectation and execution
Today’s customers expect every interaction to feel connected. They want brands to recognise them, remember their preferences, and respond in real time – whether they’re scrolling on their phone, shopping in-store, or chatting on social. They don’t care what systems make it happen, they just expect it to work.
79% of consumers expect consistent interactions across channels.
The problem? Most businesses still aren’t there yet. We often see teams, systems, and KPIs pulling in different directions, creating friction where customers expect flow.
We frequently see clients who believe they’re “platform-led”, but when we dig into it they don’t yet have the correct systems or data to properly track customer journeys. Fixing that one thing can reshape how success is measured.
Why assessing your current state matters
Jumping into new platforms or personalisation programs without a clear baseline is like building a house without checking the ground first.
A clear-eyed assessment helps you:
- Identify what’s working (and what’s not)
- Prioritise quick wins over big promises
- Align teams around measurable outcomes, not vanity metrics
- Identify what’s working (and what’s not)
It’s your starting point for transformation. Not just a report to shelve, but a reality check that turns strategy into action.
Three actions to get started
1. Map your real customer journeys
Forget funnels; think flows.
Follow your customers as they move between channels. Where do they pause, drop off, or get frustrated?
Ask yourself:
- Can they start online and finish in-store (or vice versa)?
- Are you capturing consistent insights across every touchpoint?
- Do loyalty points, promotions, or carts carry over seamlessly?
Mapping these journeys reveals the invisible friction that often hides behind healthy-looking KPIs.
Our tip: Do this collaboratively. Cross-functional mapping not only uncovers gaps but builds shared ownership of the experience.
2. Assess your five key enablers
Behind every great experience is a system that supports it.
From our experience, we’ve found Unified Commerce maturity depends on five enablers:
- Strategy – Is there a clear North Star guiding all channels?
- People – Are teams incentivised to collaborate, not compete?
- Process – Do planning and governance enable cross-channel thinking?
- Data – Are insights accessible and connected, or stuck in silos?
- Technology – Are your systems integrated or held together by manual workarounds?
If even one of these is weak, the experience breaks down – no matter how beautiful the front end looks.
Start simple: score each pillar from Emerging → Developing → Connected → Unified.
3. Use a readiness rubric (not a massive audit)
You don’t need a 200-slide transformation plan to understand where you are.
A readiness rubric, like Restive’s Unified Commerce Readiness Ladder, can quickly benchmark your current state. Plot your score, identify your next step, and focus on the shift that matters most. You’re not aiming for “perfect”, you’re building momentum.
Next steps
Once you know your maturity level, focus on low-effort, high-impact initiatives that prove value fast:
- Unify loyalty and inventory data for consistent pricing and rewards
- Align KPIs across digital, retail, and marketing teams to reduce rework
- Fix high-friction moments like cart recovery or store pickup visibility
- Unify loyalty and inventory data for consistent pricing and rewards
Quick wins don’t just show progress, they build belief. They prove that connected experiences drive both satisfaction and commercial growth.
Turn insight into ongoing transformation
Your first assessment is a loop, not a finish line. The most successful brands will use readiness assessments to fuel continuous improvement, not one-off projects.
Revisit your scores every few months and update priorities based on data. As your teams mature, shift focus from connecting systems to activating intelligence – using data and AI to predict needs and personalise experiences in real time.
Ready to start?
The brands that win in 2026 will be the ones who go beyond just connecting systems – they’ll connect insights in real time, turn that into action, and then into growth.
You don’t need to overhaul everything overnight. Start by understanding where you are today, define what “unified” means for your brand, and act on it.
At Restive, we help organisations turn omnichannel intent into unified execution, combining strategy, design, data, and delivery to create measurable business impact. Connect with us today to get a Unified Commerce audit, and take your consumer experiences beyond just touchpoints.
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