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What is omnichannel retail, and what is omniconnected?

Omnichannel retail means that your physical store, webshop and other sales channels work as one whole. Customers buy where and when they want. You manage everything from one system: the same inventory, the same customer profiles, the same promotions, online and offline.

In short

Multichannel: you sell through multiple channels, but they work separately from each other.
Omnichannel: your channels work together and the customer gets the same experience everywhere.
Unified commerce: all channels run on one shared database, without integrations in between.
Omniconnected: you recognize your customer in every channel and build a relationship that lasts longer than one purchase.

From multichannel to omnichannel

Many retailers already sell through multiple channels: a store, a webshop, sometimes a marketplace. If those channels work separately, we call it multichannel. Each channel has its own inventory, its own customer list and its own prices, and someone has to keep them in sync by hand.

With omnichannel, those channels work together. If you sell an item in the store, it disappears from your webshop right away. A customer who bought online is recognized in the store. A promotion applies everywhere. Customers are used to modern service and want to shop quickly and conveniently online and offline. In practice that only works if you manage your store and webshop as one whole.

Marleen Bijnens & Nath Slangen, HEEM · Read the case

Omnichannel and unified commerce: where the difference lies

Omnichannel describes what the customer sees. Unified commerce describes what lies underneath: whether your inventory, customers and prices live in one place, or in three places that try to keep up with each other.

	Multichannel	Omnichannel on separate systems	Unified commerce
Channels	work separately	connected via integrations	one shared database
Inventory	per channel	kept up by synchronization	one balance, in real time
Customer data	a separate list per channel	a separate customer file per system	one customer profile
Items	entered per channel	entered or transferred per system	entered once
Where it goes wrong	everywhere, by hand	in the window between two synchronizations	at setup, after that no longer daily

An integration between POS and webshop does not solve the stock problem: it moves it to the moment between two synchronizations. On a Tuesday morning nobody notices; on the first Saturday of the sales you sell the same last size twice. Integrations are not wrong. Accounting, payments, shipping and marketplaces should connect via an integration. But POS, webshop, inventory and customer data belong in one place.

From omnichannel to omniconnected

Omnichannel is selling through every channel. Omniconnected is being connected everywhere.

A retailer's success depends on the bond with its customers. Successful retailers recognize their customers, understand what drives them and make every purchase as personal and smooth as possible. Omniconnected means your system makes that possible, in every channel: customer, store and channels become one whole. That way every interaction grows into a stronger customer relationship, and every lasting customer relationship into more customer and store value.

Recognize

One customer profile with the full purchase history, at every register and online. Customers & loyalty

Understand

Purchases, repairs and preferences in one place, so your team gives the right advice. POS

Personalize

Benefits that apply everywhere and campaigns based on what the customer really buys. Loyalty

Jan Van Hoof & Patrick Lathouwers, MOOSE in the CITY · Read the case

What you need for omnichannel retail

A POS systemOn the same database as your webshop, with the stock of all your branches and the customer's history. → POS
A webshopItems, prices and promotions created once for store and online, with click & collect and returns in store. → Webshop
Real-time inventoryOne stock balance across stores and warehouse; ship from store without a second administration. → Inventory
Customer data and loyaltyOne customer profile across all channels, and benefits that apply everywhere. → Customers & loyalty
IntegrationsMore than 40 integrations with payment providers, accounting, shipping and marketing, and an open API. → All features

Frequently asked questions about omnichannel retail

What is omnichannel retail?

Omnichannel retail means that your physical store, webshop and other sales channels work as one whole. Customers buy where and when they want, and you manage everything from one system: the same inventory, the same customer profiles and the same promotions, online and offline.

What is the difference between multichannel and omnichannel?

With multichannel you sell through multiple channels (store, webshop, marketplace), but those channels work separately. With omnichannel they are integrated: stock is equal in real time, customer history is available everywhere and the customer gets the same experience everywhere.

What is the difference between omnichannel and unified commerce?

Omnichannel is about what the customer sees. Unified commerce is about what lies underneath: all channels and systems work on one shared database, instead of separate systems that keep up with each other via integrations. Tilroy is built that way: all modules share the same database.

What does omniconnected mean?

Omniconnected is the step after omnichannel. Omnichannel is selling through every channel; omniconnected is recognizing your customer in every channel, understanding what drives them and making every purchase personal. That way every interaction grows into a stronger customer relationship.

Which systems do you need for omnichannel?

At least a POS system, a webshop and inventory management, and ideally customer data and loyalty. If they are on one platform, there are no synchronization errors and you never have to enter anything twice. Accounting, payments and shipping connect via integrations.

Is omnichannel also something for a small store?

Yes. A store with one location and a webshop also benefits from one system: less double work, fewer stock errors and a customer who is recognized everywhere. Tilroy works for independent retailers and for chains with dozens of branches.

What does an omnichannel POS system like Tilroy cost?

Tilroy Omniconnected starts from €135 per month excl. VAT, without hidden costs. For chains with an IT department there is Tilroy Enterprise, tailored to you.