Unified Commerce: Reshaping the eCommerce & Retail Landscape in the Digital Era
In today's rapidly evolving eCommerce and retail landscape, unified commerce is not just a trend — it is a necessity. As we know, consumers now seamlessly blend buying and service channels, engaging in bursts of activities on the web, apps, over call or in store simultaneously, forming non-linear customer journeys and micro-moments. Hence brands are increasingly turning to unified commerce to bridge the gap between online and offline interactions and to deliver seamless, personalized, and intelligent experiences across all touchpoints by capturing these micro-moments.
Sudhanshu Mishra , VP of Enterprise Business at Ozonetel, explains this vividly,
“Modern shoppers expect to feel understood and valued, virtually and in person, instantly. They expect quick guidance and support during exploration and buying phases. To reduce frustration and cart abandonment, timely deliveries and support are critical.”
For instance, he adds,
“Whether a customer is placing an order via a mobile app, tracking their delivery online, or reaching out to customer support, unified commerce ensures reliable experience across all touchpoints that keeps customers coming back. And a unified CX enables to achieve just that.”
In a recent roundtable conducted by Ozonetel, we gauge further how unified commerce can revolutionize various industries ranging from food delivery to fashion and fintech, creating cohesive customer journeys that drive long-term loyalty, sales, and operational efficiency and how unified CX enables to achieve it.
The Power of Unified Commerce in Food Delivery
Unified commerce in the food delivery industry integrates multiple customer touchpoints such as mobile apps, websites, restaurants, and call centers—into a seamless blend of experiences. As customers ourselves, we place orders, and follow up through various channels such as calls, chat, and SMS expecting to receive consistent assistance in case of a delay. Here we are benefiting from unified real-time inventory updates and synchronized delivery management employed by the food delivery business.
Indranil Saha , General Manager - Customer Experience, Swiggy, highlights how unified commerce is revolutionizing the food delivery and hyperlocal industry.
"Unified commerce and a seamless customer experience are transforming fragmented interactions into cohesive journeys that drive customer retention, incremental orders per day, and operational efficiency."
He emphasizes the importance of a cohesive customer journey, noting that even a single bad interaction or a few delays can prompt customers to switch to a different brand, ultimately damaging the brand's goodwill. Hence according to Indranil, with a unified approach streamlining operations, and enhancing customer support is critical to delivering a consistent, personalized experience across all channels.
He adds further,
“Now, with AI-driven personalization, we are able to tailor recommendations and offers based on customer behavior, to meet their needs at every touchpoint. We have also made sure that our integrated loyalty programs can be accessed seamlessly, and we keep our customers informed with timely updates across SMS, apps, and chat, making the entire journey hassle-free through a unified approach”
Unified commerce is indeed a game-changer in the food delivery and hyperlocal industry, where convenience, speed, and personalization are critical for success.
Transforming the Fashion-commerce Experience
The fashion industry, known for its fast-paced nature with multiple fashion seasons, cycles, ever-changing trends, and unpredictable user behavior is also experiencing a profound shift - thanks to unified commerce!
Today, your customer might place an order in-store but prefer to have the item delivered to their doorstep. Alternatively, they could order online and choose to pick it up at a brand store. They may casually scroll through Instagram, then quickly switch to the retailer’s app to complete a purchase. Customer journey today is nonlinear, and customer behavior is unpredictable, involving many micro-activities and micro-moments that shape their journey.
A unified approach helps a brand design their user journeys and communication touch points accommodating all these potential behavioral patterns to deliver cohesive experiences consistently by maintaining user data seamlessly. Besides, integrated communication ensures consistent messaging and unified customer support assistance. This approach creates a cohesive shopping experience for a customer, meeting expectations by catching micro-activities for personalization and flexibility.
Hence unified commerce has become inevitable in the fashion industry as it integrates multiple channels such as online stores, mobile apps, and physical stores into a seamless experience. It synchronizes real-time inventory, allowing customers to shop across platforms with consistent data on customer preferences, loyalty programs, and personalized recommendations unified across channels.
Sadashiva SS , Customer Experience Leader at Reliance adds,
"Unified commerce transforms the customer journey, enabling a consistent and personalized experience that meets the demands of today’s fashion-savvy shoppers."
In fashion commerce, a seamless customer experience across all channels is not just an option but a necessity for building loyalty and driving sales. Whether customers are browsing in-store or online, unified commerce ensures that they receive the same level of service and personalization, ultimately enhancing their overall shopping experience.
Simplifying Payments & Empowering Merchants in Fintech
One might wonder, "What does unified commerce have to do with fintech?"
And Akhil Sharma , Director of Product Management, Razorpay has an answer for us. He emphasizes the role of unified commerce in the fintech industry.
"Unified commerce is the bridge to a seamless customer experience; as fintech innovations streamline payments and simplify merchant onboarding, we empower businesses to meet the demands of tomorrow’s consumers—where convenience, quality and personalization are paramount across online, offline, and customer support channels."
It means, in the fintech space, unified commerce integrates financial services and customer touchpoints into a seamless, consistent experience across channels. It enables smooth payment solutions, simplifies merchant onboarding, and can offer integrated financial services such as payments, lending, and investments within a unified platform.
Unified commerce also strengthens security and compliance in financial technology by centralizing data management and safeguarding sensitive financial information. Besides, real-time data and insights enable fintechs to make informed decisions, optimize offerings, upsell and cross-sell financial products as per the creditworthiness or risk assessments and respond quickly to market trends.
This streamlined experience not only improves customer satisfaction but also helps businesses scale by reducing friction in the payment process, meeting customer demands, driving growth, and delivering exceptional value across all touchpoints in Fintechs.
Delivering Personalized Customer Experiences in On-demand Mobility
In the on-demand mobility industry, where immediacy and efficiency are key, unified commerce plays a crucial role in enhancing customer experiences. It can help integrate booking, communication, payments, and customer support across all channels. It goes without saying that the customers enjoy a seamless experience whether booking rides via apps, websites, or call centers, with real-time updates on vehicle availability and personalized services. Unified systems ensure consistent payment methods, loyalty rewards, and efficient support.
Sarang Puri , Associate Director, Head of 3PL from Rapido explains:
"Unified commerce is the heartbeat of the on-demand mobility industry, where seamless integration across touchpoints transforms customer interactions into personalized experiences."
As consumers expect faster and more personalized services, by integrating customer data from various touchpoints, businesses in the mobility sector can offer more tailored services, leading to greater customer satisfaction and retention.
Enabling Unified Commerce via Unified CX
The retail landscape is rapidly evolving with digital technologies and changing consumer behaviors, making traditional models obsolete. Retailers face significant challenges in managing fragmented systems and meeting rising consumer expectations for seamless, personalized experiences across multiple channels. Unified commerce, which integrates online, mobile, and in-store channels, emerges as the solution to these challenges.
Unified Customer Experience (CX) is central to unified commerce, enabling seamless interactions across all touchpoints. By integrating data, processes, and technologies, CX enhances communication and consistency, providing personalized, real-time support.
Jagjit Singh Chowdhury , National Head of Key Accounts at Ozonetel, highlights how unified commerce transforms industries by providing consistent customer experiences across channels.
"Ozonetel's AI-engineered capabilities—such as bots, real-time analytics, sentiment analysis, and Voice of Customer (VoC)—enable detailed customer journey mapping and behavior-based journey orchestration. These tools help eCommerce and fintechs handle inquiries, identify pain points, and offer personalized experiences, ensuring high service standards and proactive engagement."
In the fast-paced eCommerce industry, embracing unified commerce with Ozonetel's capabilities positions businesses for long-term growth and success by refining services and maintaining high support standards across all channels.
Conclusion
Unified commerce is no longer a luxury but a necessity across various industries in India, from food delivery and fashion to fintech and on-demand mobility. By integrating online and offline touchpoints into a seamless, personalized customer experience, businesses can not only meet but anticipate the evolving demands of their customers. At the heart of enabling unified commerce is unified CX and Ozonetel's AI-engineered solutions play a crucial role in facilitating this transformation.
Now the real question is how ready is your business to embrace unified commerce and deliver the seamless customer experience that today’s market demands?