While the promise of “unified commerce” is still aspirational for some, significant progress is being made. Unified Commerce aims to integrate all sales channels - POS, apps, ecommerce -into a single, seamless platform with real-time visibility. While many retailers are still struggling with fragmented legacy systems, innovations from vendors are steadily closing the gap. Leading retailers are investing in the latest technology that will enable them to meet the rising customer demand and expectations.

Software vendors and consulting/implementation firms play a crucial role in making unified commerce a reality. While the concept remains partially aspirational for many retailers, leading vendors are rapidly closing the gap by delivering the tools and infrastructure needed to synchronize data, fulfillment, and loyalty in real time. Some consulting firms are assisting retailers in leading these crucial and complicated implementations, bringing their experience and know-how to ease the burden of the retailer.

Key advancements from vendors include cloud-native POS platforms that sync data across channels in real time, eliminating inventory discrepancies and enabling consistent pricing and promotions - from POS systems to mobile apps and ecommerce sites. Vendors are the connective tissue in modern retail—powering the seamless, data-driven operations that customers now expect by default.

To support fulfillment, vendors are enabling real-time inventory orchestration, allowing retailers to offer flexible options like BOPIS, ship-from-store, and same-day delivery. These capabilities are essential for meeting customer expectations around speed and convenience.

For loyalty, vendors should deliver centralized loyalty engines that work across platforms—letting customers earn, track, and redeem rewards whether they shop in-store or online. Integration with mobile wallets and apps enhances engagement and personalization.

In short, true unified commerce is still a work in progress for many and vendor innovations are accelerating its adoption. By offering real-time, and scalable solutions, vendors are essential partners in delivering the seamless, personalized experiences that today’s consumer demands.

Learn more about Unified Commerce here:

Lynn Hughes

Managing Partner
Columbus Consulting

Columbus Consulting delivers solutions that drive true value and have been transforming the retail, grocery and CPG industries for over two decades. We are a retail consulting company of industry experts. Our approach is simple, if you do it, we do it. We are more than consultants; we are experienced practitioners who actually sat in our clients’ seats. We understand the challenges, know what questions to ask and deliver the right solutions. Columbus offers a unique, consumer-centric approach with an end-to-end perspective that bridges functional & organization silos from strategy to execution. Our specialties include: unified commerce, merchandising & category management, planning & inventory management, sourcing & supply chain, data & analytics, accounting, finance & operations, people & organization and information technology. Let us know how we can help you. To learn more, visit COLUMBUSCONSULTING.COM.