The Omnichannel Mastery Mirage: People, Processes, Policies, And C-Suite Alignment Plague Retailers In 2020

Forrester’s latest data on omnichannel strategy and execution helps retailers understand their peers’ approaches and challenges. Omnichannel commerce — the coordination of traditional channels (marketing, selling, fulfillment) and supporting systems to create a seamless and consistent customer experience — is key, as US consumers expect a consistent shopping experience throughout the path to purchase. Among 53 retail and brand professionals we surveyed, most believe their company has a clear vision for their omnichannel strategy, but many don’t believe they have the right resources in place to fully execute on it. The retailers we surveyed generally believe they offer consistent experiences across online and in-store touchpoints for capabilities like pricing and product information, but areas like cross-channel personalized experiences and unified customer accounts are still challenging.