Think back to the last time you made a big online purchase. If you’re like most consumers, there’s a good chance you interacted with the brand multiple times on different channels using different devices before you paid.
The customer journey isn’t straightforward anymore. It’s a meandering path where customers visit brands on different platforms before converting. To successfully target and convert consumers across every channel and platform, you need a unified marketing strategy. That’s the crux of an omnichannel commerce marketing campaign.
This article details what omnichannel commerce looks like, why it is crucial for e-commerce brands, and how you can create your killer omnichannel commerce marketing campaign.
Key Omnichannel E-Commerce Insights
- Omnichannel e-commerce creates a unified customer experience across multiple platforms.
- Omnichannel provides a better customer experience by allowing customers to switch devices or channels seamlessly.
- Omnichannel e-commerce provides a personalized shopping experience across all platforms.
- Omnichannel is projected to grow at a 13.8% annual rate between 2022 and 2030.
- Omnichannel can improve customer retention and generate repeat online sales with an increasingly loyal customer base.
- Omnichannel customers spend, on average, 13 percent more than single-channel shoppers.
- Brands with three or more channels have a massive increase in orders compared to companies using a single-channel approach.
- Multichannel marketing can sometimes lead to inconsistent branding and a poorer customer experience.
- Omnichannel commerce focuses on offering a cohesive experience across all channels.
What Is Omnichannel E-commerce and Why Is It Important?
Omnichannel e-commerce is a marketing approach that creates a unified customer experience across multiple platforms. Specifically, omnichannel retailers create a seamless experience that transcends individual platforms.
This differs from multichannel e-commerce, where brands sell across different channels but offer different experiences. While consumers can shop on social media, a website, and a brick-and-mortar store, they can’t move seamlessly between them.
There is one other form of commerce: single-channel e-commerce. This occurs when a brand sells exclusively through a single channel. That could be a traditional store, an online shop, or a marketplace like Amazon. This approach limits brands to just one platform, which can be devastating if that platform makes changes.
An omnichannel e-commerce experience sounds better than a multichannel or single-channel experience.
That’s reason enough to adopt an omnichannel approach, but it’s not the only reason you should. Omnichannel commerce provides a better customer experience and allows your brand to use new platforms, increase customer retention rates, and boost sales.
Omnichannel E-Commerce Strategies Provide a Better Customer Experience
According to a Feedonomics report, 90 percent of online shoppers use “multiple channels to search and spend.” Why does that matter?
Convenience rules when it comes to e-commerce; ask Amazon. However, it’s not enough to offer a great selection, competitive pricing, and next-day delivery. Brands must show up where their customers are and provide a seamless experience when they switch devices or channels.
Please take off your marketer’s cap for a second, and remember that most consumers don’t view their shopping experience as separate. It’s all one journey to them, and that’s exactly how an omnichannel e-commerce experience approaches it.
Why E-commerce Brands Need an Omnichannel Strategy
Restoring Fragmented Journeys
Imagine an Instagram ad leads to a sign-up, but the cart email gets lost in the inbox. An SMS re-engagement nudges the shopper back, recapturing revenue that would otherwise be lost.
Cart Recovery with SMS
Email reminder goes out 1 hour after cart abandonment; no response? A follow-up SMS lands within 2 hours. That multiple-channel nudge significantly boosts recovery.
Social Retargeting
Customers who clicked an email but didn’t convert get retargeted with a dynamic carousel ad on Facebook or Instagram, reinforcing messaging across platforms.
A Complete Flow Example
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Discovery via Instagram ad
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Incentive via email sign-up
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Purchase a nudge via SMS
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Post-purchase engagement through email
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Loyalty reminders via preferred channel
That seamless flow is the essence of omnichannel e-commerce.
Channel Breakdown: Strengths & Roles
Email Marketing
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Ideal for stories, new product launches, and educational content
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Extremely high ROI—$36 return per $1 spent is standard in e-commerce
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Common workflows: welcome series, cart abandonment, loyalty sequences
SMS Marketing
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Near-immediate visibility—98% open rates, read within minutes
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Perfect for limited-time offers, shipping updates, flash sales
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Highly effective when used after or alongside email
Social Media
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Builds brand voice, community, and social proof
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Works as a retargeting engine via pixel-based audience lists
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Amplifies email/SMS touchpoints with bright visuals, UGC
How to Build a Seamless Omnichannel Campaign
Step-by-Step Strategy
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Attract on Social – run tailored ads using Meta Pixel to build interest.
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Capture Email + Phone – offer a discount for contact details on-site.
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Enable Welcome Flow – trigger a multi-part email sequence and an SMS reminder after 24 hours if no purchase was made.
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Retarget Abandoned Carts – email 1hr later; SMS 2hrs later; dynamic ad display 24hrs later.
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Finalize Purchase – send email with order summary, followed by a shipping update SMS.
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Loyalty Fosters Retention – invite to subscribe to SMS-only or VIP exclusive offers, delivered accordingly via email or SMS.
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Continuous Personalization – segment based on behavior and preferences; adapt messaging per channel.
―Illustration: funnel map showing email → SMS → social flows—
This thoughtful integration ensures that your message stays coherent and relevant across every touchpoint.
Metrics That Matter Across Channels
Email & SMS Metrics:
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Open Rate
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Click-through Rate (CTR)
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Conversion Rate
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Opt-out/Unsubscribe Rate
Social Metrics:
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Impressions
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Engagement (likes, comments, shares)
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Conversion Rate & ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)
Unified Metrics:
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Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) changes from omnichannel behavior
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Cross-channel Attribution – crediting conversions through combined touchpoints
Product Delight dashboards provide real-time reporting for email/SMS; pairing that with social platforms gives you accurate omnichannel visibility.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
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Bombarding across channels — staggering campaigns prevent fatigue
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Tone mismatch — ensure brand voice feels consistent everywhere
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Overlapping promotions — sync calendars to prevent contradictions
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Separate data silos — centralize subscriber CRM, segmentations, and preferences
The antidote: a single-source-of-truth stack, ideally integrated from the start.
Conclusion: Omnichannel Isn’t Optional Anymore
E-commerce success in 2025 demands platforms that work together—email, SMS, and social—seamlessly. When these channels harmonise, you:
– Boost conversions
– Grow CLV
– Build stronger, more loyal audiences
A sound omnichannel e-commerce strategy significantly improves the customer experience, but it also drives better engagement, creates better customers, and leads to more sales. That puts it up there with some of the most significant factors of e-commerce success.
If you want to succeed with e-commerce, omnichannel marketing isn’t a strategy; it’s a requirement.
