Nearly nine in ten UK retailers believe they have cracked unified commerce, but a new report, How UK merchants are measuring up to unified retail, suggests many customers are still experiencing the consequences of disconnected systems.
A study of 200 UK retail decision-makers by unified retail agency Visualsoft and Shopify found that 89 per cent of retailers believe unified commerce is essential to future growth and 85 per cent say their systems enable them to deliver a consistent experience across online and in-store channels.
Yet despite that confidence, 40 per cent have received customer complaints about inconsistent experiences, 38 per cent have lost sales because of inaccurate inventory information and 32 per cent have struggled to keep pricing and promotions aligned across channels.
The findings suggest that while retailers have largely won the battle to connect channels, many are still struggling to keep systems aligned in day-to-day operations.
Chris Fletcher, CEO of Visualsoft, said:
“Most merchants now recognise the commercial value of unified retail and the benefits it brings to both their business and their customers. That’s a massive step in the right direction, and something we’re really pleased to see.
“However, this research also highlights that connecting systems alone doesn’t guarantee consistency. Customers expect pricing, promotions, stock and service to be consistent wherever they choose to browse and buy, and that’s where unified retail really proves its worth.”
The research found a particularly striking gap between confidence and performance when it comes to inventory. While 83 per cent of retailers believe inventory data is accurate and visible across channels, more than a third have still lost sales because stock information was inaccurate or unavailable.
A similar pattern emerges in customer data. Although 84 per cent say they have a clear view of customer behaviour across online and in-store journeys, a third admit they have experienced limited visibility because of disconnected systems.
The research also found that many retailers have focused on connecting transactions before connecting customers. Payments and checkout are now the most integrated part of the retail stack, with 81 per cent of retailers reporting alignment across online and in-store systems. However, only 59 per cent say customer profiles and purchase history are connected across channels.
Other areas remain surprisingly fragmented. Just 46 per cent of retailers support gift cards consistently across online and in-store systems, while only 59 per cent offer unified returns and 58 per cent support ship-from-store fulfilment.
According to Visualsoft, these operational gaps are becoming increasingly important as customer expectations continue to rise.
Matthew Eley, Retail Project Lead at Visualsoft Said:
“Retailers are no longer being judged on whether they offer eCommerce, stores or omnichannel services. Those are now baseline expectations.
“The differentiator is consistency. You can have as many channels as you like but if it’s difficult for consumers to navigate them, you’ll get complaints, lose sales, and eventually customers will leave. The new suite of retail technology is enabling retailers to keep it unified.”
The challenge is particularly significant because most retailers believe they are already close to the finish line. Almost half (46 per cent) describe their operations as fully unified across ecommerce, stores and customer data, while a further 40 per cent say they are partially connected.
However, the operational reality suggests that integration remains a work in progress. More than half of retailers (56 per cent) cite technology costs as a barrier to further progress, 45 per cent identify inventory accuracy as a challenge and 42 per cent point to integration complexity as a major constraint.
“The next phase of retail transformation isn’t about adding more channels or making things more complicated,” Matthew added. “It’s about making every channel behave as one, like consumers want.”
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