Omnichannel is a business strategy aimed at providing customers with a seamless shopping experience.

Omnichannel, also spelled omni-channel, is an approach to sales, marketing and customer support that seeks to provide customers with a seamless and unified brand experience, regardless of which channel they use. The organization's distribution, promotion and communication channels are well-integrated in the back end; whether the customer is shopping online from a desktop or mobile device, by telephone or in a brick-and-mortar store, their experience will be seamless and consistent.

From a customer perspective, Omnichannel is a cross-channel content strategy organisations use to improve their customers' user experience. Communication channels and their supporting resources are designed and orchestrated to cooperate. Omnichannel implies integration and orchestration of channels so that it provides an engaging experience across all channels.

The terms omnichannel and multichannel are frequently used interchangeably. However, this is incorrect since there are some differences between the two approaches. 

The term omnichannel is most frequently used in retail and e-commerce settings. A brand that focuses on omnichannel can provide consistent buying experiences across all the channels it operates on, including online, in-store, mobile, SMS and social media. 

Companies that operate omnichannel electronic trading solutions can offer a uniform experience to all their customers. Those businesses operating an omnichannel business strategy expand their target market from traditional brick-and-mortar stores to marketplaces, digital storefronts and more.

Most customers have a preferred channel when interacting with and purchasing from a brand. Many use different channels along their customer journey. For example, Customer A may research a product online, buy it in-store, and sign up for email marketing to receive product updates or new offers.

Regardless of which channel Customer A prefers or uses, an omnichannel approach ensures that their purchase experience is always consistent, providing them with the same product portfolio and pricing across all existing channels so they always know what to expect from that brand. It may also mean that the customer support team has relevant data about Customer A, which they use to communicate more accurately with them. The data also allows the team to seamlessly switch between channels so the conversation can continue per the customer's preference and with minimal interruptions when he might change the channel.

Suppose Customer A purchases a product in a physical store. They are a returning customer and all information about their previous purchases is available in the brand's customer relationship management (CRM) tool.

A salesperson interacting with the customer in the store references this information to make cross-sell or upsell recommendations and increase the customer's average order value (AOV). Similarly, if Customer A calls the company's contact center to complain about the purchase, a customer service representative can access the customer's information and help them resolve the problem in a personalized way on the customer's preferred channel, whether it is phone, email, webchat or something else.

Omnichannel will also enable Customer A to check inventory by store on the company's website. To do this, they may use a desktop, a laptop or the brand's mobile app. They may also buy the item they need and then pick it up in person from the physical store (or one of the company's stores at a location of their choosing). The aim is the offer the best user experience to every customer and increase the brand loyalty.