Multichannel vs Omnichannel eCommerce Selling – What is the difference?

MultiChannel & Omnichannel Selling Means Opportunities!

Take a look at the above image carefully. I am going to explain the difference between MultiChannel & Omnichannel eCommerce in this blog and then you have to identify which is which through the illustration. You can share your answers in the comment section!

So, let’s start!

As the name suggests, Multichannel eCommerce refers to the practice of selling your products and services on multiple sales channels. It means going beyond your physical store or website and exploring other options like marketplaces (such as Amazon & eBay), social media platforms, comparison shopping websites, etc.

Related: How Yo!Kart is Helping Entrepreneurs with MultiChannel Selling?

But wait, here comes another overlapping term — Omnichannel eCommerce. People often get confused between MultiChannel & Omnichannel eCommerce because in both the cases, the products or services are available on multiple platforms. The buyer can purchase from the channel they prefer and these channels are common in both the cases. So how are they different?

Let’s understand the basic difference between these two.

MultiChannel vs. Omnichannel: How are they different?

MultiChannel eCommerce 

It is a strategy that exists as a separate purchase opportunity. Let me explain,

Sephora products are available everywhere — in store, on their official website, on Amazon, etc. But all these channels have very less interaction with each other. Suppose you purchased a perfume from Sephora through their official website but you want to return it as the package was damaged. In this case, you can return the perfume only by opting for the return and exchange option from their website.

Now take a look at the other scenario,

Omnichannel eCommerce 

It offers customer experiences within and between the channels. What does that mean? Let’s take another example for this one,

Suppose you searched for Nike shoes on the official website, but you abandoned the cart as you were not so sure about the size. Now Nike will target you on all the possible platforms through advertising — Facebook, Amazon, Mobile App and whatnot! It is done so that the customer experience is consistent and unified. Now let’s say that you eventually purchased the shoes through their app but you want to return these.

Well, well here comes the difference,Nike Members and guests can return Nike.com and Nike App purchases at any Nike store. That means the buyers have the flexibility to purchase a product from one channel and return it through another channel.

So, the key difference is how the customer experience is joined up across all the channels. Now, if Omnichannel has so many benefits then why can’t everyone implement it? Because there are several barriers like cost and complexity of implementation.

A FitForCommerce survey reported 69% of retailers do not think their current systems are equipped to handle omnichannel requirements. So, it is better to start with the multichannel selling and gradually move to the omnichannel.

Originally published at https://medium.com/yokart-ecommerce-multi-vendor-marketplace/