The hidden challenge of unified commerce: Your org chart

Picture this: A shopper walks into your store, finds a pair of sneakers they love, but leaves without buying. That evening, they complete the purchase on your website and pick up the shoes at another store the next day.

From the customer’s perspective, the journey was seamless. But internally, which team gets credit for the sale? Who supports and fulfills it? And who is incentivized to make that experience effortless?

For many retailers, the answer is murky. And that’s a problem. 

While unified commerce promises a frictionless experience for the customer, it can expose friction inside the organization.

The good news? With the right organizational shifts, retailers can turn that internal friction into a competitive advantage.

Most retailers still operate in silos, with store teams, eCommerce and marketing working toward separate targets. Store associates are rewarded for in-store sales. Online teams focus on digital conversions. Meanwhile, customers move fluidly across channels, expecting a unified brand experience.

This mismatch creates internal tension, including:

• Teams compete rather than collaborate.

• Data stays locked in specific departments.

• Staff feel disincentivized to support cross-channel behavior because their metrics don’t recognize it.

For example, a store might play a vital role in product discovery, but if the customer completes the purchase online, the store associates may not receive any credit or incentive for their contribution, even though their interaction helped drive the sale.

Unified commerce demands more than integrated systems. It requires organizational alignment. Without addressing these internal dynamics, even the best technology won’t achieve its full potential.

Getting ready for unified commerce means building your organization around the customer, not the channel. Here’s how to start:

• Redefine success metrics by moving from channel-specific KPIs to customer lifetime value, fulfillment speed and satisfaction. Focus on metrics that reflect the full journey.

• Invest in integrated analytics and attribution tools that enable more accurate tracking of customer journeys, ensuring that every touchpoint is recognized and rewarded appropriately. 

• Compensate teams based on outcomes that span channels. For example, some retailers reward store associates for online sales initiated in-store. 

• Provide shared access to real-time data and foster cross-functional collaboration. This supports breaking down silos. 

• Help employees see the bigger picture through training, clear communication and leadership that models unified thinking.

These changes don’t happen overnight, but without them, retailers risk delivering a disjointed experience regardless of how advanced their technology stack is.

Store associates aren’t just transaction facilitators. They’re customer experience orchestrators. Whether it’s BOPIS, endless aisle services or processing returns from online purchases, your frontline team plays a critical role across customer journeys. To succeed, they must be:

• Empowered with the right tools: Intuitive, device-agnostic platforms that surface real-time inventory, customer history and loyalty data.

• Trained for agility: Associates should be cross-trained to handle both digital and physical touchpoints and be ready to pivot from fulfillment to sales to support.

• Motivated through purpose: Help them see how their role has evolved, not just as store staff, but as a vital link in an integrated retail ecosystem.

That being said, consider the following recommendations: 

• Make store associates part of the solution: Let your store staff test tools, offer feedback and help design workflows. 

• Start small and build confidence: Begin with a few stores or teams. Gather feedback, make adjustments and let internal champions guide others through the transition.

• Train for the new reality: Invest in ongoing training, not just at launch, but as part of your culture. 

• Experiment, celebrate and iterate: A/B test customer interactions. Run internal contests to find the most efficient pickup process. Recognize small wins — faster checkouts, positive customer feedback, smooth returns — and use them as momentum builders.

Here are a few retailers turning unified commerce from a buzzword into reality, and winning loyalty along the way.

• Jaycar, using Composable Commerce for B2C with commercetools InStore, unified its in-store and online operations through a single platform to deliver a seamless shopping experience. Store associates can access real-time inventory, product details and customer loyalty data, enabling them to provide expert guidance, process online returns in-store, and place orders for out-of-stock items, all while standing alongside the customer. With mobile devices and intuitive tools, associates help customers build carts that can be completed in-store or saved online, check loyalty status and even upsell with AI-powered recommendations. This empowered, agile workforce bridges digital and physical touchpoints, making the most of Jaycar’s composable technology stack.

• Nike developed an omnichannel ecosystem that connects its mobile app to in-store experiences. Associates use digital tools to access customer profiles and fulfill online orders from store inventory, ensuring customers see consistent, personalized service regardless of where they shop.

• Nordstrom reimagined its physical presence pre-pandemic with “Nordstrom Local” service hubs designed for online order pickups, returns and alterations. By rewarding staff for assisting customers across all channels instead of solely in-store purchases Nordstrom baked in collaboration instead of competition between teams.

• Neiman Marcus leveraged unified data to personalize shopper experiences, combining geo-targeted inventory visibility, loyalty-driven offers and in-store technology (like Memory Mirrors) to connect the online and offline experience.

These examples show that aligning goals, data and incentives around the customer rather than the channel enables retailers to deliver seamless, meaningful experiences and unlock more value from their teams.

But none of these transformations happened without effort. As Gireesh Sahukar, VP, Implementation and Customer Solutions at commercetools, puts it:

By addressing internal barriers (like KPIs that pit channels against each other or siloed teams working at cross purposes) and empowering employees with the right tools and mindset, retailers can deliver on the promise of unified commerce while strengthening customer relationships.