Unified Commerce Solutions and Platforms for Unified Commerce

In today’s digital world, customer behavior is much different than before. Clients use mobile apps, social media, eCommerce marketplaces, and online stores to purchase products and services. Thus, businesses need to adapt to this new reality in order to offer a convenient shopping experience for their customers. The unified commerce approach is a great way to do so. It allows retailers and other businesses to offer their clients a seamless and convenient way to interact with the company across multiple channels. From online orders that can be picked up at a physical location to easier returns, clients can benefit from a centralized system in multiple ways. In this post, we’ll share more about the characteristics and features of unified commerce solutions. We’ll also share a list of some of the most popular unified commerce platforms. If you’re interested in this topic, you might want to read our posts on the latest eCommerce trends and the ways to improve the omnichannel customer experience.

Key takeaway: Unified commerce solutions are platforms that allow companies to systemize and gather their data in a single system. The most used ones include Shopify Plus, Adobe Commerce, SAP Commerce Cloud, and Salesforce Commerce Cloud.

Features of Unified Commerce Platforms

Unified commerce solutions are complex pieces of software that have a variety of tools. Usually, they can be customized based on the company’s needs. Let’s examine some of the key features of these platforms.

1. Data centralization. The main reason why businesses integrate unified commerce solutions is the single database. From social commerce to store sales, these platforms can collect data from multiple channels and store it in one centralized system. Thanks to real-time updates across different channels, even businesses with large sales volumes can eliminate discrepancies.
2. Omnichannel marketing and sales integration. As the main goal of unified commerce solutions is to integrate data from different sources, they have various features for omnichannel integration. These features can be used to combine data from in-store, eCommerce, and third-party marketplace sales.
3. Order and inventory management. Thanks to unified commerce, businesses can track stock levels at multiple locations. Furthermore, a major benefit of using unified commerce solutions is that these platforms help prevent stockouts and overstocking through demand forecasting.
4. CRM. Most well-known unified commerce platforms also have CRM features or can be integrated with separate customer relationship management software. This allows companies to start a loyalty program across different platforms or personalize their marketing campaigns based on order history and customer preferences.
5. Customization and scalability. Most unified commerce solutions can be customized based on the business model and the company’s needs. In addition to having various customization features, these platforms can help a business scale and grow easily. 
6. Payment processing. Having a seamless checkout process is important for all businesses. Unified commerce platforms can help a company integrate various payment tools for in-store, online, and third-party sales.

Popular Unified Commerce Solutions

There are many platforms that can help businesses implement unified commerce thanks to various features. Some of these unified commerce solutions are more suitable for retailers while others can be the optimal choice for food service chains. Let’s examine the most popular platforms on the market.

Shopify

Shopify Plus, the enterprise-level version of the popular platform, can be used to integrate omnichannel sales into a centralized system. This unified commerce platform can be used by both B2C and B2B businesses. Shopify Plus has various marketing, payment processing, inventory management, and sales features and is suitable for various niche markets.

Adobe Commerce (Magento)

The main reason why many companies choose this platform among other unified commerce solutions is its high customizability. Magento (now part of Adobe’s suite) is flexible and is suitable for businesses with large volumes.

Salesforce Commerce Cloud

Previously known as Demandware, this unified commerce platform can easily be integrated with other Salesforce products and various third-party applications. Its robust omnichannel ecommerce capabilities, integration features with both B2C and B2B eCommerce platforms, and AI-powered insights make Salesforce Commerce Cloud one of the leading unified commerce solutions.

SAP Commerce Cloud

Although SAP is primarily associated with its ERP solutions, the company also has a powerful unified commerce platform. It’s considered an optimal solution for businesses with complex processes, differentiating omnichannel strategies, and a strong global presence. 

BigCommerce

The main competitive advantage of this platform is its suitability for small and medium businesses. Although these companies rarely have proper unified commerce, they can still benefit from this approach. BigCommerce also offers flexibility, various tools, and powerful omnichannel and multichannel eCommerce integration.

Different Approaches to Integrating a Unified Commerce Platform

A company that plans to introduce a unified commerce platform to its business processes has a few options to do so. Here are the different approaches to integrating unified commerce solutions.

1. SaaS. Most businesses choose this option as it offers flexibility, affordability, and a variety of choices. Most unified commerce solutions on the market are SaaS (software as a service). There are also variations such as PaaS (platform as a service) and managed services.
2. Open source. The main advantage of open-source products is that they come at no cost for the software itself. They also offer multiple customization options. However, this all comes at a price – open-source software requires extensive technical and IT expertise. The setup and the ongoing maintenance can also be expensive.
3. Building your own platform. Instead of using products made by other companies, some businesses choose to build their own unified commerce platform. This approach is suitable for enterprises that have thousands of employees and can spare a lot of resources to build a platform from scratch.

Frequently Asked Questions about Unified Commerce Solutions

Want to learn how to make eCommerce competitor analysis? Or perhaps you wish to read tips on increasing your B2B sales? BlueCart’s website has valuable resources on a variety of topics. Below we’ve answered some popular questions regarding unified commerce solutions.

What Is Unified Commerce?

‍The term unified commerce is used to describe an approach to centralizing and integrating different sales channels. For example, a customer might order their products online and pick them up from a physical store. Thanks to unified commerce, businesses can have real-time data tracking. Furthermore, it’s easier to analyze data and forecast demand, manage inventory, and personalize marketing campaigns. Customers also benefit greatly from the unified commerce approach. They get consistent customer experience across all platforms. Unified commerce is suitable for large businesses that operate both brick-and-mortar and online stores.

What Are the Advantages of Unified Commerce?

‍The main advantage of unified commerce is that it makes a business more efficient. This approach allows business owners and managers to make better decisions based on the data. With the latest developments in AI, unified data gathered from multiple channels can be easily analyzed in order to introduce changes in the business or forecast demand. Another major advantage of unified commerce is that it improves customer satisfaction. This can lead to increased sales across different platforms. Customers are also more likely to return to businesses that make shopping convenient across all platforms.

What Are the Disadvantages of Unified Commerce?

‍Although unified commerce solutions have various pros, they also have disadvantages. The main one is the high initial implementation cost. This makes them suboptimal for many businesses, especially small ones. Another drawback some businesses might have is that integrating a unified commerce solution makes them susceptible to technical and cybersecurity challenges. This leads to increased maintenance costs for IT infrastructure and cybersecurity solutions. Last but not least, integrating the unified commerce approach means that all staff members need to be trained to properly use the systems. This can lead to increased labor costs and an increased chance of human error.

‍BlueCart: A Unified Commerce Solution for Wholesalers

If you operate a distribution business and wish to increase your wholesale sales, BlueCart can be the all-in-one solution for your business. Our platform connects suppliers with customers in the hospitality industry, retailers, and other businesses. Thanks to BlueCart, wholesalers can easily create eCommerce catalogs, manage orders, update prices, and automate various processes. Whether you’re a broadline distributor or a supplier specialized in a single category, schedule a demo and see how our wholesale ordering software can help your distribution company.