Craig Summers
VP Northern Europe and MEA, Manhattan Associates
To stay competitive, retailers must move beyond disconnected channels and embrace unified commerce – seamlessly connecting every touchpoint, from social to store.
Retail has never been more complex, or more full of opportunity. Today’s consumer journeys span multiple platforms, channels, and moments in time. To thrive in this evolving landscape, retailers must move beyond fragmented strategies and embrace a unified commerce approach. This means seamlessly connecting every touchpoint, from online shops and physical locations to mobile apps and social media.
Among these touch points, social commerce is playing an increasingly important role. While still a relatively small slice of the total retail picture, it’s growing fast. In fact, social commerce is predicted to become a trillion dollar industry, globally, by 2028.
But to treat social commerce as an isolated trend would be a mistake. Its real impact is best understood in the context of a larger, more integrated shift: the rise of unified commerce.
A unified commerce model connects the entire retail ecosystem, including product discovery, transactions, fulfilment, and customer engagement, across every channel. Whether a customer begins their journey with a TikTok ad, a Google search, or an in-store display, their experience should be consistent, connected, and personalised. Social commerce is just one expression of this omnichannel reality.
Unified commerce is not
just a technology upgrade.
It is a strategic imperative.
Social commerce is booming – but only unified
retailers can keep up
Take, for example, the way Gen Z and millennials are shopping, many of them use social platforms for shopping-related research and they are significantly more likely to discover products – and buy them – directly on those platforms.
Responding to these habits, platforms like Facebook and Instagram added in-app purchase functionality, blurring the lines between social engagement and e-commerce. Retailers that unify these new social sales channels with their broader operations stand to gain a real advantage.
However, while social commerce is booming, it also adds complexity. Traditional fulfilment models, built around bulk orders and centralised delivery, struggle to scale in a world where brands must ship single items to thousands of individuals. Each buyer expects speed, transparency, and a great experience. This shift demands smarter, more agile supply chains and more responsive customer service operations.
The strategy behind seamless retail in a
trillion-dollar era
That is where unified commerce proves its worth. By integrating order management, inventory, fulfilment, and customer engagement systems into a single, real-time platform, brands can deliver a consistent, high-quality experience across all channels. This includes social, digital, and physical platforms.
This approach not only streamlines logistics but also enables customer-centric services like buy-online-collect-in-store (BOPIS), kerbside pickup, home delivery, and local returns.
Customer expectations are clear. They want flexibility, transparency, and a brand experience that follows them wherever they are. Whether a shopper is clicking through Instagram, browsing a mobile app, or walking into a flagship store, unified commerce ensures every touchpoint feels intentional and connected.
The trillion-dollar opportunity presented by social commerce is compelling, but it is just the beginning. Retailers who want to succeed in today’s dynamic landscape must think bigger. Unified commerce is not just a technology upgrade. It is a strategic imperative. One that positions brands to meet customers wherever they are, and deliver excellence every step of the way.
