The profitability of Latin American retail is at stake. While some continue to operate with isolated channels, others are already monetizing the convergence between physical store and e-commerce.
The test? According to Forbes, for 2027, 23% of the world's retail sales will happen online, but shoppers will continue to enter stores when the experience is fluid between the two environments.
This fluidity is no longer optional: 74% of consumers expect to be able to do “everything they would do in person or on the phone” online without friction, According to Salesforce figures in 2025.
In addition, the multichannel customer dominates the market: according to the numbers of Katana, 73% declare that they use several points of contact before making a purchase, and when they do so they spend 4% more in store and 10% more online than those who use a single channel.
This data illustrates the Profitability gap that separates retailers that have already integrated their systems from those that still operate with silos.
La cost-effective omnichannel consists precisely of closing that gap through processes, data and technology capable of generating additional revenues and reducing operating costs.
The figures confirm that leaving behind silos has a direct impact on the income statement.
Companies that have migrated to a model of Unified Commerce —where e‑commerce and point of sale share the same database— report an average sales increase of 8.9% and an improvement in operational efficiency of 5%, According to Shopify.
In addition, Retailers than operate on three or more channels achieve 250% higher engagement compared to single-channel ones and they retain 90% more customers.
The equation is simple: more integrated channels = more Lifetime Value and lower acquisition cost. But integration requires an architecture that unifies inventory, payments, order tracking, and customer data in real time.
When one of these components is missing, profitability erodes: stock failures, costly returns and insignificant marketing campaigns arise. On the other hand, with synchronized processes, it is possible to enable high-margin services such as BOPIS (Buy Online, Pick Up In Store) or BORIS (Buy Online, Return In Store).
Advatix has found that these options increase trust and even allow the application of surcharges that the customer accepts for convenience. In the following sections, we'll break down the technical pillars, common challenges, and a five-step roadmap for executing a strategy of cost-effective omnichannel without errors, relying on artificial intelligence and real cases from the region.
Integrate store, e‑commerce and dark store stocks in a single database, it avoids bankruptcies and over-inventory. VTEX places this visibility as the first pillar of any omnichannel architecture. Shopify confirms the impact: retailers that share inventory in a single system sell 8.9% more and reduce operating costs by 5% because they assign the right product to the right channel without last-minute emergencies.
When the same payment method works for web, POS and app, Friction disappears and conversion goes up. In his article”What Is Omnichannel Retail? Enhancing Customer Experience by Integrating Physical and Digital Stores”, VTEX stresses the need for a “Unified Payment System” so that the customer does not re-enter data when jumping from one channel to another. Salesforce He adds that 74% of shoppers will abandon after three bad experiences, and duplicate checkout is one of the most cited.
The customer wants to know where their order is regardless of whether they chose home delivery or BOPIS. The end-to-end visibility, recommended by VTEX, allows you to enable click‑and‑collect services that boost loyalty: Advatix points out that these options increase trust and encourage new purchases thanks to the perception of punctuality and control.
Integrating CRM, POS and web generates 360° profiles that feed recommendation algorithms. Salesmate Calculate that the AI-based hyperpersonalization will be the engine of loyalty in 2025, while Shopify shows that retailers that apply them multiply the average ticket by up to 20% thanks to relevant cross-sales and upselling.
In his article”Omnichannel Retail Strategy: How to Meet the Needs of Today's Shoppers”, BigCommerce documents an interesting success story in which it is possible to verify how the Veronica Beard firm measures each interaction, achieving a conversion rate of 35% when the customer moves from digital interaction to store contact. Without integrated dashboards, it would be impossible to attribute that result to a specific action.
In short, profitability it doesn't just come from “being everywhere”, but of connect those places with processes and data common ones that support agile decisions and consistent experiences.
In the next section, we will discuss a Five-step roadmap to bring these good practices to the operational reality of a Latin American retailer.
Before moving a line of code, draw the full map of touchpoints and prioritize those that generate value the fastest. VTEX suggests starting with this mapping to avoid scattered investments.
In addition, Salesforce warns that 74% of shoppers already expect to be able to execute everything they would do in store online; identifying where that expectation is broken today allows resources to be focused.
Once you choose “quick-win” (for example, BOPIS), unify inventory, payments and customer profiles on a single platform. VTEX details critical modules—integrated inventory and common payment gateway—as the basis for any smooth experience.
Shopify demonstrates the impact: companies that operate on a single system increase sales 8.9% and reduce TCO 22% by eliminating middleware.
Advatix documents that click‑and‑collect options reinforce trust and accelerate repeat purchases, because the customer perceives certainty of stock and timeliness.
Implementing this flow first allows you to validate the technical integration and generate incremental revenues without reconfiguring the entire operation.
With inventory already visible and channels connected, the next lever is relevance. Shopify shows that recommendations fueled by a single customer profile increase the ticket by up to 20%.
In this regard, as we have seen, Salesmate adds that hyperpersonalization will be the axis of loyalty in 2025 because it crosses online and offline histories for price adjustments, campaigns and cross-selling in real time.
BigCommerce reports that retailers that operate three or more channels increase engagement 250% and retain 90% more customers (source 4). But these results only hold up if KPIs such as omnichannel GMV, collection rate and margin per order are monitored; the Veronica Beard case achieved 35% conversion by measuring each digital and physical interaction.
Align internal bonuses so that store and ecommerce share objectives and avoid internal competition that erodes profitability.
Forbes projects that global retail average spending will exceed 150 billion dollars in 2026, surpassing even paid search. Integrating these advertising inventories with your CRM data allows monetize your own audiences and finance part of the technological roadmap, turning omnichannel into a center of benefits, not just of costs.
I want to take the first step to omnichannel now
With these five steps — diagnosis, integration, quick-wins, personalization and measurement — the Latin American retailer can convert “cost-effective omnichannel” in a tangible competitive advantage, backed by real data and practices already tested in reference brands. And what can be done to achieve it?
Click-and-collect services reduce friction in the last mile and increase customer trust. Advatix documents that the possibility of picking up the order in store or return it no shipping costs increases loyalty and reinforces the perception of reliability of the brand, by ensuring availability and speed of delivery.
Retail media is native advertising on e-commerce sites that takes advantage of first-hand data. Forbes, as we have seen, forecasts that this industry will exceed 150 000 M USD in global investment in 2026, displacing advertising on search engines and social networks. Integrate retail media with CRM allows you to finance part of the omnichannel roadmap and generate an additional revenue stream from your own customer base.
The native unification of ecommerce and point of sale avoids fragile integrations. Shopify shows that companies that operate on a single system increase their sales by an average of 8.9% and reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) by 22% compared to architectures intertwined with middleware. This efficiency drives profitability by optimize processes and eliminate synchronization errors of inventory.
The use of AI for recommendations and segmentation raises the average ticket up to 20%, according to Shopify. By analyzing the purchase and browsing history, the algorithms suggest relevant products in real time, improving conversion and encouraging cross-selling.
BigCommerce reports that retailers that manage three or more channels increase engagement 250% and retain 90% more customers than those who operate on a single channel. Define and monitor key metrics such as GMV omnichannel, BOPIS collection rate, average multichannel visits and NPS. Continuous analysis makes it possible to correct deviations, adjust inventories and align internal incentives to maximize profitability.
Data converges: most consumers already shop on multiple channels and expect total continuity between them. Salesmate indicates that more than 80% of shoppers use multiple channels to complete a purchase, while Katana collects that 73% prefer to buy through multiple channels And that those who do it they spend 4% more in store and 10% more online.
BigCommerce adds that retailers who dominate the omnichannel experience retain 90% more customers That those with a single channel and increase engagement 250% with three or more channels. These behaviors explain why integration is no longer optional: it's the direct driver of revenue, retention, and customer lifetime value.
Profitability comes when the technological pillars are aligned: unified inventory, consistent payments, order tracking and centralized customer data form the functional basis described by VTEX.
Salesforce stresses that 74% of customers expect to be able to do everything they do in person online and 79% demand consistent interactions between departments, so data synchronization is not a luxury, but an experience requirement.
In terms of efficiency, operating on a unified commerce platform reduces costs and speeds up deployments: Shopify reports +8.9% in sales and -22% in TCO with unified architectures versus fragmented stacks; in addition, data visibility enhances upsells and recommendations that can increase complementary sales up to 20%.
These efficiencies fuel the margin that makes omnichannel a profitable strategy.