Over the past decade, many retailers have implemented omni channel commerce solutions, allowing them to reach shoppers seamlessly, regardless of where and how consumers shop. Macy’s has gone the whole nine yards, with a recent annual report announcing the retailer is no longer breaking down sales on a channel by channel basis, Enterprise Apps Today reported.

Although this seems like a trivial change, it shows Macy’s commitment to becoming a dedicated omni channel retail organization that provides customers with a shopping experience that knows no boundaries. Many merchants still view their sales, marketing, and customer service as divided among the separate channels. However, to customers, the brand is viewed as the same and so experience is expected to be consistent at every touch point. A full omni channel experience not only allows people to shop how they want, but more importantly, the retailer itself is better able to operate as a cohesive entity.

As Enterprise Apps Today reported, the number of retailers following in Macy’s footsteps with a unified commerce model may be low now, but that figure is growing rapidly. New omni channel commerce solutions can be implemented to break down barriers between channels and improve coordination between them. This will play a critical role moving forward, with many merchants looking to fully utilize operations across channels to maximize efficiency.

For example, if retailers want to be able to offer in-store pickup to their customers, they need to be able to quickly identify inventory in stock at brick-and-mortar locations. Not only will the retailer need to access in-store inventory levels but this inventory data must be synchronized in real-time with every online channel offering in-store pick up. From there, retailers will need to present the customer with inventory available at their preferred store.

At the end of the day, omni channel is all about leveraging all available resources and data to deliver the most seamless and convenient shopping experience possible to customers.