There are a few common elements of omnichannel retailing that include integration across devices as well as putting mobile at the center as the connective tissue that merges stores and digital channels. Brick and mortar retailers also have an advantage over online-only retailers because their stores are a huge asset that most of the leaders are capitalizing on as they look to make the store experience more enjoyable and fun. What omnichannel really boils down to though is elevated convenience for today’s channel-agnostic shoppers.

This Report examines the interplay of the online and offline shopping environment, including how consumers shop both online and off, and how retailers are responding to changing behaviors to provide a unified and consistent experience across both physical and digital touchpoints. The focus of this Report is on tangible goods; digital media, travel, entertainment, insurance policies, and other intangible products are not the main subjects of this Report.

This Report builds on the analysis presented in Mintel’s Online Shopping – US, June 2018 as well as its ecommerce library of Reports launched in 2018.