The profitability of Latin American retail is at stake. While some continue operating with isolated channels, others are already monetizing the convergence between brick-and-mortar and e-commerce.
The proof? According to Forbes, by 2027, 23% of the world’s retail sales will take place online, but shoppers will still visit stores when the experience is seamless across both environments.
That seamlessness is no longer optional: 74% of consumers expect to be able to do online “everything they would do in person or by phone” without friction, according to Salesforce’s 2025 figures.
Moreover, the multichannel customer dominates the market: according to Katana, 73% say they use multiple touchpoints before completing a purchase, and when they do, they spend 4% more in-store and 10% more online than single-channel shoppers.
This data illustrates the profitability gap separating retailers who have already integrated their systems from those still operating in silos.
Profitable omnichannel means closing that gap with processes, data, and technology capable of generating additional revenue and reducing operating costs.
The numbers confirm that eliminating silos directly impacts the bottom line.
Companies that have migrated to a unified commerce model—where e-commerce and POS share the same database—report an average sales increase of 8.9% and a 5% boost in operational efficiency, according to Shopify.
Likewise, retailers operating in three or more channels achieve 250% higher engagement compared to single-channel players and retain 90% more customers.
The equation is simple: more integrated channels = higher 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: stockouts, costly returns, and irrelevant marketing campaigns arise. On the other hand, synchronized processes enable high-margin services like 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 for surcharges that customers accept for convenience. In the following sections, we will break down the technical pillars, common challenges, and a five-step roadmap to execute a profitable omnichannel strategy without mistakes, leveraging artificial intelligence and real-world cases from the region.
Integrating store, e-commerce, and dark store stock into a single database prevents stockouts and overstock. VTEX places this visibility as the first pillar of any omnichannel architecture. Shopify confirms the impact: retailers sharing inventory in a single system sell 8.9% more and cut operational costs by 5% by assigning the right product to the right channel without last-minute urgencies.
When the same payment method works for web, POS, and app, friction disappears and conversions rise. In its article “What Is Omnichannel Retail? Enhancing Customer Experience by Integrating Physical and Digital Stores”, VTEX stresses the need for a “Unified Payment System” so customers don’t have to re-enter data when switching channels. Salesforce adds that 74% of shoppers will abandon after three bad experiences, and duplicate checkout is among the most cited issues.
Customers want to know where their order is, whether they chose home delivery or BOPIS. End-to-end visibility, as recommended by VTEX, enables click-and-collect services that boost loyalty: Advatix reports these options increase trust and drive repeat purchases thanks to perceived punctuality and control.
Integrating CRM, POS, and web creates 360° profiles that feed recommendation algorithms. Salesmate estimates that AI-based hyper-personalization will be the driver of loyalty in 2025, while Shopify shows that applying it can raise average order value by up to 20% through relevant cross-selling and upselling.
In “Omnichannel Retail Strategy: How to Meet the Needs of Today's Shoppers”, BigCommerce documents an interesting success story showing how Veronica Beard measures every interaction, achieving a 35% conversion rate when customers move from digital interaction to in-store contact. Without integrated dashboards, attributing that result to a specific action would be impossible.
In short, profitability does not come merely from “being everywhere,” but from connecting those places with shared processes and data that support agile decisions and consistent experiences.
Before moving a single line of code, map all touchpoints and prioritize those that generate value fastest. VTEX suggests starting with this mapping to avoid scattered investments.
Salesforce also warns that 74% of shoppers already expect to complete online everything they would do in-store; identifying where this expectation currently fails allows focused resource allocation.
Once a “quick-win” (e.g., BOPIS) is selected, unify inventory, payments, and customer profiles on a single platform. VTEX details critical modules—integrated inventory and shared payment gateway—as the foundation for any seamless experience.
Shopify demonstrates impact: companies operating on a single system increase sales 8.9% and reduce TCO 22% by eliminating middleware.
Advatix documents that click-and-collect options strengthen trust and accelerate repeat purchases because customers perceive stock certainty and punctuality.
Implementing this flow first validates technical integration and generates incremental revenue without reconfiguring the entire operation.
With inventory visible and channels connected, the next lever is relevance. Shopify shows that recommendations based on a single customer profile increase ticket size by up to 20%.
As mentioned, Salesmate adds that hyper-personalization will be a key loyalty driver in 2025, crossing online and offline histories for real-time price adjustments, campaigns, and cross-selling.
BigCommerce reports that retailers operating three or more channels increase engagement 250% and retain 90% more customers. But these results are only sustained if KPIs such as omnichannel GMV, pickup rates, and per-order margin are monitored; Veronica Beard achieved a 35% conversion by measuring every digital and in-store interaction.
Align internal bonuses so stores and e-commerce share objectives and avoid internal competition that erodes profitability.
Forbes projects global retail media spending to exceed $150 billion by 2026, surpassing even paid search. Integrating these ad inventories with CRM data allows monetization of first-party audiences and funds part of the tech roadmap, turning omnichannel into a profit center, not just a cost.
I want to take the first step toward omnichannel now.
With these five steps—diagnosis, integration, quick wins, personalization, and measurement—Latin American retailers can turn “profitable omnichannel” into a tangible competitive advantage, backed by real data and practices already proven by leading brands. What can be done to achieve it?
Click-and-collect services reduce last-mile friction and increase customer trust. Advatix documents that offering in-store pickup or returns without shipping costs raises loyalty and reinforces the brand’s reliability by guaranteeing product availability and speedy delivery.
Retail media is native advertising on e-commerce sites using first-party data. As Forbes notes, this industry will surpass $150 billion in global investment by 2026, overtaking search and social ads. Integrating retail media with CRM allows funding part of the omnichannel roadmap and generating additional revenue from your own customer base.
Native unification of e-commerce and point-of-sale avoids fragile integrations. Shopify shows that companies operating on a single system increase sales by an average of 8.9% and reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) by 22% compared to architectures using multiple middleware layers. This efficiency boosts profitability by optimizing processes and eliminating inventory synchronization errors.
Using AI for recommendations and segmentation increases average ticket size by up to 20%, according to Shopify. By analyzing purchase and browsing history, algorithms suggest relevant products in real time, improving conversion and promoting cross-selling.
BigCommerce reports that retailers managing three or more channels increase engagement 250% and retain 90% more customers than single-channel operators. Define and monitor key metrics such as omnichannel GMV, BOPIS pickup rates, average multichannel visits, and NPS. Continuous analysis enables course corrections, inventory adjustments, and internal incentive alignment to maximize profitability.
Data converges: most consumers already shop across multiple channels and expect full continuity between them. Salesmate reports that over 80% of shoppers use multiple channels to complete a purchase, while Katana finds that 73% prefer multi-channel shopping, spending 4% more in-store and 10% more online when doing so.
BigCommerce adds that retailers mastering the omnichannel experience retain 90% more customers than single-channel operators and boost engagement 250% when using three or more channels. These behaviors show why integration is no longer optional: it is a direct driver of revenue, retention, and customer lifetime value.
Profitability arises when technological pillars are aligned: unified inventory, consistent payments, order tracking, and centralized customer data form the functional foundation described by VTEX.
Salesforce emphasizes that 74% of customers expect to do online everything they do in-store, and 79% demand consistent interactions across departments, making data synchronization not a luxury but an experience requirement.
In terms of efficiency, operating on a unified commerce platform reduces costs and accelerates deployments: Shopify reports +8.9% sales and −22% TCO with unified architectures versus fragmented stacks. Additionally, data visibility enables upselling and recommendations that can increase complementary sales by up to 20%.
These efficiencies feed the margin that turns omnichannel into a profitable strategy.