Walk into a store today and watch closely. You’ll see shoppers browsing an app while standing right outside the same brand’s outlet. You’ll see them order online but show up in-store asking if their loyalty points apply. You’ll see them pick up an item, scan its barcode on their phone, and check if it’s cheaper on the brand’s website.
For customers, there is no “online” and “offline.”
There is just one brand, one journey, one expectation.
But here’s the problem: for most retailers, the business is still split in two.
The Everyday Friction Customers Feel
Let’s make it real with a story.
A customer buys a kurta from your online store on Sunday. By Wednesday, she sees an ad for the same kurta — this time with a discount. She feels cheated. On Friday, she decides to return it in-store. The cashier tells her the refund will take seven days to process. She rolls her eyes. By the following week, she’s browsing your competitor’s website.
It’s not that she didn’t like your product.
It’s that the journey felt broken.
And broken journeys cost more than refunds. They cost trust.
The Hidden Cost of Two Businesses
Most retailers are effectively running two businesses under one brand:
- The ecommerce business is optimised for clicks, ads, and carts.
- The store business is optimised for walk-ins, inventory, and POS.
The trouble? These two worlds don’t talk.
- Customers are re-targeted even after purchase.
- Refunds crawl, frustrating loyal buyers.
- Loyalty points earned online don’t work in-store.
- Finance teams reconcile settlements channel by channel, painfully.
It’s why CAC keeps climbing, cart sizes stay small, loyalty feels broken, and ops drag on.
What Customers Are Really Asking For
Customers are telling us — in subtle ways — exactly what they want:
- “Remember me everywhere — not just in one channel.”
- “Don’t make me wait days for my money back.”
- “Stop spamming me with ads when I already bought it.”
- “Let my loyalty points follow me around.”
When brands don’t deliver this, customers feel invisible.
When brands do, they become favorites.
Why Omnichannel Is the Moat of the Future
Discounts used to drive growth. Today, they’re just noise.
The real competitive edge now? Omnichannel done right.
Here’s why:
- One Customer ID → Lower CAC, Higher LTV. You stop reacquiring people you already own.
- Remembered Preferences → Bigger Baskets. Shoppers feel seen, carts grow.
- Instant Refunds → Higher Trust, Better NPS. Friction-free BORIS/ROPIS builds loyalty.
- Unified Rewards → More Redemption, More Repeat. No more “points lost in translation.”
- Single Ops Stack → Lean Finance, Real-Time Control. Reconciliation, refunds, and reporting, all in one place.
This is what builds a moat: customers who trust you, stay longer, and spend more — because every journey feels seamless.
The Secret’s Out
The retail giants of tomorrow won’t be built on discounts. They’ll be built on omnichannel experiences that customers already expect.
At Razorpay, we believe Indian retail is ready for this leap. That’s why we built Razorpay Omnichannel Payments. India’s first platform that unifies online and offline payments, identity, loyalty, and ops into one stack.
The secret is simple: customers will love the brands that make their journeys seamless.
The only question is will your brand be one of them?
