Your Partner for a Brighter Future
The Omnichannel Illusion
Customers can’t value what they don’t experience.
2,000 UK consumers reveal why their retail experiences still feel disconnected, despite years of investment in omnichannel.
Retailers continue to invest in connected experiences, loyalty platforms and AI, yet customers don’t always recognise the benefits. The challenge is making those investments visible throughout the customer journey.
IS IT OMINOUS FOR OMNICHANNEL?
Only 11% see online and in-store shopping as one connected experience
Customers are more than three times as likely to regard them as separate experiences. Retailers may be connecting channels, but those connections are not consistently visible to the people using them.
WHY JOURNEYS FEEL DISCONNECTED
Omnichannel is judged through ordinary moments
Customers choose the option that helps them complete their goal with the least friction. The experience depends on whether pricing, stock, delivery, returns, loyalty and service remain consistent when they move between channels.
Stock
Can the customer see what is available before making the journey?
Delivery
Are cost and timing clear before the final step?
Loyalty
Do points, offers and customer context follow the shopper?
Support
Can the customer reach a person when reassurance is needed?
INSIDE THE REPORT
A customer-led view of omnichannel retail
The report examines where retail journeys work, where they break down and how customers respond to connected experiences, loyalty and AI.
01
The Omnichannel Illusion
02
The Era of Effortless Shopping
03
The New Role of Loyalty Programmes
04
Does Retail Need an AI reality Check?
“Retail has never had more technology at its disposal. The challenge now isn't deciding what to invest in next. It's making sure customers genuinely feel the benefit of what you've already built.”
- Matt Sherwen
Managing Director
About the research
Methodology
The research was conducted by Censuswide among a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK consumers aged 18+. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society and the British Polling Council, and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge.
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Cite Sherwen
You’re welcome to reference the findings in articles, presentations, videos, and reports with attribution to Sherwen Studios and a link to the published research page. Please contact us if you require additional commentary, supporting context or permissions.
What does The Omnichannel Illusion examine?
It looks at how consumers experience retail across stores, ecommerce, delivery, loyalty, customer support and AI. The report focuses on the points where those experiences connect, where they break down and which improvements customers are most likely to notice.
Is the report relevant if omnichannel is not my direct responsibility?
Yes. The findings are relevant to ecommerce, digital, CRM, loyalty, customer experience, operations and technology teams because the issues rarely sit within one function. The report helps show how decisions made in one area affect the wider customer journey.here delivery, loyalty, service and AI influence the journey.
What will I learn?
The report does more than present survey percentages. It explains what the findings mean for retailers, where customer expectations differ and which parts of the journey deserve closer attention.
How can I use the findings inside my organisation?
The research can support internal planning, customer journey reviews, investment discussions and conversations across teams. It provides independent consumer evidence that can help challenge assumptions and identify where the customer experience may not match the business’s view of it.
Why should I download the full report?
The landing page introduces the central finding, but the report contains the supporting analysis, demographic differences and wider implications. Completing the form gives you immediate access to the full research and a copy by email for future reference.
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