Digital Multichannel: how to tackle the complexity of selling online

Digital multichannel: reaching the customer in their own environment

Why is it important to sell across multiple channels? The answer is simple: because that’s where customers are.

Every consumer has different habits and preferences. Some choose Amazon for convenience and speed, others discover new products on TikTok, while many prefer the brand’s official website for reasons of trust.

Buying behaviour has changed profoundly: linear journeys belong to the past. Today, consumers are “digital nomads”, moving seamlessly across multiple touchpoints. They might discover a product on Instagram, assess it on Amazon, return to social media to read other users’ opinions and often complete the purchase on the official website. Or they may change direction entirely, opting for a competitor found along the way.

For this reason, multichannel has become a prerequisite for competitiveness. However, simply opening profiles on every available platform is not enough: a coordinated strategy and solid operational management are needed to ensure consistency and efficiency throughout the buying journey.

Integrated logistics as the backbone of multichannel

When a brand sells simultaneously across multiple channels, logistics must adapt to handling orders with different dynamics, without losing accuracy and reliability. Consider a typical scenario: one customer places a marketplace order at 2 p.m., another buys from the official website an hour later, while a third opts for in-store collection of a product spotted on social media. Three channels, three operating modes, three expectations to meet with the same quality of service.

T-Data, for instance, thanks to its logistics network powered by T-Log, coordinates these flows through centralised stock management and optimised distribution tailored to each channel’s requirements.

This approach makes it possible to:

• Deliver fast and punctual service, regardless of the sales channel

• Enable hybrid models such as Click & Collect or Ship from Store

• Efficiently manage reverse logistics for returns and exchanges

• Reduce operating costs by sharing infrastructure across all channels

A well-orchestrated logistics system therefore represents the essential foundation for delivering a consistent and scalable customer experience across every touchpoint.

System integration: one control centre for all touchpoints

Multichannel brings a complex operational challenge: coordinating in real time systems that traditionally operate independently.

Marketplaces, eCommerce platforms, corporate ERPs and logistics management systems must communicate seamlessly to guarantee efficiency and accuracy.

Consider the practical implications: orders arriving simultaneously from Amazon, the company website and physical stores all require immediate synchronisation of stock, payments and shipments. Without proper integration, this fragmentation leads to inventory errors, operational delays and, inevitably, customer dissatisfaction.

For example, T-Data’s T-Platform addresses this complexity through an integrated technology ecosystem where all systems operate in perfect synchrony, optimising operations and preventing disruptions.

The operational benefits include:

• Automatic synchronisation of stock availability across all channels

• Centralised monitoring through unified dashboards for all multi-channel orders

• Unified management of returns, exchanges and refunds with standardised processes

• Faster onboarding on new marketplaces thanks to native integration

Thanks to this automation, operational teams can focus on value-added activities, while systems handle daily flows with precision and reliability.

The strategic role of the Merchant of Record in multichannel

Multichannel exponentially increases administrative complexity.

Each channel has its own fiscal requirements, each market its own regulations, each transaction demands specific documentation and compliance.

For a brand selling on Amazon Italy, its own eCommerce in Germany and TikTok Shop in the United States, administration can quickly become an operational maze.

The Merchant of Record (MoR) is the solution to this complexity: a partner assuming the legal and tax responsibility for transactions across all channels, allowing the brand to pursue a multichannel strategy without the burden of bureaucracy.

With an MoR model, multichannel becomes much more manageable:

• A single administrative interface for all sales channels

• Automatic compliance with local regulations in each market

• Simplified taxation with one point of contact for invoicing and VAT

• Unified management of payments, returns and cross-channel refunds

The true value of the MoR in multichannel lies in removing barriers to expansion. Instead of evaluating each new channel or market based on administrative complexity, brands can focus on commercial opportunities.

Multichannel means being present in the right channels, at the right time, with a structure able to withstand complexity. When technology, logistics and compliance work together, every touchpoint becomes an opportunity to deliver a better experience.