Unified Commerce is the evolution of the omnichannel concept. Where omnichannel often means 'multiple channels with synchronised data', unified commerce means 'a single system that serves all channels'. The difference is architectural: in typical omnichannel there is an ERP, an e-commerce, a POS, a CRM, and an integration layer synchronising them; in unified commerce there is a single platform that exposes different interfaces for each channel, with no reconciliation.
The practical advantage: absolute consistency. There is no synchronisation delay, no conflicts between systems, no duplication of business logic across multiple tools. The disadvantage: it requires a platform that supports every channel reality in depth, which is technically demanding. Not every solution on the market delivers real unified commerce — many are omnichannel with unified marketing.
MAXIRETAIL + MULTI by INFOS approach unified commerce for Portuguese retailers. A single system manages catalogue, pricing, stock, promotions and loyalty, and exposes consistent interfaces for POS, mobile, e-commerce and back office. For retailers who want to evolve towards unified commerce without a radical re-implementation project, this is the INFOS reference architecture.