The retail landscape is evolving at breakneck speed. Today’s consumers expect to discover, interact with, and purchase from brands across a growing array of digital touchpoints—far beyond the traditional boundaries of online and in-store shopping. Social commerce, voice assistants, augmented reality (AR), and livestream shopping are no longer just buzzwords; they are powerful, emerging channels that are fundamentally reshaping the future of unified commerce. For retailers, the challenge and opportunity lie in integrating these channels into seamless, personalized journeys that meet customers wherever they are.
Social commerce merges the worlds of shopping and social interaction, leveraging platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Meta to enable in-app purchasing and real-time engagement. The frictionless experience—where discovery, engagement, and purchase happen within the same platform—drives higher conversion rates and customer loyalty. Social commerce is projected to generate trillions in global revenue by 2030, making it a critical channel for future growth.
Opportunities:With the proliferation of smart speakers and virtual assistants, voice commerce is gaining traction as a hands-free, accessible shopping channel. Advances in generative AI are making voice interactions more natural and conversational, opening new avenues for personalized, hands-free shopping experiences and enhancing accessibility for users with disabilities.
Opportunities:AR commerce allows consumers to visualize products in their own environment before purchasing, transforming product discovery and decision-making. From virtual try-ons in fashion and beauty to home furnishing visualizations, AR increases purchase confidence and reduces return rates. As AR technology matures, consumers will increasingly expect immersive, interactive shopping experiences.
Opportunities:Livestream shopping blends entertainment and commerce, enabling brands to showcase products, answer questions, and drive sales in real time. This channel fosters direct interaction, builds community, and creates a sense of urgency that can boost conversions. Livestreaming is especially effective for product launches, limited-time offers, and categories where demonstration is key.
Opportunities:The proliferation of digital channels presents a challenge: how to deliver a consistent, personalized experience across every touchpoint. The answer lies in unified commerce—an approach that aligns data, messaging, and systems to create a seamless journey from discovery to conversion. For example, a consumer might discover a product on social media, research it via voice assistant, visualize it in their home with AR, and complete the purchase during a livestream event—all within a cohesive, connected experience.
Retailers who have embraced these emerging channels and unified commerce strategies are seeing measurable results. For example, global leaders have reduced launch times, cut costs, and boosted engagement by adopting composable, headless architectures. Others have delivered unified B2B commerce and education platforms, streamlining journeys and reducing cost-to-serve by up to 30%.
At Publicis Sapient, we partner with brands to unlock the potential of emerging digital commerce channels through end-to-end strategy, experience design, technology integration, and measurement. Our expertise in composable commerce, data orchestration, and omnichannel personalization enables clients to deliver seamless, engaging experiences that drive loyalty and growth.
Agility is now a necessity. By embracing and integrating emerging channels—social, voice, AR, and livestream—into a unified commerce strategy, brands can deliver personalized, engaging experiences that meet consumers wherever they are. The next wave of digital commerce is here—are you ready to lead?
Ready to elevate your digital commerce strategy? Connect with Publicis Sapient to discover how we can help you leverage the latest channels and technologies to stay ahead of the curve.