The evolution of multichannel ecommerce: Why integration is king

The buying shift

The multichannel landscape of ecommerce is accelerating at a pace we've never seen before. Our research shows that 92% of sellers now sell on 2 or more channels, and this fragmentation isn't just a trend - it's following buyer behavior. Your Walmart shopper is fundamentally different from your Shopify shopper, who differs again from your Amazon shopper.

This evolution has happened in clear waves. First, we had the established ecommerce applications like Shopify, alongside major marketplaces like Amazon and eBay. Then came the retailers, with companies like Best Buy, Walmart, and Target launching their marketplace offerings.

As we add social commerce like TikTok Shop and Facebook, and and discount marketplaces like Temu and Shein into the mix, we're seeing even more distinct buyer personas emerge. The channels have multiplied, but the tools haven't kept pace with how sellers actually work. This fragmentation isn't just creating new opportunities - it's fundamentally changing how successful sellers need to operate.

Returning to manual processes

This multichannel reality also creates fulfillment complexities. With many seeking to reduce their cost to serve and taking advantage of different fulfillment options for different segments of their catalog, sellers are increasingly dealing with multiple fulfillment sources.

Many are operating with a hybrid model, combining third-party logistics, self-fulfilled warehousing, and services like FBA. Some sellers brought their fulfillment in-house during the pandemic due to pressures on 3PLs, and have largely stuck with it, having discovered the efficiency and cost benefits of managing their own operations.

What's interesting is that despite the growth in channels, 60% of sellers still manually create listings for each one. Even among those using listing tools, 52% create listings in one channel first, then sync to their tool. This tells us that the real challenge isn't just managing more channels—it's that the tools designed to help sellers scale across channels don't match how sellers actually work. The complexity is forcing sellers back to manual processes, which limits their ability to take advantage of the very opportunities that multichannel selling promises.

So what we're seeing here is that without the right tooling, sellers find themselves stuck with the most basic operations they can manage manually, unable to take advantage of either new selling opportunities or cost-effective fulfillment options. This is why we're seeing a growing need for centralized systems, where sellers can manage their fulfillment, operational, and growth business from one place.

The system integration challenge

The U.S. market has historically grown up with sellers using different tools for different purposes - one for shipping, another for inventory, and yet another for listings. This has created a situation where sellers must stitch together multiple systems, requiring complex integrations and coordination while paying multiple vendors who each take their own margin.

Our research confirms this: Over 50% of all sellers report using more than one shipping software solution simultaneously. But there's something interesting happening. While 78% say they want an all-in-one solution, their behavior shows they're deliberately maintaining multiple tools. Why? Sellers are looking for solutions that work with their existing workflows, not ones that force them to change how they operate.

Looking ahead

The future clearly points toward unified systems that can handle this complexity while remaining intuitive and accessible. What's needed is systems that can provide comprehensive control without requiring developer-level expertise to operate.

For sellers looking to thrive in this evolving landscape, the key is finding solutions that can grow with their business while managing the increasing complexity of both sales channels and fulfillment options. This means looking for systems that can:

The multichannel future is here, and it's more complex than ever. Success will increasingly depend not just on what you sell or where you sell it, but on how effectively you can manage the growing complexity of modern ecommerce operations.

Disclaimer: The insights and statistics referenced in this analysis are derived from multiple Veeqo research studies conducted in 2024-2025. Respondents were categorized by order volume (Large: 3,000+ monthly orders; Medium: 501-3,000 monthly orders) and represented diverse business sizes across US-based ecommerce sellers. While these studies provide valuable insights into current ecommerce trends and seller behaviors, results reflect the experiences and perspectives of the specific seller populations surveyed and may not represent the broader ecommerce market as a whole.