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Key takeaways:
Holiday shoppers are switching things up this year, and an omnichannel customer experience (CX) may help you keep up.
New PayPal data shows that 40% of shoppers surveyed have used AI in 2025 to find deals.1 And about 50% of those surveyed plan to use flexible payment options, such as buy now, pay later (BNPL), to pay for holiday shopping this season.1 It’s a big shift in how people browse and buy, and it reflects what omnichannel retail is today.
See how to meet those expectations while offering seamless payments, flexible financing, and connected experiences across every channel.
Table of contents
An omnichannel customer experience means your shoppers can move between your site, app, and store without slowing down. It’s a connected way to support omnichannel commerce, so everything feels easier and familiar wherever customers shop.
Omnichannel customer experience examples:
An effective omnichannel customer experience solution keeps every step aligned, reduces friction, and gives shoppers the confidence to buy in the way that works best for them.
Holiday shoppers surveyed said are using AI to find deals (34%), compare products (30%), and get gift ideas (26%).1 About 64% of those surveyed plan to shop in-store, and 41% expect to shop both online and in-store.1
These shifts show how quickly people jump between places to browse and buy. An omnichannel approach helps you keep up by staying present, consistent, and easy to shop wherever customers go. The more your channels work together, the smoother their holiday journey becomes.
A smooth online shopping experience benefits both you and your customers. And when you pair it with efficient omnichannel customer experience management, you create a connected journey that keeps pricing, inventory, and service aligned across every channel, strengthening your holiday shopping strategy.
A connected system can give you clear visibility, control, and strong performance during the busiest time of year. When every channel works together, your entire operation can become efficient and profitable.
Here's what you can get:
Shoppers feel more in control when the experience adapts to how they want to browse, buy, and pick up. A seamless journey removes guesswork and gives them confidence from the first click to the final checkout.
Shoppers can benefit from:
Building connected omnichannel journeys and customer experience takes planning. Many retailers have the right vision, but peak season adds pressure that can expose gaps in any retail readiness checklist or omnichannel marketing plan.
Watch out for:
Challenge | Solution |
|---|---|
Disjointed systems | Integrate platforms with unified commerce solutions. |
Limited inventory visibility | Implement real-time inventory management systems. |
Inconsistent messaging | Align teams with centralized marketing operations. |
Complex returns and exchanges | Connect systems so shoppers can return or exchange items anywhere. |
Strain on staff and operations | Streamline workflows and train teams before peak season hits. |
A strong holiday plan can help connect your channels and keep shoppers moving. Here are some omnichannel customer experience best practices for creating an omnichannel experience that works both online and in-store.
To map your customer journey, start by understanding how shoppers find you, browse, and buy. A clear view helps you create a customer journey map that covers discovery, checkout, and post-purchase support. Include AI-driven discovery paths too, like ChatGPT, shopping assistants, and recommendation tools, since many shoppers now start there.
Then, look at where people drop off. Use analytics to track each step across channels and spot friction. This helps you see where shoppers switch from online to in-store, or vice versa, and where they may lose momentum. Once you know the weak spots, you can smooth the path forward.
A connected system makes it easy for shoppers to check stock, compare prices, and choose how they want to get their order. Sync your product availability, pricing, and fulfillment so options like BOPIS or ship-from-store work properly.
And to keep that experience reliable, use real-time inventory updates to keep promises on pickup windows and delivery timelines. Integrate your e-commerce platform, social shops, and POS to keep everything aligned.
You can even use tools like PayPal to simplify your payments and reconciliation across all platforms.
Use shared data to transform the CX at every stage. This helps keep your email, SMS, and social offers consistent, no matter where shoppers see them. For example, you can send an email coupon they can redeem online or scan in-store with a QR code.
Rewards also matter during the holidays. About 74% of shoppers surveyed say rewards influence where they shop.1 You can build loyalty by offering the same rewards across every channel.
Simplifying checkout is important because no one likes waiting in long checkout lines. To do this, offer consistent, trusted payment options everywhere so shoppers can choose what works for them. PayPal BNPL and QR payment codes help you meet shoppers wherever they decide to check out.
Speed, flexibility, and trust help drive conversion. And many shoppers rely on BNPL to manage holiday budgets, with 52% shoppers surveyed saying they’re more likely to buy when BNPL is available.1 PayPal Pay Monthly offers flexible options you can use across channels to keep checkout moving.2 See footer for important Pay Monthly disclosures and eligibility information.
Train your staff to support hybrid shopping so they’re ready for returns, pickups, and digital wallets. Ensure that your site loads fast, your checkout flows are smooth, and your in-store tech works before the rush.
Also, confirm your holiday hours, pricing, and promotions show up the same across all channels. Then, test everything together. A little prep now helps reduce friction later and helps you capture sales when traffic peaks. This is a simple way to improve omnichannel customer experience.
Download the omnichannel readiness checklist and make sure your holiday strategy is built to perform across every channel.
Holiday traffic moves fast, and shoppers expect every part of their journey to match that pace. A connected experience helps you stay consistent, whether someone discovers you online or walks into your store.
PayPal brings your channels together through an omnichannel customer experience platform that helps you stay visible, flexible, and ready for holiday traffic. You can offer flexible ways to pay, such as omnichannel payments, which helps to ensure smooth checkouts, high confidence, and completed purchases across channels.
Explore PayPal's buy now, pay later options to make holiday shopping easy for your customers and help them take advantage of available offers and rewards.