Building an Omnichannel Engine: Connecting Media, Data and Sales

Industry leaders at “Building an Omnichannel Engine: Connecting Media, Data, and Sales” converged on a clear conclusion: omnichannel success is less about deploying new technologies and more about aligning organizations, integrating data, and designing around the customer rather than the channel. The discussion underscored persistent barriers—including attribution complexity, siloed systems, and internal misalignment—while emphasizing that sustainable transformation depends on robust governance, continuous experimentation, and cross-functional coordination across media, data, and sales.

At the session, moderator Enrique Girón, Business Development Director North Latam, Infracommerce, framed the conversation around a critical execution gap: while omnichannel is widely embraced as a strategic priority, few organizations have successfully translated it into operational reality. He noted that companies often struggle to connect initiatives across departments, platforms, and touchpoints, limiting their ability to deliver consistent customer experiences.

“Many companies have not solved omnichannel operations,” Girón said, raising the central challenge: how to evolve from fragmented multichannel activity toward a fully integrated operating model. According to Girón, the primary obstacles are not technical but structural—rooted in culture, disconnected data ecosystems, and insufficient collaboration between teams responsible for revenue, marketing, and customer experience.

Human Alignment as the Core Constraint

Marco Gelosi, CEO and Partner, GAIA Design, argued that omnichannel transformation is fundamentally a people challenge. Many initiatives fail, he explained, because employees—particularly in sales—do not see how omnichannel strategies align with their incentives or day-to-day responsibilities.

“It is difficult to make most people understand omnichannel,” Gelosi said. He stressed that organizations must eliminate internal competition between channels by aligning incentives across physical retail, ecommerce, and marketing. Without this alignment, each channel optimizes independently, eroding the effectiveness of a unified customer strategy.

Gelosi emphasized that communication is critical: companies must clearly articulate how omnichannel creates value at every level of the organization. When teams understand shared goals, collaboration improves and execution becomes scalable. “The channel that suffers the most is the one that understands omnichannel the least,” he noted, pointing to training and change management as essential enablers of transformation.

Sergio Remolina, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Groovinads, outlined a structured approach to transformation: first, consolidate customer data; second, define how messaging is orchestrated across channels; and third, deploy technology capable of analyzing and activating that data holistically. He warned that many organizations overinvest in tools without integration, resulting in data fragmentation that undermines both measurement and personalization.

“Data remains fundamental. Without knowing the customer, companies waste resources,” Remolina said, adding that first-party data strategies are becoming a competitive differentiator in an increasingly privacy-driven environment.

Attribution and the Limits of Measurement

Girón highlighted attribution as one of the most complex—and often misunderstood—components of omnichannel strategy. He noted that no single model applies universally and that companies must adopt a test-and-learn approach aligned with their specific customer journeys and business objectives. The rise of retail media and new digital ecosystems is further complicating measurement frameworks.

“There is no unique or correct attribution model,” he said. “Each company must test multiple scenarios.” He added that misaligned expectations around KPIs frequently derail omnichannel initiatives, particularly when short-term performance metrics conflict with long-term customer value strategies.

Edgar E. Embriz, CEO Country Manager, Swatch Group Mexico, illustrated these challenges within a multi-brand portfolio spanning diverse price points and retail environments. He explained that relying on last-click attribution can significantly distort performance analysis, especially in categories where offline interaction plays a decisive role.

For accessible brands such as Swatch, products may sell online at approximately US$80, while luxury brands like Omega can reach US$60,000. In the latter segment, nearly all customers still prefer in-store experiences, highlighting the continued dominance of physical retail in high-involvement purchases.

“Giving attribution to a last click would be inaccurate,” Embriz said. He noted that the company continuously evaluates customer behavior and refines its models, moving toward persona-based, data-driven marketing strategies that reflect the full purchase journey.

“Omnichannel projects fail when expectations are not aligned,” he added, underscoring the importance of shared metrics and a unified strategic framework across functions.

Designing Around the Customer

Claudio Romero, Country Manager Mexico, Twilio, emphasized that omnichannel is not simply about presence across multiple touchpoints but about orchestrating those touchpoints around a deep understanding of the customer. He identified three foundational pillars: data intelligence, communication channels, and governance.

“If you want to communicate with a user, you must know that user and understand how they consume information,” Romero said. He argued that many organizations mistakenly design systems around channels rather than users, resulting in fragmented experiences and missed opportunities for personalization and engagement.

Romero compared last-click attribution to the final assist before a goal, stressing that conversion represents only one moment in a broader journey. He also highlighted governance challenges, noting that misaligned KPIs between ecommerce and retail teams create structural inefficiencies in performance measurement and decision-making.

Bridging Strategy and Execution

Michelle De la Sota, Ecommerce Director for Mexico and Latin America, Salomon, reinforced that attribution must serve strategy—not the other way around. While last-click models remain useful for validating transactions, they must be complemented by broader analytics to capture the full complexity of the conversion funnel.

She explained that the company’s transformation began with audience identification rather than revenue targets. By integrating digital and physical data, refining segmentation, and executing targeted campaigns, the organization built dashboards that connect performance metrics across channels and enable agile decision-making.

De la Sota identified three consistent barriers: technology implementation, cross-team communication, and organizational capability building. “The challenge is always technology, but without communication between teams, omnichannel execution does not happen,” she said, reinforcing that execution depends as much on people and processes as on platforms.

From Vision to Capability

Across the panel, speakers agreed that omnichannel transformation requires more than incremental improvements. It demands a fundamental shift in how organizations operate, aligning leadership, data, technology, and incentives around a unified view of the customer.

Ultimately, omnichannel maturity is achieved through continuous iteration, integrated data ecosystems, and coordinated execution across functions. For business leaders, the takeaway is clear: omnichannel is not a one-time initiative but a long-term capability that must be embedded across the organization to drive sustainable growth and competitive advantage.