The Shift to Unified Commerce: Overcoming Retail Tech Challenges

Mexico’s retail sector is transforming rapidly, driven by the exponential growth of e-commerce and an urgent need for digital integration. Fragmented systems and siloed data continue to obstruct seamless customer experiences, positioning unified commerce as a critical solution to centralize operations, align business strategies, and ensure long-term growth.

In 2024, Mexico’s e-commerce market reached MX$789.7 billion (US$39.3 billion), with expectations to surpass US$70 billion by 2025, according to the Mexican Association of Online Sales (AMVO). Yet, the fast-paced digitalization of the industry comes with challenges, particularly in unifying diverse sales channels under a cohesive architecture.

The shift from omnichannel to unified commerce is not more than a technological change—it represents a fundamental rethinking of businesses operations and customer value delivery. Diego Sánchez, Global E-business and Digital Director, MABE, highlighted the strategic importance of this distinction. “As decision-makers, we must understand where the company’s revenue originates to determine where to invest. This is especially critical in Latin America, where profitability and performance are paramount,” Sánchez remarked during the Mexico Business Forum 2025.

Today’s consumers demand real-time personalization and seamless experiences. “Customers expect fluidity, and unified commerce delivers that,” noted Marco Gelosi, CEO, Transforma. “They also demand immediacy. Technology has removed uncertainty in product searches–customers now know exactly what is available.”

Executing this transition poses technical challenges, particularly in creating an integrated ecosystem across business units.  José Barrera, Director of Digital and E-commerce, Natura and Avon, pointed to their three channel approach: e-commerce, sales consultants, and physical retail. “The challenge is building an ecosystem that enables 360-degree conversion across all channels,” Barrera explained.

Such integration requires robust infrastructure, including Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Customer Data Platforms (CDPs), and scalable, cloud-based solutions. Experts underscored the evolving role of the point of sale, now interacting with digital tools, necessitating workforce adaptation for future demands.

Despite the promise of unified commerce, legacy systems remain a significant barrier. High costs, inflexible architectures, and integration complexities often hinder progress. “Legacy systems represent rigidity and cost,” Barrera observed. “The solution is gradual, modular transitions. IT must prioritize and scale strategically.”

Gelosi echoed this, emphasizing inventory control and data integration as dual challenges. Successful convergence of hardware and data systems can eliminate system rigidity, though not all retailers have the resources for this level of transformation.

AI has emerged as a key enabler in addressing these challenges. Trujillo highlighted its role in creating interoperability layers that reduce fragmentation over time. However, success depends on applying the right tools to well-defined use cases.

“We must balance innovation and adoption. Overly complex solutions can disrupt internal processes long-term. Both elements must work in tandem to enhance the customer experience,” Sánchez emphasized.

Real-time data synchronization is foundational to unified commerce, enabling precise offers, inventory management, and demand alignment. This capability differentiates businesses by allowing them to respond instantly to customer needs across multiple platforms.

Trujillo explained the technical demands of this process. “CDPs can track transactions in real time and adjust offers accordingly. But errors in data extraction can lead to ineffective promotions. Specialized roles, such as data scientists and prompt engineers, are crucial to ensure success.”

The panel also highlighted hyper-personalization and AI-driven content as competitive must-haves. Leveraging generative AI to analyze navigation patterns allows companies to predict market trends and tailor offers by platform, product, or customer preferences.

Sánchez cautioned against rushing into complex data projects. “Around 80% of data initiatives fail due to early-stage errors. We need agile internal and external structures. Experimentation is vital, but trial and error must guide us to the unified commerce framework we require.”