Retail chains know they have unique advantages when it comes to physical stores that can work in tandem with ecommerce sales to keep customers engaged through compelling omnichannel experiences. In 2026, omnichannel investments are on executives’ minds, and recent announcements from some of North America’s top online retailers illustrate how these solutions will be deployed.
In fact, enhancing omnichannel experiences ranked No. 1 as a priority among business leaders surveyed in research published by Deloitte. The consulting firm asked executives what they believed their companies’ most important growth opportunities would be in 2026. Ultimately, 46% of respondents checked omnichannel experience enhancements, which beat out strengthening private-label offerings (40%) and bolstering loyalty programs (36%) on Deloitte’s list of options.
If recent announcements from Walmart, Home Depot and other retailers are indicators, online services and physical stores are poised to become more intertwined in the year ahead.
What do new omnichannel experiences for retailers look like?
At a fundamental level, omnichannel options often solve one of two problems. Those can involve either preventing a lost sale when shopper interest exists or providing an added layer of convenience. In the latter case, the customer may save time, money or both.
One prominent example of a feature that addresses both is the Sam’s Club Scan & Go feature on the retailer’s mobile app. With it, Sam’s Club members can use their phone to scan an item from a physical store and have it delivered to their home. By offering that option, Sam’s Club avoids losing a sale because a customer was not able to transport a product in their own vehicle. Moreover, it can present additional inventory to that customer if a more desirable color or other variation is available online.
Sam’s Club has been building out functionality for Scan & Go throughout the 2020s. In the meantime, its parent company, Walmart, is pushing new omnichannel options to its shoppers as well. In 2025, Walmart announced that it would bring new in-store visibility to sellers from its online marketplace, using displays with QR codes to bridge its digital and physical shopping experiences. As a result, proven offerings from Walmart Marketplace sellers gain exposure to shoppers walking through Walmart stores at no additional charge.
Walmart is No. 2 in the Top 2000. The database is Digital Commerce 360’s ranking of North America’s online retailers by their annual ecommerce sales.
Walmart is also No. 8 in the Global Online Marketplaces. That database ranks the top such marketplaces by third-party gross merchandise value (GMV).
Why omnichannel is a priority in Hardware & Improvement
One of the highest-profile announcements at the National Retail Federation’s January NRF 2026 conference proved to be Google Cloud’s expanded AI partnerships. Home Depot was among those partners, adding new capabilities for its Magic Apron assistant, which aids shoppers online with building out shopping lists according to project specifications and needs. The latest upgrades are expected help with last-mile delivery options as well.
Home Depot competitor Lowe’s offers AI assistance with omnichannel benefits as well. Lowe’s AI assistant MyLow, which was built with OpenAI to guide customers through the planning process and on to checkout. It parallels virtual assistance that was already used by employees in Lowe’s physical stores.
There are added benefits, too, in linking these online and physical store experiences. Digital Commerce 360’s own research has shown that omnichannel features are associated with higher conversion rates for retail chains. That is particularly true for retailers offering curbside pickup.
The Home Depot Inc. ranks No. 4 in the Top 2000 Database. Lowe’s is No. 10. The Digital Commerce 360 database ranks North America’s largest online retailers by their annual ecommerce sales. In addition, Home Depot is the top-ranked retailer in the Top 2000’s Hardware & Home Improvement category.
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