illion dollar question is “what is the benefit to customers and importantly do they want whatever omnichannel claims to offer”? It all started with multichannel. That buzz word was around for a while until it became passé.   Now it is positively embarrassing to use the multichannel word. If you do, you are branded a Luddite. Great, so now that we really don’t know what we are talking about, let’s look at some of the commentary. “Omnichannel is about true continuity of your experience”. Hmm… what does that really mean? So let’s try again. “It extends beyond a single brand’s universe”. But we can do far better. “Omniscient is perceiving and understanding all things.  And the best way for a customer to perceive everything is to allow them to own their data and experience, then give them the ability to use it to guide creation and context of every future experience”. If you are not yet entirely sold on omnichannel, let’s try one last time to convince you. “The ability to have a continuous experience across brands, across formats and across devices that is completely bespoke – that is the promise of a new way of thinking and marketing that has been long unnoticed”. The real reason omnichannel will die a slow and gruesome death is that the customers will reject it. Ironically the better omnichannel works, the more intense the rejection will be. It is dichotomous. The fact is that as omnichannel communication is used as an excuse to push marketing at shoppers anywhere, everywhere, at any time, shoppers, even loyal customers, will learn to ignore them. Omnichannel – R.I.P. Can someone please think up a new buzzword or two to tide us over for the next couple of years? Stuart Bennie is a retail consultant at Impact Retailing and can be contacted at stuart@impactretailing.com.au or 0414 631 702. Access exclusive analysis, locked news and reports with Inside Retail Weekly. Subscribe today and get our premium print publication delivered to your door every week.