Win Peak Seasons with Omnichannel Strategies

Retailers are preparing for another complicated holiday season.  Consumers are frustrated and pessimistic. Persistent inflation and economic uncertainty leave them disinterested in splurging ahead of the holidays. Likewise, shoppers are making purchases cautiously and intentionally, focusing on priority items, discounts, deals, and quality. 

Brands must navigate this complex market outlook and meet customers where they are psychologically, geographically, and economically. And for many, that means testing and expanding across new retail channels to more effectively connect with shoppers this holiday peak season. 

With that in mind, let’s dive into key questions and trends surrounding omnichannel expansion and B2B fulfillment in 2026. The goal: to equip modern brands for the highest volume shopping period of the year. 

Shoppers expect to find brands beyond a single website. In fact, 39% of consumers trust a brand more when they see it across channels. That means modern retailers need to expand their omnichannel strategies to win shoppers during holiday peaks and beyond.  

Specifically, retailers should pay close attention to how shoppers flock to marketplaces as the holiday season approaches. EMARKETER notes that Amazon and Walmart will likely account for 52.6% of US holiday eCommerce in 2026.

Shoppers continued to make a variety of purchases via online marketplaces in 2026, with 38% purchasing from marketplaces more often than other channels. And marketplaces dominate first-time purchases, with 44% of shoppers exploring new brands for the first time there. At the same time, shoppers moved away from brand websites and physical stores, while other channels like social commerce and retailer websites saw a slight boost. 

Brands are noticing shoppers’ shifting habits and are responding. Fifty-three percent of retailers are seeking to build a marketplace presence, making it their number one priority. But they have some catching up to do: Marketplace-fulfilled channels ranked third in retailers’ current channel strategies.   

As retailers prepare their promotion and discount strategies across channels for the holidays, they should assess how their target demographics are changing their shopping habits. 

Shoppers choose channels differently depending on their age:  

Millennials and Gen Z are most likely to shop via Social Commerce. Twenty-one percent of Gen Z and 16% of Millennials shopped on social commerce more often in 2026, while 84% of Baby Boomers ignore the channel completely. 

Brands benefit from developing B2B capabilities and selling across multiple channels at once. Thirty-nine percent of shoppers trust brands more when they are widely available through different channels, like marketplaces and retailer websites. This is especially true for younger shoppers, with 56% of Gen Z and 40% of Millennial shoppers consider a brand to be more trustworthy when they leverage multichannel strategies.   

It makes sense for brands to seek out new, trustworthy channels as part of their peak season planning. They can boost their own reputations via their partners, especially when their products are linked to different kinds of customer reviews. Plus, new channels provide new opportunities to connect with changing markets and customers. 

Different channels create different experiences for shoppers. That means they offer different opportunities, and challenges, for retailers expanding their B2B fulfillment capabilities. Brands will need to weigh their options carefully when assessing when and where to expand.  

While the benefits are clear, omnichannel strategies have their risks—especially under the pressures of seasonal peaks. Brands may struggle to meet both partner and customer expectations, and the margin for error is thin. Shoppers generally give brands a second chance to fix a bad experience but ultimately leave if they experience issues again. And some issues are too significant to ignore even once:   

Retailers need to be mindful of the potential impacts of adding new channels and how that reflects on their brands. This is especially true as they develop and launch omnichannel strategies ahead of seasonal peaks. Channels that have less reliable delivery options could expose brands to a missed delivery window during the period when customers expect maximum reliability. Channels that have a higher propensity for showing product as available then canceling orders could frustrate and alienate customers. Channels that offer expedited shipping but don’t deliver are perhaps riskiest of all, as over half of customers won’t give a brand a second chance for breaking their promise. 

Brands face a variety of obstacles when expanding into B2B distribution, but their ongoing growth and success require building momentum across wholesalers, retailers, marketplaces, and other channels. To do so, they’ll have to navigate significant compliance requirements, along with more complex order routing. That likely means working with logistics partners that can provide reliable technological and operational capabilities.  

When brands choose to outsource B2B, they need 3PL partners that can easily manage inventories and maintain complex compliance requirements across channels. It’s a high bar to achieve. But when brands work with a trusted partner able to drive effective B2B fulfillment, they win across channels during seasonal peaks and beyond. A result that is well worth the effort.  

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