Guides
Omnichannel payments: unifying online, in-app and in-store payments
Omnichannel payments let a business take payments on its website, in its app, by payment link and in stores while treating them as one customer and one ledger. Unified commerce goes further: one set of payment tokens, one reporting view and refunds across channels, such as buying online and returning in a store. The building blocks are shared tokens, consistent references and unified reconciliation.
What is the difference between multichannel, omnichannel and unified commerce?
Multichannel means selling in several channels that run separately. Omnichannel connects them for the customer, for example click and collect. Unified commerce runs them on one payment and data layer, so a card used in a store and online is recognised as the same customer.
What does omnichannel need from payments?
The hard part is not taking payments in each channel but linking them afterwards.
- Shared tokens: network or provider tokens that identify the same card across channels, following EMVCo tokenisation.
- Consistent order references across web, app, links and stores.
- Cross-channel refunds: refund an online order in a store, or the reverse, against the original payment.
- One reporting and reconciliation view across providers and channels.
- Strong customer authentication rules applied per channel under PSD2.
What are common omnichannel use cases?
Buy online and pick up in store, buy online and return in store, endless aisle, where staff order from the web shop in a store, payment links sent by store staff or call centres, and subscriptions started in a store and billed online.
How does OrsunPay support omnichannel payments?
OrsunPay is a payment orchestration platform: you keep your own contracts with licensed providers (for example Stripe, Adyen or Worldpay), and OrsunPay is not a payment institution, acquirer or merchant of record and does not hold or transmit funds. OrsunPay covers the online side of omnichannel: hosted checkout, payment links and webhooks across your connected providers, with unified reporting. OrsunPay does not offer its own in-store POS terminals; store payments stay with your terminal provider, and you match them through references and reporting. For OrsunPay pricing, see the pricing page at /pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Is omnichannel the same as unified commerce?
No. Omnichannel connects channels for the customer; unified commerce runs them on one payment and data layer.
Can I refund an online order in a store?
Yes, if your providers and systems share the original payment reference or token; otherwise the store issues a separate refund.
Do I need one provider for all channels?
Not necessarily. An orchestration layer can unify references and reporting across several providers.