Multi channel retailers are firms that sell services or merchandise through more than one channel. This type of retailing become helps retailers bring synergies to their interaction with customers.

The rapid expansion of the Internet as a new selling channel has led to the emergence of multi channel retailing. Futurists believed that the superior offerings of internet would make consumers abandon stores and look for services and products on the Internet. Traditional store-based retailers have now become multi channel retailers. They dominate the retailing on the internet by using online channels to complement their store and other channels like mobile, catalog, call centers, and direct marketing.

In the world of internet retailing a retailer never waits for the customer to come to his website. He reaches out to customers at all points they visit. In the process he creates various sales outlets. Multi channel retailing helps in proper co-ordination of different sales outlets. The entire mechanism is designed to leverage the strengths of each sales channel. While on one hand it increases profitability as well as enhances brand value for retailers it also helps to provide a superior shopping experience to customers.

Apart from retailers and customers, multi channel retailing has benefited even vendors and investors in the following ways:

Vendors can look forward to higher revenue through newer channels. They can even have more marketing options through unique offerings. With increased revenue they can look for new promotional capabilities through new technologies

Investors can also see an increase in revenue. More robust business operations through automation would lead to more efficiency in operations and profitability. Through multiple options they will always have more competition in the market place.

Platforms with a large customer base like EBay integration and Amazon integration can help promote multi channel e-commerce in a very effective way.