Retailers don’t have a loyalty problem. They have a visibility problem.
When customer data is scattered across POS, ecommerce, CRM, and loyalty systems, every campaign, forecast, and stock decision is built on guesswork. A unified customer view flips that: turning disconnected transactions into live intelligence.
This article breaks down what’s at stake, what needs to change, and why now is the moment to act.
A single view of the customer means consolidating all available data about a customer into one unified profile. This profile typically includes:
Behavioural data:
In-store and online purchases
Loyalty activity
Campaign and channel engagement
Identity and support data:
Demographics and preferences
Returns and support history
This unified customer data is often spread across disconnected retail architecture. A single view of the customer connects the dots and transforms it into commercial and operational insight.
Customers expect relevance. McKinsey research shows personalisation most often drives a 10 to 15 percent revenue lift (with specific cases seeing 5 to 25 percent) and boosts marketing ROI by up to 30 percent.
A single view of the customer allows retailers to:
Segment customers by behaviour, value, and preferences
Tailor promotions based on purchase history
Make omnichannel experiences seamless (for example, click-and-collect)
When you finally connect the data, finance and commercial teams stop guessing and start steering with confidence. They can:
Identify high-value customers and buying cycles
Align product and pricing strategies to real demand
Improve customer lifetime value (CLV) models
Unified customer profiles reduce duplication, data errors, and inefficiencies:
Staff see real-time customer data at POS or in service tools
Marketing avoids irrelevant or conflicting communications
Stock levels reflect true buying patterns across channels
Building a unified customer view is not just a systems project. It is a shift in how the business thinks about data, value, and experience. For enterprise retailers, a few things must be in place:
Without shared goals across retail, marketing, finance, and IT, customer data strategies stall. This is not just a tech decision. It is a business one.
Patchwork platforms are the enemy of customer intelligence. Retailers need to move beyond integrations to a unified digital core.
You cannot personalise loyalty offers if your data is fragmented, duplicated, or outdated. High-quality input drives high-value output.
Today’s customer moves fast. So should your data. A single view is only powerful if it is current.
The best data strategy means nothing if it does not make it to the shop floor. Staff, service teams, and merchandisers need the same view. Simplified and surfaced where they work.
Legacy software and channel-specific data stacks make integration difficult. Connecting ERP, POS, CRM, and loyalty systems is essential.
Customer data may be incomplete, outdated, or duplicated. A successful single view initiative requires robust cleansing and governance.
Many retailers lack the technical foundation to support live, unified data. Scalability, resilience, and security must be designed in.
For the Paris 2024 Olympics, BC4 Sports was trusted to support retail operations across multiple high-profile venues and fan zones. Our solution enabled:
Full omnichannel setup with LS Retail and Microsoft Dynamics 365
Real-time inventory updates across city-wide locations
On-the-ground hypercare and managed support before, during, and after each event
Behind the scenes, we navigated highly complex logistics to keep every store running smoothly.
The result? Over 270,000 transactions processed daily with zero downtime, real-time product availability, and a seamless retail experience for millions of fans.
A single view of the customer means consolidating all customer data such as purchases, engagement, and support into one unified profile for better decision-making and personalisation.
A single view of the customer allows loyalty programmes to reflect true customer value, target meaningful rewards, and personalise communications that drive retention.
Not effectively. Legacy systems often lack integration capabilities. Migrating to platforms like Microsoft Dynamics 365 enables real-time, unified customer data.
BC4 unifies ERP, POS, loyalty, and CRM systems into a single architecture using Microsoft Dynamics 365 and LS Retail. We enable real-time customer intelligence and operational sync.
No. It is an ongoing effort involving system updates, data governance, and continuous integration improvements.
Enterprise retailers that achieve a single view of the customer gain a significant edge. They can deliver tailored experiences that boost loyalty, base commercial decisions on real-world behaviours, and eliminate inefficiencies caused by disconnected systems.
But achieving this unified view is not just about technology. It requires strategic alignment, strong data governance, and the right partner to unify systems across the business. Whether you are modernising your infrastructure or expanding your omnichannel strategy, the benefits of a single customer view are too great to ignore.
A customer data platform (CDP) for retail might be the right long-term move. But without foundational integration between POS, ERP, and CRM systems, even the best CDPs fall short. That is where BC4's expertise delivers.
Want to unify your retail data and finally get a full view of your customers? Let us show you how BC4 can make it happen.