E-commerce systems are being used extensively to support other channels, such as stores and catalogs, and merchants clearly see a need for integrated e-commerce technology that can do so,according to Internet Retailer. Some 75 percent of retailers already have their e-commerce, fulfillment and inventory management systems linked and sharing data across channels. And 51 percent have linked their e-commerce systems to their call centers.

The survey also found that retailers, using their integrated e-commerce systems, build multi-channel retailing programs in stages. They begin with customer service, fulfillment and inventory management; next is leveraging platforms to support "buy online - pick up in store," catalog quick order, integrated gift registries, cross-channel gift cards and product recommendations."