Omnichannel Isn't Optional—Or a Strategy. Do This Instead.

In 2025, digital shelf excellence isn't a luxury—it's table stakes. And if you're still treating omnichannel as a strategy instead of the standard operating model it has become, you're missing how today's customers truly shop.

We unpacked these themes with Chayse Joubert, Former Senior Director of Digital Transformation Strategy at Fossil Group, on a recent episode of The Frictionless Experience.

His insights hit home for anyone trying to keep up with today's fast-moving, digitally connected customers—and reminded us that excellence is not defined by technology alone but by how seamlessly it serves people.

Digital Shelf Excell ence: Every Product. Perfect. Everywhere.

The idea is simple: your product should look great and be fully shoppable across every channel your customers might engage with. But getting there is anything but simple.

As Chayse put it, digital shelf excellence is "pivotal to the success of all brands when looking to bridge the gap and meet consumers where they want to be."

This is what excellence looks like in 2025: rich product content, seamless review access, consistent branding, and real-time availability—whether the consumer is browsing a mobile app in-store, reading reviews on social, or searching marketplaces on their laptop.

And it must be frictionless.

"That to me has been like this nucleus of touch points… it's e-comm 101, it's digital shelf 101," Chayse emphasized. "If you look at some of the more successful brands and retailers, that is a discipline that has been executed at a very high level."​

Omnichannel: It's Not a Strategy. It's How People Shop Now.

Let's be clear: omnichannel isn't something extra. It's the baseline expectation. Consumers don't think in terms of digital vs. physical. They expect everything, everywhere, all at once.

"There's no longer this concept of brick and mortar versus digital," Chayse said. "Everything is omnichannel."​

He described a reality that resonates with anyone who's observed modern buying behavior: a customer walks into a store, pulls out their phone, checks reviews and availability, and maybe even buys online for delivery or pickup.

This isn't optional. This is how trust is built—and how conversions happen.

Stop Fighting Over Attribution

We asked Chayse what frictionless myths he wants to bust. His answer? The outdated notion that sales should be siloed by channel.

"There's still a narrative that, 'This consumer only shops this way,' but there's continuous data that debunks that," he said. "Consumers now want to be met in whatever experience they are in with holistic solutions and immersive experiences."​

So, if your internal teams are still haggling over which channel gets credit for a sale, you're solving the wrong problem.

"I think that's why it's really important for leaders in the digital space to be able to articulate the value from a P&L perspective of what you're bringing to the table," Chayse said. "Before we had this [capability] in place, this was our current experience. Post-implementation, this is what we're able to do now. This is what we were able to drive."​

In other words, start with the customer. Work backward. Everything else is noise.

Don't Underestimate the Real Work Behind "Frictionless"

When Chayse led Fossil's launch of 65 localized sites in one year, it wasn't a flashy PR win—it was a logistical feat.

"It touched every single part of our organization," he shared. "I learned more about Fossil Group… than I ever thought I would. Legal, finance, accounting, messaging laws—it was all in play."​

What made it possible? Ruthless clarity on customer demand. And a commitment to show up in the right places, the right way, globally.

Closing Thoughts

This conversation with Chayse reaffirmed something I've long believed: Frictionless is more than a buzzword. It's a discipline. A mindset. And it starts with aligning around one truth—your customers don't see channels. They see your brand.

So, stop treating omnichannel like a differentiator. It's not. It's survival.

And digital shelf excellence? That's how you earn trust—one frictionless experience at a time.