Retailers today are rushing to deliver truly seamless omnichannel experiences, where it doesn’t matter if a customer is shopping in-store, online, or from a mobile app. Why? Because to the customer, it seems increasingly obvious that their data, preferences, and service options should always be unified. Why should they have to redo everything on different platforms if it’s all the same store?
But the road to real omnichannel shopping experiences is anything but easy. Deep technology integration, real-time data sharing, and flexible infrastructure are all must-haves for retailers that want to deliver on modern customer expectations, such as seeing all purchase history in one place, being able to process returns anywhere, and getting personalizing service everywhere.
Delivering seamless omnichannel shopping is a complex journey, requiring more than just new technology. It demands deep integration of business processes, disciplined data management, and cross-departmental collaboration, with Kubernetes as the enabling foundation. Here’s how leading brands are tackling these challenges, and why Kubernetes is the right engine to power next-generation retail.
Today’s shoppers invariably hop between digital and physical worlds:
This level of fluidity isn’t just a nice-to-have: omnichannel customers shop 1.7 times more frequently and spend significantly more per order compared to single-channel shoppers, making seamless experiences a top priority for retailers.
Pulling off omnichannel agility is deceptively difficult, largely because of siloed legacy technology. A few common challenges include:
The result? Fragmented customer journeys and unreliable data, which undermine both operational efficiency and personalization.
Here’s where a modern, Kubernetes-powered infrastructure shines for retailers:
Kubernetes is the orchestration platform that enables retailers to refactor monolithic retail systems into microservices that each handle a specific business function (such as inventory sync, purchase logging, loyalty tracking, and returns management). These services can connect and share data via application programming interfaces (APIs), making real-time integration across multiple channels finally achievable.
Example: When a customer buys an item online, the order updates inventory and purchase history instantly, so store associates can see the sale if the customer visits in person, and vice versa.
Kubernetes orchestrates modular services and automates scaling, enabling unified, real-time data flow across channels. This gives staff timely insights into inventory and customer profiles, driving personalized experiences and inventory reliability.
Whether returns happen online or in a physical location, modular services on Kubernetes platforms expose APIs to process, track, and manage them from any channel, ensuring smooth and consistent rules, workflows, and communication. An additional benefit is that real-time data sharing prevents double returns and automates eligibility checks for returns or refunds.
Kubernetes enables edge deployments within stores and warehouses for fast analytics, smart IoT devices, and uninterrupted service (even when the network is down) enabling local teams to make real-time decisions.
Kubernetes supports security automation and role-based access, but actual regulatory compliance with PCI DSS, GDPR, and CCPA depends on ongoing configuration checks, region-specific audits, and cross-functional collaboration. Successful teams build compliance into the development lifecycle as well as the infrastructure layer.
While legacy systems and data silos slow omnichannel rollouts, retailers who have invested in API-first design and cloud-native platforms, including L.L.Bean and Infosys’ unnamed client in this CNCF case study, have moved from months-long data syncs to near-instant updates.
According to the annual survey of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), Kubernetes adoption in enterprises has reached 96% as of early 2025, driven by the need to respond quickly to omnichannel demand spikes and operational complexity.
Delivering true omnichannel retail isn’t just about fancy apps (although building a great application is undeniably important), it’s also about real-time, API-driven integration across every touchpoint. Kubernetes equips retailers with the scalability, modularity, and resilience to support unified experiences, fast launches, and consistent operations as customer and regulatory demands evolve.
To get started with K8s infrastructure, follow these best practices:
Retailers embracing Kubernetes aren’t just catching up with technological advances, they’re setting the pace for seamless shopping experiences in 2025 and beyond.
Need help with delivering the next era of unified retail experiences before your competitors? Fairwinds will architect, build, and manage Kubernetes for you, so you can focus on your core business. Find out how.
