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Loading...- What Is Omnichannel Marketing?
- What Is Multichannel?
- Omnichannel Marketing Examples
- Why Should You Implement Omnichannel Marketing Strategy In Your Ecommerce?
- How to Implement Omnichannel Marketing in an Online Store?
- Omnichannel Marketing Startegy in an Online Store - The Takeaway
What is Omnichannel Marketing?
Omnichannel marketing is a strategy that involves the integration of all sales channels. This is done to help the company interact with its audience. What does it mean? Potential customers get a similar experience with your brand regardless of whether they interact with it through a website, an app, or whether they visit a brick-and-mortar store. This strategy isn’t solely about online channels. You may have noticed that many online stores encourage customers to buy a product online and pick it up in a local store. This is an element of omnichannel marketing.
This strategy has been used for years. On the one hand, customers can conveniently search for products online, and on the other hand, once they find the right item, they collect it in the store without paying for shipping or waiting for delivery.
What Is Multichannel?
Have you ever heard about multichannel? This is pretty much the opposite of omnichannel because in this case, customers can reach your offer through several channels, but these channels aren’t consistent with each other. This means that customers receive different messages. In multichannel, it’s important to identify different groups of recipients and send appropriate messages to them, depending on the channel.- Example of multichannel marketing - Let’s imagine that you run an online and brick-and-mortar store. Potential customers see that buying online gives them a 10% discount. However, they prefer to get the product in a brick-and-mortar store, so they visit it, but it turns out that the discount is active only online.
- Example of omnichannel marketing - Let's assume that customers click on your ad on social media. They visit your website and order a product. At the same time, they decide to pick it up from a local store. Before ordering the product they call the hotline to make sure that it's actually possible to buy and collect the product conveniently.
Source: https://blog.saleslayer.com/differences-between-omnichannel-and-multichannel-ecommerce[/caption]
Omnichannel Marketing Examples
Such strategies are used by companies from all over the world, including both tycoons and smaller brands. See how omnichannel marketing can benefit both customers and companies that have decided to invest in similar activities.Disney
This brand doesn’t have to be introduced, and it’s a great example of multichannel marketing. In this company, multichannel service is mastered in every aspect. When entering an attractive, well-designed website, users have their first positive experience with the brand. On the page, they can book a trip and then use the My Disney Experience tool, which allows them to make a comprehensive plan of the trip. While at the Disney theme park, users can use the app to locate attractions and check the wait time. At the same time, people can benefit from the Magic Band tool that allows them to store photos with Disney characters, and order food. The company creates a multichannel experience and provides customers with multiple features and tools. [caption id="attachment_55635" align="aligncenter" width="1291"]
Source: https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/[/caption]
Starbucks
One thing that is particularly noteworthy about this brand is its app. You get a free card that you can use whenever you want to make purchases. You can check its balance and recharge it not only through the app, but also via the website, or in a local store. All the data is updated in real-time. If you're standing in line for a coffee and you notice that you don't have enough money to pay for the product, you can top up the account, and you'll be able to use the card after a moment. [caption id="attachment_55637" align="aligncenter" width="1288"]
Source: https://www.starbucks.com/[/caption]
Why Should You Implement an Omnichannel Marketing Strategy in Your Ecommerce?
Omnichannel marketing strategy is the future of ecommerce. By combining various sales channels, you can achieve better results, and reach different customers. First of all, such a strategy positively influences the relationship with customers. This is one of the factors that affect the number of returning customers. Keeping your message consistent across all channels builds brand credibility. If a customer comes across your product on social media, clicks on an ad, and sees a different price on the page, they probably won't choose your offer. The biggest benefits of omnichannel marketing include:- Increased sales - this is possible for many reasons. For example, a customer orders a product online and decides to pick it up at a local store. Then, while there, they encounter another attractive product and buy it.
- Boosting the effectiveness of marketing activities - if a customer encounters an ad displayed on social media, billboards, or emails, there is a greater chance that the message will catch their eye.
- Improving credibility - this can be achieved by various activities. Keeping the message consistent is one of them. Allowing customers to get in touch with the store in a number of ways is another one. Buyers should be able to contact you not only by phone, but also via a chat, or a contact form. They should also be able to visit your brick-and-mortar store and ask questions there.
- Greater brand reach - making your company visible across various channels will help you reach a larger audience and make your brand even more known and recognizable.
- Meeting the expectations of customers - customers have higher and higher expectations. The fact that they can buy a product online and pick it up in a local store allows them to solve numerous problems, such as the need to quickly replace damaged equipment they need.
How to Implement Omnichannel Marketing in an Online Store?
You already know why you should implement an omnichannel marketing strategy in your online store. But what should it look like? What steps should you take to incorporate this strategy into your business?Define Your Target Audience and Its Needs
The effectiveness of your marketing efforts largely depends on getting to know your customers. You should know who belongs to your target group and plan the entire communication keeping their needs in mind. If you don't prepare such an analysis before performing activities, you may burn your budget. Modern customers expect an individual approach. Therefore, you should know who your potential buyers are, what they do, and what they’re like. This is essential knowledge you need to make future decisions. If you're wondering how to set up an online store and you need SEO advice, ask for a free quote.Choose Marketing Channels
Once you know who your target audience is, you can start your marketing activities. For example, if teenagers are your potential buyers, choose channels that target teens. Different social media platforms have different users. For example, TikTok is dominated by youngsters. Check out the data concerning the most popular channels in Google Analytics. From the menu, select Acquisition and then Overview to see which channels generate the highest traffic to your website.
Based on this, select channels where you can perform your activities.
Keep Your Communication Consistent Across Various Channels
At first, analyze the activities you're conducting across the channels you're already present on. Are you sure they are consistent? If not, modify your strategy. Customers shouldn't encounter different messages on a Facebook fanpage and on your website. Once you go through this stage, you can launch other channels, which should be effective for your business. What about different social media platforms? Email campaigns, sponsored links, and more? Communication needs to be coherent - this is what your customers expect. Moreover, this is what you should provide them with if want to boost your effectiveness and create a positive brand image. You don't have to act fast. It's better to launch new channels gradually. This way, you can avoid many mistakes.Analyze the Customer Journey
Think about the path a customer takes to complete a purchase. Consider when people first interact with the company, what channel they use, and what happens next. This will enable you to pinpoint mistakes and issues that may be discouraging buyers from finalizing transactions. If you see a high shopping cart abandonment rate, perhaps the problem may result from the fact that users aren't able to order products without setting up an account, or you don’t offer a shipping method meeting their needs. Make sure that the customer journey is analyzed by a few specialists. This way, everyone can share precious opinions. It’s a valuable source of information.
Synchronize the Message on All Devices Used by the Customers
Make it easy for your customer to make a purchase. Imagine that people look for products on a mobile device, add them to the cart, but then want to finalize the transaction on a computer because it's more convenient for them. After logging in to the account, users should be able to see these products in the shopping cart, without having to search for them all over again. Of course, the website should be responsive. Make sure it's displayed correctly on different devices.Optimize Customer Service
Allow users to contact you through various channels - phone, chat, email, messenger, and others. Your customer service should be well-trained to ensure that specialists are able to assist buyers and communicate in a consistent way.
Remember that customers can get really irritated if they receive mixed information from different consultants on the same topics.
Keep the number of consultants adequate to the scale of orders. Customers shouldn't have to wait a few days for an answer. This way, you can quickly lose them.
