If you are already here you probably know all about the buzz around omni channel marketing. This approach has been around for a while. But the outburst of COVID-19 made it a go-to marketing strategy for many businesses. Until now, only exclusive brands managed to create an omni channel journey for their customers. With communication channels increasing, businesses find themselves busy with their presence – be it offline or online.
What is omni channel marketing
Omni channel is an entire shopping ecosystem and experience. It’s a strategy that businesses adopt to improve user experience and increase revenue. The idea is to create and serve multiple points of contact with clients. Creating a seamless connection between all those channels is the ultimate goal. All channels must be synched to cooperate rather than operate parallel to each other. They are seamlessly connected. This gives customers more flexibility and convenience. Omni channel marketing brings wider audience, higher customer satisfaction and more sales.
Omni Channel for seamless shopping experience
The ultimate idea behind omni channel marketing is to make shopper’s experience as easy as possible. This translates into consistent engagement no matter where or how shoppers interact with your brand. Integration is a key. Without it, this wouldn’t be omni channel, but simple multiple channel.
Omni channel example
What do we mean by seamless? Here is an example of a typical shoppers experience:
Your first encounter with a beautiful pair of shoes is on Instagram. You spot it on a post by your favourite Influencer. You search the brand and you start following them. After a while, for that same pair of shoes, you see a billboard announcing a sale. You go on the website to check it out. The price is discounted as the billboard promises and you are delighted. Your best practice for buying shoes is to try them first. So you check out the store closest to you on Google maps. While on the website, by checking availability, you make sure that the store you plan to visit has your shoe size. The next day you go and buy the pair of shoes that’s been on your mind for days.
Why adopt this strategy?
- Brands that adopt omni channel marketing strategy experience 90% higher customer retention rate
- 19% higher customer engagement rate
- 13% higher average order value comparing to brands using single-channel marketing
- Consumers purchase 250% more often when interacting on 3 different channels.
Stepping into modern customers’ shoes
To clarify, customers don’t just shop in-store. Even when they are in a store. They check alternatives with your competitors. They compare prices and choose the best option out there. Purchasing decision making is not that simple anymore. With all that offering, people want to be sure they are making the right choice. They check out online reviews, opinions of others on social media and compare prices of the same product on various platforms. As a result, if you are not available everywhere, you limit your exposure. This lack of presence contributes to hesitation about making the purchase.
The era of digital technology and social media brought a huge change in the retail environment. The wide use of mobile devices brings new opportunities when it comes to marketing and strategy. It’s no secret that consumers use physical stores to check out products. But at the same time they are actively searching for more elaborate information and reviews on their phone. And, of course, looking for better prices.
Certainly, omni channel is the perfect blend of traditional and innovative. An omni channel retailer keeps traditional advertising methods. That would be department stores, billboards, magazine ads, etc. But they also seamlessly incorporate innovative interactive channels. Such as social media, e-commerce store, email blasts, Yelp and more.
How to build omni channel strategy?
Needless to say, the process of building this strategy is massive and long. So we decided to outline the basics here. We will get more in depth about on this topic in a future post dedicated to omni channel strategy.
With today’s possibilities, omni channel strategy could include hundreds of channels. Therefore, it’s important to select the channels most relevant for your brand. Let’s face it, we can’t have presence everywhere. Simply, some platforms are not for everyone. If you sell unique fashion accessories, Etsy sounds like a great option, but GitHub doesn’t fit you at all. Once you select the channels you’d like to include in your omni channel strategy, make sure to have in mind the next steps as well.
- Create a map of your customers journey through all channels
- Connect all channels as strongly as possible
- Build a mobile friendly website
- Have a strong online presence across multiple social media platforms
- Create shoppable posts wherever possible
- Publish well designed content that’s relevant for each platform
- Pay attention to audience segmentation
- Invest in cross-channel customer care
- Ensure consistent information and product range everywhere
- Avoid mismatch of availability, prices, special offers
- Make sure that all channels compliment each other and build a vibrant seamless shopping journey
Multi channel vs Omni channel
Most businesses relied on multi channel strategy until now. The had various channels to connect with consumers. To name a few – physical stores, TV commercials, billboard advertisements. But those channels were not synched with each other. Meaning, if you saw a cute dress on a billboard, that didn’t mean you could find it in the store. That created frustration among customers. They didn’t receive the customer experience they were looking for.
Omni channel, on the other hand, ensures smooth customer experience across all channels. The shopping journey is easy and there’s seamless connection between all channels of communication. That cute dress on the billboard – you can also see it on Instagram in different colors; you can order it on the website with a few clicks; and if you happen to pass by a store – you can try it on.
The difference between multi channel and omni channel marketing is the level of message consistency. Omni channel makes sure to provide accurate and clear information. Because this brings customers closer to making a purchasing decision. It removes all obstacles that a client might encounter on their customer journey. Smooth journey converts with a higher rate. Shortly, that’s the main reason why today brands adopt a multi channel strategy.
