According to the McKinsey Report, more than 60% of consumers shop across multiple channels. Research shows that companies with omnichannel customer engagement strategies retain 89% of their customers.
What is an Omnichannel Marketing Strategy?
An omnichannel marketing strategy unites all your marketing channels, from social media to physical stores, into one cohesive customer experience. This creates a seamless experience for your customers, no matter how they interact with your brand. Imagine researching a product online, then visiting a store to see it in person and receiving a discount voucher to complete the purchase online. Omnichannel marketing streamlines this journey, resulting in more satisfied customers!
First Things First: Integrate Your Data Across Channels
It’s not enough to simply have a presence on multiple channels. Your channels need to be in sync with one another. Otherwise, you’ll encounter several issues that can muddy up your insights and frustrate your customers.
Invest in a POS System
For example, you might sell out of a certain item without that being reflected on certain channels, risking disappointing or angering a shopper attempting to purchase that item. That negative experience can lead to poor reviews and word-of-mouth, as well as loss of future business.
Point of sales systems for example can aggregate inventory in a store or across multiple locations. This system allows you to handle complex operational logistics to meet customer demands.
Use a Customer Data Platform
Whether a customer is shopping on a website, calling customer service, or visiting a physical location, a 360-degree customer view needs to be available for each channel.
So, for example, Mary, a loyal customer, has placed multiple orders online. She also redeems print coupons at physical locations but has unsubscribed from several promotional email lists due to irrelevant content.
Each of these interactions with Mary contains important details about her preferences. However, if this information is stored in separate systems, your marketing team will find it difficult to understand and accommodate Mary’s preferences.
Frustrated by scattered and disorganized data? Gather customer insights across channels and get to know your customers like never before with our CDP solutions.
3 Successful Omnichannel Marketing Strategies for 2024
1. Prioritize Personalization
Collect and integrate data across touchpoints to deliver a personalized customer experience.
Personalization is key in making customers feel valued and understood as they shop across channels.
Here’s how to leverage it:
- Data-Driven Personalization: Use the data collected from various channels to personalize your marketing based on the customer’s previous behavior, preferences, and purchase history. For example, if a customer often browses outdoor gear on your website, your emails could highlight new outdoor products or upcoming sales in that category.
- Dynamic Content: Implement technology that allows content to change based on who is viewing it. For instance, when a customer logs into their account, the homepage could display products similar to what they’ve bought or browsed before.
- Personalized Recommendations: Offer personalized product recommendations across all channels. Use analytics to suggest products based on past purchases or browsing habits. Be sure that each channel reflects the same offer.
2. Provide a Consistent Brand Experience Across All Channels
Consistency is important to maintain brand trust and customer satisfaction. Ensure your brand message and quality are uniform across all platforms:
- Unified Messaging: Whether a customer is reading an email or browsing your website, your promotional messages, product information, and overall branding must be consistent. This includes tone of voice, graphical elements, and promotional offers.
- Quality Assurance: Regularly audit all points of contact with customers to ensure they meet your brand standards. This can include everything from the responsiveness of your customer service team to the user-friendliness of your mobile app.
- Seamless Integration: Make sure that the transition between channels is smooth. For example, if a customer adds items to their cart on the mobile app, those same items should be visible when they access their cart on the desktop website.
3. Empower Your Customers with Flexibility and Convenience
Make interacting with your brand as easy and flexible as possible for customers:
- Multiple Delivery and Return Options: Offer various delivery options such as same-day delivery, in-store pickup, and standard shipping. Additionally, allow customers to return items through the channel that is most convenient for them, whether that is shipping it back, returning in store, or via a local drop-off point.
- Channel-Agnostic Customer Service: Provide customer support across multiple channels—phone, email, social media, live chat, and even in-app. Utilize tools like chatbots that can offer immediate assistance or direct the customer to the right support agent, regardless of the channel.
- Account Accessibility: Ensure that customers can access their accounts and perform all necessary actions (like check order status, update preferences, track loyalty points) from any device or channel.
Conclusion
Brands that invest in omnichannel strategies see huge gains. According to Omnisend data, omnichannel marketing can bring nearly six times more sales than channel marketing. A strong omnichannel marketing strategy is key to helping you stay ahead of the curve and wow your customers.
Omnichannel Marketing Solutions
Our rich consumer insights and omnichannel marketing solutions unify your data to provide a hyper-personalized customer experience that keeps them engaged and ready to spend.
Interested in more resources on leveraging omnichannel marketing to improve your CX and increase revenue? Check out our free guide!
