Omnichannel marketing: the new customer journey that revolutionizes the power of your campaigns!
As consumer behavior continues to evolve, companies are forced to constantly adapt their strategies. Customers are more demanding than ever, and their expectations have evolved towards a more digitalized and personalized type of marketing.
This is where omniconsumers come in: they use either successively or simultaneously the different channels created by a brand in their customer journey (app, website, e-mail, physical point of sale, social networks, SMS...).
In this way, omnichannel marketing enables a unique customer experience by creating a genuine synergy between the brand's different points of contact . It's an approach based on permanent exchange and continuous availability, wherever and whenever it's needed, which considerably enhances customer satisfaction.
Let's take a closer look at this new digital strategy, a genuine performance and loyalty lever for companies.
What is omnichannel marketing?
Omnichannel marketing: definition
Omnichannel marketing refers to the use of all channels available to a company, whether digital or traditional, to deliver a seamless message, and offer a harmonized and consistent experience to its customers. These channels include :
- online channels (websites, e-mails, social networks, etc.),
- offline channels (physical stores, billboards, magazines, etc.),
- and all connected devices (workstations, cell phones, computers, tablets).
Indeed, if we refer to the etymology of the term "omnichannel", the word "omni" comes from the Latin meaning "all". When we add the word "channel" to "omni", we find the word "omnichannel". It therefore refers to the use of all available channels, with the aim of offering users a single, seamless customer experience.
👉 To create a seamless and harmonious channel system, it's best to combine marketing, sales, content, products and customer support in one place.
How it differs from multi-channel and cross-channel marketing
Since the development of the Internet in the 2000s, the channels and points of contact between companies and customers have been transformed. To reach their customers, brands have resorted to several approaches:
Multi-channel
Multi-channel is a strategy that aims to diversify distribution and communication channels in order to reach as many customers as possible. These channels can be online or offline. So far, you may not see much difference with omnichannel.
The difference between the two approaches lies in the way the various channels available to the company operate. In the case of multi-channel marketing, the channels work independently of each other.
Cross-channel
Cross-channel is a marketing strategy that enables a company's various distribution channels (physical store, website, catalog, etc.) to work together and complement each other. This enables consumers to move easily from one channel to another during their customer journey.
The difference between this approach and omnichannel is subtle. Omnichannel marketing is arguably the " Holy Grail of digital marketing" and represents the improved method of the two previous strategies. It focuses on the overall customer experience through the complementarity of digital and point-of-sale channels.
Why use an omnichannel strategy?
The advantages and challenges of using an omnichannel strategy are numerous, and have become even more apparent in this particular health period, which has seen a considerable increase in the use of online channels.
Companies have understood that omnichannel marketing is now essential for 4 very specific reasons:
The unavoidable cohabitation of digital and physical channels
Having a physical store and a website and/or e-commerce site is a real boon for retailers. Indeed, consumers increasingly appreciate testing products in-store before buying them online. This is what we call phygital.
💡 According to the study conducted by Médiamétrie and Fevad on the contribution of e-commerce to physical stores in 2020:
- 46.4% of cyber-buyers highlight in particular the possibility of visiting a store to see a product before an online purchase;
- 48.4% prefer to finalize a purchase in-store after preparing it online;
- 43.2% say that the proximity of a physical store would encourage them to order more from the brand's website.
Companies are well aware that phygital is a real performance driver and a real motivator for consumers. Online purchases are considerably boosted by sales outlets, and vice versa. But it's important to harmonize them so that they complement each other.
When looking for products on the Internet, consumers want to find the support they can only get in-store. They appreciate the personalization and advice on offer.
Personalization is also possible on the web, with tools like Bloomreach that improve the relevance of search results for Internet users. Thanks to AI, the tool refines your merchandising and offers intelligent, personalizedproduct recommendations based on consumers' desires!
Improved sales across all channels
By following an omnichannel strategy, you can ensure improved sales across all your channels. There are a number of techniques you can use to maximize sales, including
- Click and Collect : customers pay for their purchases on your e-commerce site and collect them in-store. This allows your customers to move from one channel to another while following their purchase path without interruption.
- cross-selling and up-selling: These techniques will enable you to generate additional sales both in-store and online, thanks to predictive marketing and its algorithms, which suggest products to your customers that correspond to their needs.
Optimized management of your business
An omnichannel strategy considerably optimizes your overall management, since all channels are complementary and connected. However, the multiplication of contact points results in an enormous flow of information, forcing companies to manage their data effectively.
👉 This data needs to be easily accessible, so that it can be efficiently processed and thus guarantee an optimal customer experience and customer journey.
But don't panic! There are several types of software to support you in building your omnichannel buying paths, such as ERP or DAM (Digital Asset Management).
💡 This is exactly the approach taken by Wedia. A powerful DAM, this software lets you efficiently manage a large volume of digital assets (photos, videos, 3D, etc.). It supports you in the creation of dynamic, eye-catching marketing visuals, then in their distribution and localization, with the aim of offering customers an omnichannel, consistent and personalized digital experience. Plus: thanks to a scoring system, you can measure the impact of your content on each channel!
As for your data, solutions like Twilio Segment help you to unify it. This Customer Data Platform (CDP) collects information from your visitors and customers, giving you all the means to optimize your omnichannel buying paths. Offer them a customized experience with ease!
Greater flexibility and convenience in customer management
An optimal omnichannel strategy must be able to offer consumers "contactless" delivery. Indeed, the current health context has prompted customers to opt more and more for delivery in order to limit their travel.
The fact that all your channels are connected gives you an overview of your stocks and availability, whether in-store or online. As a result, you can offer your customers different types of delivery to better meet their expectations:
- home delivery,
- relay point delivery,
- in-store pick-up.
👉 Guaranteeing optimal, adaptable delivery to your customers plays a key role in providing them with a memorable customer and user experience!
2 emblematic examples of omnichannel marketing
Starbucks
Starbucks has truly revolutionized the customer experience not only in the coffee market, but worldwide. The famous American brand has implemented an omnichannel strategy, providing its customers with a number of complementary channels:
- a website: which informs customers about the composition and manufacturing methods of the various beverages. It also allows customers to locate cafés around the world and earn rewards through a points system.
- mobile: the brand understands that consumers don't necessarily want to queue up in the morning to get their favorite coffee. That's why they've set up a Click and Collect system that lets people pay online and pick up their drink at the nearest Starbucks.
- physical outlets: the brand has turned its physical outlets into real "cocooning" spaces where customers feel right at home. Comfortable sofas are placed everywhere, and the offer is ultra-personalized. The customer experience is truly memorable, and that's what makes the brand so successful.
Disney
Thanks to its omnichannel strategy, Disney offers its customers a simple, efficient booking system available on all connected devices (mobile, tablet, computer). But that's not all. The brand has set up a number of applications to optimize its customer experience:
- "My Disney Experience": helps you plan your entire trip by suggesting activities for each day you spend on site, according to your needs. The application gives you access to exclusive information such as restaurant reservations, attraction waiting times, etc.
- The "Magic Band" program: once you've checked into the hotel, it acts not only as a hotel room key, but also as a real logbook. In fact, it contains a photo storage device, a food ordering tool, 24-hour customer service and FastPass integration.
Disney has thus used multiple communication and distribution channels to offer its customers a magical, unforgettable stay, where the slightest effort on the part of the customer is avoided through intelligent, intuitive applications.
4 tips for an optimal omnichannel strategy
1 - Understand your customers
To understand your customers, you need to know them. Indeed, customer knowledge is an indispensable element if you want to define the right strategy. For example, you can :
- conduct surveys,
- satisfaction questionnaires,
- install a data analysis program,
- implement social media monitoring software.
These tools will help you identify sales and consumer trends, as well as any complaints you may have about a product or service.
2 - Use the right communication tools
The customer is king. They choose when and where to view the messages you send them. That's why you need to adapt your marketing actions and campaigns to the behavior and buying habits you've identified in the first step.
This will enable you to determine the communication methods and tools you will use to attract each of your customers and encourage them to buy.
3 - Coordinate your messages across all channels
It's not enough to adapt your communication tools to a single channel. In an omnichannel marketing strategy, every channel counts, and they all need to be coherent and harmonized. Your campaigns must therefore be uniform and have the same tone across all your channels.
4 - Focus on long-term relationships
An omnichannel strategy must have a long-term vision. The aim being to offer your customers a unique and memorable experience, in order to build lasting relationships with them and thus build loyalty. For example, you can :
- set up a points-based loyalty program,
- offer services or products that are as personalized as possible,
- be as close as possible to your customers (birthday gifts or messages, private sales, etc.).
Omnichannel marketing, a real performance lever
As you can see, omnichannel marketing is a genuine performance and loyalty lever for businesses. It makes it possible to offer customers and prospects a single , consistent purchasing experience across all communication and distribution channels.
Nevertheless, the approach remains relevant and useful only if you tailor all your marketing messages and campaigns to your customer base. It's also imperative that you convey the same message across all the channels available to you, so as not to confuse your customers and thus offer a consistent customer experience.
Article translated from French