-A Strategy to meet customers at right time, right place and with the right message
By Mineeth K | Marketing Club Executive
Omnichannel marketing is the coordination and integration of the different channels that businesses use to communicate with customers in order to establish a unified brand experience. This encompasses both offline (like stores) and online outlets (e.g. websites). A seamless, convenient user experience for consumers that provides a variety of fulfilment options is the aim of an omnichannel marketing approach.
As customers go down the sales funnel, omnichannel marketing enables a more significant customer experience by integrating branding, message, and online and offline touchpoints seamlessly. Consumers are the center of attention in omnichannel marketing. Today, there are countless ways for customers to communicate with brands, from social media to brick-and-mortar stores. A few critical components of an omnichannel strategy ensure that the customer gets a satisfying, consistent experience across all channels.
Source: https://techaffinity.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/omni-channel-marketing-1.jpg
In a report from 2020, Salesforce claimed that 74% of consumers had changed channels and 66% of customers had switched devices mid-transaction. A disadvantage in 2022 and beyond is limiting marketing to one or two channels. According to their preferences and where they are in the buying process, customers can be found in a variety of places today. This is where omnichannel marketing comes in.
Before we step into knowing more about omni-channel marketing, it necessary to have a basic understanding on what marketing channels are. Any platform or area where marketing is conducted is referred to as a marketing channel. In essence, it may be defined as any setting where clients are gathered and where we can have a chance to interact with them. We see that there three types of marketing channels one can encounter where each has some value in and of itself. These include Multi-channel, cross-channel and omnichannel marketing. The most sophisticated and coordinated strategies are needed for omnichannel marketing, which is the superlative one among the three.
Although the notions of omnichannel and multi-channel are both built on the idea of engaging customers across several platforms, they are not equivalent. Multichannel examines the particular channel and the manner in which the transaction will be carried out there. In contrast, omnichannel considers how to offer the optimal experience as customers switch between channels, taking into consideration the possibility that the customer journey may span numerous channels. Every engagement is a stop along a journey that ends in a conversion.
There are huge number of companies that have already implemented fantastic omni-channel user experiences. Some of these companies include, Starbucks, Amazon, Spotify, Pepper fry, Timberland, Apple, Google and many among them. Let’s discuss about few companies mentioned above.
STARBUCKS :
The Starbucks rewards app is one of the best omni-channel experiences out now, as can be seen by taking a brief look at it. To start with, we receive a rewards card for free that we can use each time we make a purchase. However, Starbucks has made it possible to check and reload our card through phone, website, in-store, or on the app, unlike conventional customer loyalty programmes. Real-time updates are made to the card and our profile on all channels.
AMAZON :
In the world of retail for consumers, Amazon is king of the omni-channel experience. In addition to having an app and website that instantly sync users' carts when they are signed in, it also provides clients with a support experience that lets them select the communication channel that suits them best.
SPOTIFY :
Another excellent example of a company that provides a product-level omni-channel experience is Spotify. Not only does the company offer a mobile app, website and a desktop app, but it also syncs between all of them when you have them open at the same time. Users' desktop apps will display the music they are presently listening to if they are using Spotify on their phones.
Source : https://media.smallbiztrends.com/2022/05/omnichannel-marketing.png
Future success will greatly rely upon on developing an Omni-Channel Experience.
It is indeed necessary for every organization to create its own, unique omni-channel marketing experience and to work closely with multiple departments to develop this strong strategy. Given that this idea is still in its early stages of development, it is still possible to start modest and grow later. Undoubtedly, there is still more to be done to improve omni-channel user experiences, and smaller businesses may feel as though the project is out of their reach due to the size of the integrations that are involved in it. However, with the use of modern marketing performance assessment technologies, businesses can more easily provide consumers with an omnichannel experience by determining the best media mix, targeting, and other factors.