Omnichannel marketing is an often-heard term in sales meetings and marketing blogs, but what exactly does it entail?
Simply stated, omnichannel is a seamless customer experience that incorporates online and offline shopping experiences seamlessly. Users may shop via websites, social media platforms, brick and mortar stores or even an augmented reality app.
1. Artificial Intelligence
AI holds great promise for ecommerce businesses, helping to enhance customer experiences and boost sales revenues. From personalized recommendations to intuitive inventory management systems, AI will soon become a staple feature in many omnichannel developments of tomorrow.
Chatbots are an excellent example of how ecommerce businesses can utilize AI for superior customer service, alleviate staff workload and move customers through the sales funnel more quickly and accurately. AI chatbots can quickly respond to basic inquiries quickly and accurately while also making recommendations based on past behavior or lookalike customers.
Artificial Intelligence can also assist businesses in forecasting demand, helping them plan for seasonal fluctuations and avoid overstocking products that won’t sell. For instance, paint brands could use AI to assess how many Christmas decorations shoppers would buy each week at the end of the year so they can place orders accordingly.
2. Immersive Experiences
Immersive experiences take users into a new reality or an enhanced version of their environment, to enable them to empathize, be inspired, and learn on an emotional level.
Experiences provide customers with an emotional connection that builds brand loyalty, setting brands that prioritize these experiences apart from competitors.
These technologies, such as 3D product visuals and augmented reality, enhance CX by connecting in-store shopping with online purchasing, improving product perception and supporting purchase decisions. Consumers can visualize their purchases before actually purchasing them; virtual product demonstration and try-before-you-buy experiences help reduce product returns while creating an immersive shopping journey that personalizes experiences for individual audiences.
3. Personalized Storefronts
Personalized omnichannel experiences are one of the best ways to set apart brands in today’s retail environment, leading to higher conversion rates, customer loyalty, and improved profits.
Implementing a personalization strategy across multiple channels without the appropriate tools and data can be dauntingly complex, leaving brands struggling to provide an enjoyable customer experience during cross-channel promotions.
There are a number of innovations in storefront technology that can enhance the omnichannel personalization experience, including Augmented Reality which can assist customers in making informed purchases and offering virtual makeup or fashion consultations – two examples being Sephora and Nike who both utilize this technology effectively.
4. Digital Payment Options
As technology evolves, customer expectations for how they engage with brands also change. Omnichannel retail allows shoppers to access your brand using any device of their choosing – giving them the convenience of shopping whenever and wherever they please.
Omnichannel payments are an integral component of an omnichannel experience, enabling retailers to offer customers multiple payment options such as credit card payments, digital wallets and mobile payments – creating a safer and easier shopping experience for consumers.
US fashion brand Natori offers customers an easy one-click checkout system that enables them to save their debit or credit card details for future purchases and then use their smartphone in-store without entering payment information again.
5. Personalized Marketing
An intimate, personalized experience can set a brand apart and give it a sustainable competitive advantage. Companies who implement it report seeing between 1-2% increase in sales and customer loyalty.
Successful personalization strategies go beyond product recommendations such as those made via “You May Also Like” or Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke with…” marketing campaigns. Instead, successful strategies employ real-time marketing techniques such as text messages that remind customers they need to pick up items or clienteling strategies that greet customers in physical stores with products most likely to attract their purchase.
Examples of personalized marketing include Dell Computer’s invitation for customers to customize a desktop computer or shoe sellers like Mi Adidas and NIKEiD that allow customers to design their own footwear. To be effective, this type of promotion requires access to relevant data as well as staff with knowledge.