Tag: omnichannel presence

With almost every country resorting to strict lockdowns for preventing the spread of coronavirus, brick-and-mortar stores had no option but to remain shut for several months. The e-commerce industry became the biggest beneficiary of the pandemic, with the likes of Amazon registering record sales and revenue.

Apart from digital experiences becoming a more common aspect of consumers’ everyday life, the pandemic also accelerated the evolution of online channels and customer expectations. Most consumers now use multiple channels and expect a seamless and consistent experience across channels.

Omnichannel marketing effectively targets this consumer behaviour, making it an essential tool in the marketing arsenal of every brand in the post-pandemic world.

What is Omnichannel Marketing?

In a nutshell, omnichannel marketing is a cross-channel strategy to improve customer experiences and drive improved relationships across digital and traditional touchpoints and channels. Every channel works in tandem with the overall marketing strategy to deliver a unified experience.

Whether a customer is shopping online from mobile or desktop or a physical store, the experience across the channels will be seamless and consistent. Some of the basic examples of omnichannel marketing are cart abandonment emails, retargeting ads from abandoned carts, and promotional SMS messages when a customer is shopping in-store. 

Why Omnichannel Marketing in the Post-Pandemic World?

Here are some of the top reasons why brands should focus on building an omnichannel presence in the post-pandemic world-

1. Delivering Personalized Communication and Experiences

According to a Zendesk report, more than 50% of the customers in India agree that experience is now more important to them than it was a year ago. The report also suggests that 40% of the customers would prefer to shop from a different brand after just a single bad experience.

An omnichannel marketing strategy unifies all the online and offline channels to ensure that customer experiences are consistent across platforms and devices, making it easier for brands to engage with the customers on a more personal level.

2. Improved Engagement and Revenue

Customers also respond much better to omnichannel strategies. As per an Omnisend report that analysed more than 2 billion campaigns, marketers using 3 or more channels generated 18.96% engagement compared to 5.4% engagement earned by marketers only using a single channel.

Moreover, omnichannel customers also had a 250% higher purchase rate compared to single-channel customers. In other words, omnichannel marketing not only improves engagement but also encourages more purchasing, helping brands generate more revenue. As several brands were hit financially during the pandemic, an omnichannel strategy could help make an effective comeback.

3. Data Analytics at Its Best

Going omnichannel also extends to data analytics. Omnichannel attribution makes it possible for brands and marketers to track engagement across all the channels and touchpoints. This provides them a better understanding of the customer journey and preferred engagement channels and makes it easier for them to understand which channels/touchpoints/campaigns deliver the best results.

All this data can then be used for fine-tuning the marketing strategy for optimizing media spends and building targeted campaigns.

Futureproof Your Brand with Omnichannel Marketing

While omnichannel marketing has been around for some time, it was only during the pandemic that its importance shot up due to the changing consumer habits.

With customers getting used to the extensive range of channels and touchpoints that make their buying journey easier and more rewarding, omnichannel is all set to become a dominant marketing strategy for every successful business.

The expertise of a reliable digital marketing company could help brands make the most of this marketing trend that is expected to revolutionize the marketing landscape. 

Since the introduction of e-commerce, the needs and expectations of modern consumers have evolved consistently. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a major shift in the consumers’ shopping patterns and their expectations from the brands.

With physical stores shut for several months during the lockdowns, consumers went online to shop for products and services, encouraging brands to implement a digital-first strategy. Moreover, it is expected that the online shopping trend will continue well into the future and help the Indian e-commerce industry reach a new pedestal.

According to a report on Business Standard, the e-commerce industry in the country is expected to grow 84% and reach a market size of $111 billion by 2024.

But now that the lockdown is mostly lifted across the country, brands should focus on building an omnichannel presence to stay competitive and succeed.

Why an Omnichannel Presence Over Multichannel Presence?

With consumers now using multiple online and offline channels to interact with brands, businesses must have a healthy presence across all the popular channels. In short, this is what a multichannel strategy is all about.

But a significant problem with this strategy is that businesses generally manage these channels individually, resulting in an inconsistent consumer experience. On the other hand, an omnichannel strategy unifies all the online and offline channels to provide a seamless consumer experience across platforms and devices.

Benefits of Building an Omnichannel Presence

Here are some of the top advantages of having an omnichannel presence-

• Be Hypercompetitive

24×7 customer service, personalized communication, and ease of navigation across channels are some of the things that bigger brands like Amazon have made people used to, especially during the pandemic. They now expect a similar level of service from smaller brands too.

According to a report on CXToday, 9 out of 10 consumers want an omnichannel experience. With the help of an omnichannel strategy, brands can be present across the channels and fulfil these newly-developed consumer expectations.

• Boost Sales and Turnover

The “customer-first” approach of an omnichannel strategy also strikes a chord with the consumers. Needless to say, every customer would prefer brands that allow them to be in the driver’s seat. This can help a business reach new customers and turn the existing ones into loyal brand advocates.

Once a brand starts turning into a consumer favourite, improved sales and turnover will mostly follow. In fact, omnichannel customers spend 10% more online and 4% more offline than single-channel customers, according to a study by Harvard Business Review.  

• Increased Recommendation and References

No matter how good or expensive your marketing initiative is, it will mostly never be able to match the word-of-mouth publicity. According to Talk Triggers’ “Chatter Matter” report, 83% of the consumers agree that word of mouth recommendations they receive from family and friends makes them more likely to purchase a product or service.

The Harvard Business Review research mentioned above also suggests that omnichannel customers are more likely to recommend the brand to their family and friends than single-channel customers.

The Future of Marketing is Omnichannel

The omnichannel shopping experience is redefining the way consumers shop online and offline. It is also providing brands with intuitive ways in which they can engage with the customers. This post-pandemic period is an excellent opportunity for brands to reimagine customer touchpoints and work on creative strategies that can fulfil the updated needs and expectations of the consumers.

While major brands like Amazon continue to raise the omnichannel marketing bar, smaller businesses can rely on digital marketing experts to continue evolving and growing.