Many of us frequent coffee shops for an afternoon pick-me-up with a good old Starbucks.
If you visit often enough, you're likely subscribed to the Starbucks Rewards app, an omnichannel experience that makes it easy to satisfy your various caffeine cravings. Customers can use it to view previous orders, reload their Starbucks card, find the nearest store, and order ahead to skip the line.
The app is easy to use, provides personalized recommendations, and provides an unparalleled integrated experience for our millions of loyal customers. In other words, Starbucks has successfully implemented an omnichannel marketing strategy.
What is omnichannel marketing?
Omnichannel marketing is an integrated user engagement strategy where brands provide access to their products, offers, and customer service across all platforms, channels, and devices.
Channels span online and offline touchpoints, including websites, apps, social media, email, text messages, retail stores, and events. Omnichannel experiences aim to create a consistent brand experience for customers through marketing, customer service, and personalization techniques.
An effective omnichannel marketing strategy requires thorough planning, customer journey analysis, and the right tools to support your tactics.used by many companies omnichannel commerce software Create a seamless purchasing experience across channels. These tools centralize product offers within a unified platform and provide tools that allow businesses to manage multiple channels simultaneously.
Omnichannel and multichannel
Anyone familiar with Latin will know that omni means “all” multi It means “many”. Still, although omnichannel and multichannel are sometimes used synonymously, they are different strategies with distinct goals.
A multichannel marketing strategy helps businesses interact with customers through a number of independent channels. Each channel, including our physical stores, website, social media pages, apps, text messages, and email, operates independently. This means that while customers can interact with any of these channels, the encounter between them may not be consistent. Brands may also use strategies and messaging to target consumers. In a multichannel strategy, silos between channels are intentional.
Omnichannel strategies are customer-centric and leverage multiple channels to provide a seamless, connected customer experience. Omnichannel marketing creates an integrated customer journey as prospects move through the buying process between online and offline channels. A holistic experience is the foundation of an omnichannel strategy.
Three benefits of omnichannel marketing
An omnichannel marketing approach offers many undeniable benefits for businesses and their customers.
1. Expand your reach across channels
An effective omnichannel strategy allows businesses to reach customers wherever they are, expand their reach, and guide them to purchase.forbes explained This experience is well-represented: “Whether you're on your phone in the store, opening your inbox, or browsing social media, your message is visible.” I am.
2. Uninterrupted and engaging customer experience
When customers consider spending money with your business, they can take different routes. For example, a customer's path to purchase might include:
- When you find an interesting product Social media advertisement
- Click on the ad and explore. brand Website
- Add items to cart then abandon
- Receive a coupon code via email to complete your purchase
- Add items to cart and order
- Returning products at physical stores
With so many different touchpoints involved, customers become frustrated when the experience is inconsistent or disconnected. You may decide not to complete your purchase or find it less hassle to look elsewhere. Omnichannel marketing supports customers throughout the buying process, ensuring that handoffs between channels are seamless and each experience is integrated and consistent from start to finish.
3. Unparalleled customer satisfaction and loyalty
An omnichannel marketing strategy creates a more engaging customer experience and converts more prospects into loyal customers. Retailers with strong omnichannel marketing capabilities, according to Loyal Guru 89% retained Their own customer retention rates are 33%, compared to 33% for companies with poor omnichannel strategies.
Omnichannel loyalty programs play a key role in this benefit. Consider again the example of the Starbucks Rewards app. The coffee ordering and payment experience is perfect, and users can also earn reward points with every purchase, which can ultimately earn them free items. The easy purchasing experience and the allure of a free chai latte keep guests coming back for more.
How to create an omnichannel marketing strategy
Developing an omnichannel marketing strategy takes time, strategic planning, and understanding. Remember that personalization technology and integrated customer journeys are key elements of an omnichannel marketing strategy.
If you don't know how to get started, keep reading.
1. Know your customers (and where they are)
It's difficult to create an effective omnichannel marketing strategy unless you know who your audience is and where to reach them. Omnichannel experiences are customer-centric, so a poor or mismatched understanding of your base can lead to an ineffective omnichannel strategy.
So who are your customers? Research, market analysis, interviews, previous purchase information, social listeningallows you to create buyer personas, or fictitious profiles of your ideal customers. You may have already defined these or have an idea of what they could be. You can also have 2 personas or 10 personas. It depends on the nature of your company.
2. Map the customer journey from start to finish
Next, with your buyer personas in mind, identify the touchpoints your customers follow throughout the purchase journey, from pre-purchase to post-purchase. Every touchpoint is important and must be documented to identify gaps in the journey that an omnichannel experience could fill.
This starts by collecting as much data as possible, including online and offline experiences, and the step-by-step actions that lead to sales. Analyze customer behavior, collect social listening data, and obtain data on previous buyers through analytics and other tools to get a complete picture of the customer journey. Include stages, touchpoints, emotions, and gaps.
Consider your buyer pain points and ask yourself the following questions:
- Where is the friction in this purchasing process?
- Where can you add elements of personalization?
- Where are the gaps in our marketing?
- Do our channels have a unified and consistent brand message?
- When and where do customers buy from us?
- What do our customers want?
3. Create the ideal omnichannel customer journey
You can now map the omnichannel customer journey for each buyer persona over time using the current context. Consider how to use buyers' preferred channels to complete each stage of the buyer's journey and personalize those touchpoints.
You can also add touchpoints, such as apps that connect you holistically from start to finish. Or you may realize that there is a gap between you and yourself. social media profile Websites that need to be addressed to ensure consistency. In either case, spell out your plan for how you want the customer experience to feel and what it will take to achieve that plan.
4. Create cohesive content to share across channels
An omnichannel strategy is successful when messaging and branding are consistent across all channels. It’s easy to accidentally confuse the customer journey with unclear messages across platforms. But that doesn't mean you can't change the look and feel. contentHowever, readers should understand that the sale information they receive via email is the same sale information that appears on their website several hours later.
A clear brand style guide that includes your brand's visual identity, style, and tone will set you up to create consistent content across channels. Brands need to generate content that aligns with their position in the buyer's buying journey. For example, there's no point in promoting a “last chance to buy” message on Instagram if that's not the touchpoint where most customers convert.
Brands usually have to experiment to find what works best.Let's take an example of biossanceThey shared texts, sent emails, and updated their homepages with similar messages.
Text message:
Email:
website:
Potential customers can easily see that they’re seeing the same campaign across all touchpoints, and they don’t have to dig to find that 25% discount. perfection!
5. Test, optimize, and improve your omnichannel strategy over time
Keep your customers at the forefront of your omnichannel marketing strategy by collecting feedback, tracking performance metrics, and using this information to understand where you can improve. Customers change over time, and your omnichannel strategy should follow suit. Be flexible, adapt to changing customer behavior, and try new ideas for the best results.
Omnichannel marketing example
Don't start from scratch. Learn a lesson or two from brands delivering omnichannel experiences. These brands prioritize omnichannel strategies and execute them well.
spirit
Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) We offer quality gear, apparel, and rental supplies for your outdoor adventures. Customers can purchase her REI online or in-store for services and expert advice.
Join an REI Co-op membership to earn perks, receive coupons, free standard shipping within the U.S., and many other exclusive benefits. A few weeks ago, many of REI's customers received his 20% off coupon with a preview of a members-only early access sale. The company included the address of a local REI store on the back of the mailing. Customers can also open his REI app to see reminders about membership coupons, see inventory available in the app, arrange in-store pickup, and even have items shipped for free.
REI does a great job of having its channels work together to create a great customer experience, especially for co-op members.
sauce: spirit
ikea
ikea, the Swedish home furnishings brand known around the world for its affordable prices and design, has excellent omnichannel marketing.in Interview with GoogleKaren Hellweg, Chief Digital Officer in Denmark, and Gregory Baudouin, Country Marketing Manager in Belgium, spoke about its success.
They emphasized that customers love the IKEA experience. Most IKEA experiences include a half-day exploring the store and stopping by the food court for meatballs. To create an in-person shopping experience and give customers more control, IKEA prioritized:
- Give buyers the option to manage their personal information at IKEA online (create an account and add their address)
- Allow customers to check product availability at local stores before traveling
- Address in-store pain points with solutions like Shop & Go, a priority lane for faster purchases)
- Providing a shopping app that connects your journey
Read more about IKEA's Omnichannel Ecosystem in Atcom Case Study.
sauce: ikea
Customer operates remote control
Omnichannel marketing experiences power the customer journey by providing a unified experience across all channels, no matter how many channels your brand uses. Brands are turning to omnichannel marketing to expand their reach, engage with customers through a seamless journey, and turn potential customers into loyal, lifelong fans. To do this effectively, you need to know who your customers are, where you can improve their current journey, and how to create consistent omnichannel content that they love.
Use chatbots to level up your customer support touchpoints as part of your omnichannel strategy.learn How to build a chatbot From zero.