Customers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and want to connect with brands both in person and on the device of their choice, at their convenience. In today’s society, this seamless omni-channel experience is expected. According to an Abeerdeen society, the impact of an omni-channel strategy is significant. In companies with strong omni-channel strategies 89% of customers are retained compared to 33% for companies that have weak omnichannel strategies.1
Consistency Between Channels
When customers have such a wide variety of sources of information, it is critical that the brand remains consistent across channels. They should receive the same information via customer support chat as they receive on the phone or in person. This is where training comes in to play. All employees, whether in-house or outsourced should be properly trained to disseminate the same information.
Cross Channel Challenges
According to entrepreneur magazine, “45 percent of merchants and suppliers have lost more than $1 million in revenue due to cross-channel commerce challenges”. Many business are simply unequipped to handle the complexities involved in omni-channel commerce.2 Consumer Reports show that customer satisfaction hasn’t increased since the 70s, despite advances in technology. 3 This shows that while technology is making communicating easier, the lack of human touch and inconsistency in message may be causing these benefits to not be passed along to the consumer.
Marketing in an Omni-Channel Environment
Omni-channel marketing means not only marketing on each channel, but considering each channel as a unique touchpoint on the customer journey. A customer might first visit the facebook page, research online, and then visit the brick and mortar store. Each channel is a vital part of that customer’s journey, and no two customers are exactly alike.
Importance of Data
The proliferation of omni-channel marketing has made data more important than ever. Data will help you better understand the customer journey and any pain points they experience along the way!
1. https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2013/12/31/why-omnichannel-strategy-matters/
2. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/292792
3. https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2014/07/22/the-omni-channel-experience-marketing-meets-ubiquity/#7e1458a2c8e3