Is your ecommerce store struggling to stay afloat?
Maybe you’re finding it difficult to keep up with highly competitive environments, changing platforms, and new shopping experiences.
We have the answer. What you need is an omnichannel strategy to help your business stand out from the crowd.
What is Omnichannel Marketing?
Omnichannel marketing is a strategy that aims to create a seamless shopping experience from start to finish, regardless of the channel your customer is using.
It integrates both online and offline marketing channels to create a personalised and smooth shopping experience.
Compared to single channel marketing, it allows you to consistently reach prospects where they are. It’s a customer-centric approach that shows them the same message, across different places, at the same time.
It looks like this:
In this article, we’re sharing nine compelling reasons to embrace omnichannel marketing for your ecommerce store in 2024.
1. Enhances Customer Experience
Providing a seamless shopping experience across various channels, including your website, social media, mobile apps, and brick-and-mortar locations, ensures that customers can interact with your brand effortlessly. Consistency in branding and messaging throughout the customer journey leads to higher satisfaction and loyalty.
For example, Nike's "click and collect" service shows how an omnichannel strategy can bridge the gap between online and offline channels. This service allows customers to browse and purchase products online and then pick them up in-store at their convenience. This not only provides customers with greater flexibility and control over their shopping experience but also allows Nike to provide a more personalised experience by giving customers the option to try on the products in-store before making a final purchase.
2. Increases Sales Opportunities
According to a study by Harvard Business Review, 73% of consumers use multiple channels during their shopping journey. This means if you’re not using an omnichannel approach, you could be missing out on valuable opportunities.
By making your products accessible across multiple channels, you open up more avenues for customers to make purchases. Omnichannel customers tend to spend more than single-channel shoppers, leading to increased sales and revenue for your business.
According to Adobe, omnichannel customers have a 30% higher lifetime value than those who shop using only one channel. This shows that it’s worth investing your marketing efforts into a multifaceted approach.
3. Improves Customer Engagement
Omnichannel marketing allows you to engage with customers on their preferred platforms, whether it's through email, social media, chatbot, or in-store interactions. Tailoring your communications to meet individual preferences fosters stronger connections and encourages repeat purchases. According to Salesforce, 90% of consumers expect consistent interactions across channels, so it’s important that you stay on top of it.
For example, Target partnered with Pinterest to integrate Pinterest’s lens into their mobile app so people can use their phone to take a photo of something they like and have the app show them a similar item available for purchase. This was a seamless way for customers to discover products, and purchase them in the moment. This helped to drive engagement and also increased sales by 10%.
4. Enables Data-Driven Personalisation
With an omnichannel approach, businesses can harness the power of data to personalise customer experiences at scale. According to a study by Salesforce, companies that effectively use data-driven personalisation see a 15% increase in revenue on average.
This means that by analysing cross-channel data, businesses can gain deeper insights into customer behaviour, enabling them to anticipate needs, offer relevant recommendations, and deliver a seamless experience across all touchpoints. As a result, businesses can foster stronger customer relationships, improve customer satisfaction, and ultimately drive revenue growth.
5. Gives Competitive Advantage
Offering a seamless omnichannel experience sets your business apart from competitors who may still be operating in silos. Providing convenience and consistency across channels gives you a competitive edge and helps attract and retain customers.
Research by Aberdeen Group shows that companies with strong omnichannel customer engagement strategies retain an average of 89% of their customers, as compared to 33% for companies with weak omnichannel strategies.
For example, GlossyBox, a digital beauty subscription service, gives itself a competitive advantage by running temporary pop up shops in major cities. This allows customers to try out their products and have a hands-on experience. Customers can also select their preferred products to curate a customised beauty box, tailored to their tastes. This is the perfect blend of online and offline marketing techniques.
6. Drives Efficient Inventory Management
According to a report by Deloitte, businesses that implement omnichannel strategies see 89% greater year-over-year inventory accuracy compared to those that don't.
An omnichannel approach allows you to more easily track your stock levels and manage your inventory. This helps you to more accurately forecast demand, optimise your supply chain, and prevent stockouts and overstocking in both your physical and online stores.
Real-time visibility into inventory levels ensures that customers have access to accurate product availability information, so they can check stock levels online before or during their visit to your physical store. All this helps to reduce friction with your customers, encourage sales and improve satisfaction.
7. Maximises Marketing ROI
Omnichannel marketing allows you to deliver targeted and personalised campaigns across multiple channels, and yield higher returns on investment (ROI). By focusing your marketing efforts on channels that drive the most engagement and conversions, you can optimise your marketing spend effectively.
Research shows that companies with strong omnichannel customer engagement strategies see a 9.5% year-over-year increase in annual revenue, compared to 3.4% for those without omnichannel strategies.
8. Enhances Brand Visibility
Another advantage of omnichannel marketing is that it allows you to enhance visibility for your brand. Maintaining a presence across various channels increases brand visibility and exposure to a wider audience. Consistent messaging reinforces brand identity and helps strengthen brand recall among consumers.
Social media also plays a crucial role here in driving brand awareness and building customer trust. According to Sprout Social, 83% of shoppers are more likely to buy from brands they follow on social media. If you are consistently active on socials, then this can help drive traffic to your ecommerce store.
For example, Nearly Natural uses Facebook and Instagram to showcase products and promotions, engage with followers, and build a community. They use automated email and push notifications and live chat to communicate in real time with visitors on their website.
9. Improves Customer Service
An omnichannel approach also enables you to improve your business’ customer service. This is important because 64% of consumers expect companies to respond to and interact with them in real time. If you are too slow, then this can cause potential customers to leave you for a competitor.
For example, eco-friendly shoe brand, Rothy’s created a seamless omnichannel marketing strategy for its customers. Their approach is centred around providing a unified customer support experience, as well as a sustainable and hassle-free returns and exchange process. To improve support, they also centralised all customer interactions onto a single platform.
Summing Up
Adopting an omnichannel approach to marketing your ecommerce store offers numerous benefits that can drive growth and success in today’s competitive landscape. By prioritising seamless integration across multiple channels, you can enhance the customer experience, increase sales opportunities, and position your brand for long-term success.
Why Choose Margin?
At Margin, for over 17 years, we've specialised in helping businesses get found online through strategic marketing.
Our expertise lies in prescribing tailored online marketing strategies and tactics that attract audiences, convert traffic into qualified leads, and drive exponential sales growth.
Our all-star Brisbane lineup includes Paid Search Pros, Digital Designers, Web Developers and people who live and breathe digital marketing.
