Omnichannel marketing effectively takes multichannel to the next level. Many brands will have bricks and mortar shops, online shopping and telephone options, social media, and apps. Omnichannel marketing allows brands to integrate the customer experience for all such channels. By doing so, the customer behaviour influences the advertising strategy.
What are the strengths of omnichannel?
The main advantage of omnichannel is that it provides customers with a seamless experience. However, some retailers and service providers have worked out how to further the advantages of omnichannel. Omnichannel allows the businesses who use it to prompt customers to complete the desired user journey. For example, if a customer clicks on an advert from social media, the link might then take them to the company website. From here, if the customer gets as far as adding their details at checkout but does not complete the purchase, they might get pop up or email prompts encouraging them to complete the purchase.
What if a customer does not check out?
Even if the customer does not complete the purchase, prompts keep products and the brand at the forefront of a customer’s mind. This makes them more likely to return and buy the product or service. Additionally, every time a customer interacts with the brand, on any channel, the integration between channels allows this to be tracked. The result of the tracking is that marketing collateral relevant to the stage of the individual customer’s journey can be pushed to them. If they have not checked out, this might mean pushing a discount code. If they have simply clicked on the advert, it might mean pushing adverts which contain more of the product or service they clicked on.
What are the benefits?
Lockdown has certainly driven the trend in omnichannel marketing. With bricks and mortar shops closed, the businesses who were already set up for omnichannel, or those who were able to pivot quickly, have been able to adapt. However, we have seen big high street brands going bust. Commonly, these were businesses that relied on traditional bricks and mortar experiences.
Is omnichannel suitable for your business?
Omnichannel is suitable for large and small businesses. However, like most of the advances in tech, it can seem as though a business cannot thrive unless it has all of the latest advances. The online retailers have been pivotal in driving omnichannel. With them being so advanced already, it might seem like an overwhelming and pointless task to try to compete on their turf. Frankly, because omnichannel depends largely on tech integration, it is probably impossible to keep up. That said, individual businesses will know their target markets. If anything, considering omnichannel should be looked at as a way to make the lives of customers easier. On this basis, aiming to move to omnichannel over time would be prudent. This will mean adjusting your marketing strategy.
What does this mean for your marketing hiring strategy?
Any business looking to implement an omnichannel marketing strategy will need to consult their marketing departments. The marketing department will be able to provide a good indication of the current strategy. It will then be necessary to establish how best to manage the introduction of omnichannel. Is the tech sufficient for inhouse staff to manage the change or would outsourcing be a better option? Will the department need marketers with more advanced digital skills? If so, how much experience will they need and is the market developed enough that such candidates exist?
It is worth keeping in mind that Omnichannel is still new. As a result, it is unlikely to find a large pool of professionals with years of experience. If a business plans to keep everything in house, it might mean recruiting business analysts, account directors and, depending on how the channels are set up, even coders or software engineers.
To discuss more about omnichannel marketing professionals, call or email Karen Gittins on 07540058374/karen@amdas.co.uk