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Omni-channel marketing outperforms single-channel by 250%. Businesses with omni-channel strategies increase customer retention by 91% year-over-year. And 90% of your customers expect consistent brand interactions, no matter what channel they choose.
With stats like those, it’s pretty clear that an omni-channel approach is vital to a healthy marketing strategy. But don’t take our word for it: 87% of retailers agree that omni-channel is critical or very important to their success.
So, we get it. Omni-channel is the new black. But here’s the thing: only 8% of marketers say they’ve achieved the omni-channel approach they’re aiming for.
Which means most of us have room for a lot of growth. And if you’re just embracing omni-channel now, you could still outpace the competition in a big way.
So, if omni-channel is your goal, where should you start?
The answer, as with anything in marketing, is with strategy.
But wait…before we dig into strategy, a quick definition: Omni-channel marketing is providing an integrated brand experience across all channels. So, no matter where your customer decides to connect—be it your website, your app, or a social media platform—their interaction with your brand is consistent.
We’ve written about omni-channel marketing before, and our experts shared five essential steps in any strategy. In a nutshell, they are:
So, you’ve got the basics down. You’re planning to break down silos and align your teams. You’ve got a messaging strategy to implement across channels. And you’re researching the right technology to support those omni-channel dreams.
But before you go further, here are some questions that omni-channel strategy should also tackle. Because part of getting people on the same page is spelling out who your customers are, what channels they’re using, etc.
The point here is that omni-channel isn’t a magic bullet. It’s a way to better serve customers. And by better serving customers, your strategy can lead to a whole lot of compelling business results.
So, what does good omni-channel marketing look like? How does strategy translate to real-world marketing wins?
Disney, Peloton, and REI are great examples of what an effective omni-channel marketing strategy looks like after launch. We’ve written more about all three here.
The above strategies apply to every industry. It is worth noting, though, that retailers have a particularly big opportunity—and if they don’t grab hold of it, their competitors sure will.
Because recent research shows that even in-store shoppers are highly likely to use their phone or tablet to research products while in store. This means the shopping experience in store is now cross-channel—by necessity and whether retailers want it to be or not.
Some companies—like REI—are embracing this reality and using it to drive more sales. When the well-known outdoor retailer found out that this is how customers wanted to shop, they introduced the option to scan barcodes with their app to get more info on a product and read its reviews.
Not only does this make for better customer experiences. It also gives REI the opportunity to drive up app engagement, gather better customer data, and personalize on a deeper level for their customers.
Want to personalize for customers across channels? As we said above, one of the first steps is leaning on the right technology—tech that helps you break down data silos to store first-party, real-time data all in one marketer-friendly, accessible place, turn that data into actionable insights about your customers, and personalize for them 1:1 across every platform.
If you’re curious about how that works, we’d love to show you. Reach out today to chat with our team or get a free demo of Lytics CDP, which does all that and more.