You have certainly heard of the use of multi-channel strategy in marketing. What about omnichannel strategy? Are you familiar with all the ways brands leverage it?
In this article, discover six examples of omnichannel strategy to inspire you and improve the customer journey!
An omnichannel strategy integrates the user experience across multiple touchpoints, including brick-and-mortar stores, websites and mobile apps. It is often confused with a multichannel strategy.
While they both emphasize the use of multiple channels to reach consumers and prospects, omnichannel marketing and multichannel marketing are two very distinct concepts that are important to clarify.
In the multi-channel approach, campaigns are executed on several channels. Typically, this is done manually for each channel separately. Content is published on each available channel, with little or no differentiation or personalization.
The omnichannel marketing strategy, on the other hand, aims to place the customer at the center of its strategy. Its objective is to determine which messages to send to which type of customers, through which distribution channels and at which precise moments.
It uses a data-driven approach and AI to understand complex data points. As a result, customers get an optimal, seamless and deeply personalized experience that is much more likely to lead to sales!
The omnichannel approach has many advantages:
Each person receives a personalized experience through omnichannel marketing efforts. Taking this approach improves customer loyalty and retention, as well as the overall consumer experience.
Cross-channel consistency allows your customers to see your brand consistently across all platforms and devices through omnichannel marketing. This consistency will make it easier for your customers to remember your brand.
As a result, an omnichannel strategy improves customer loyalty, strengthens brand awareness and encourages repeat purchases. Through content personalization and word-of-mouth marketing, brands can retain customers and attract new prospects.
Here are 6 examples of strategies that work in an omnichannel context:
The first example of a very successful omnichannel comes from Disney!
Disney has mastered omnichannel by facilitating the emotional connection of consumers. The brand is at the forefront of omnichannel marketing because of its emphasis on imagination and creation.
Every detail counts when it comes to the Disney experience. Their website has pages that are mobile-friendly and optimized for every platform. Using the My Disney Experience tool, visitors can plan every minute of their visit to the park. Through the mobile app, for example, they can locate the attractions they've marked in the experience tool and see estimated wait times.
Customers only use rewards programs if they can easily check their balance, pay from the app and use them across all channels.
Each Starbucks channel is seamlessly integrated with its rewards program. You can check and top up your Starbucks Rewards balance on your smartphone with the Starbucks Rewards app.
Starbucks updates all of this information in the system in real-time, so if someone adds their balance two minutes before they go to a Starbucks, they can still use it.
In addition to offering you the brand image and familiar atmosphere of its outlets, Dunkin' Donuts has a mobile application that also offers interesting extras. For example, it offers gifts, and the ability to pre-order and avoid long lines: a perfect lever to improve customer reviews.
There's a reason Amazon is one of the biggest brands in online retail.
Over its 20-year history, the platform has accumulated a wealth of data that fuels its customer-centric approach. The company allows its customers to browse and buy, like, where and when they want, by connecting this data across multiple channels.
Amazon realized that shipping costs were the biggest barrier to purchase conversion, so it eliminated them. The e-commerce giant responded by launching Amazon Prime, a loyalty program that offers customers free, fast shipping and a host of other benefits in exchange for a monthly fee. In addition, Amazon differentiated itself from its competitors with more efficient, available and accommodating customer service than its competitors.
When it comes to examples of an omnichannel strategy, Apple is certainly the first name that comes to mind.
Today, Apple fans can shop in physical stores and via contactless delivery through excellent omnichannel stores. In addition, Apple is developing a streamlined payment process to track transactions and payments in-store.
With this payment system, customers can not only make purchases faster and easier, but Apple stores can also send notifications of product updates and personalized loyalty programs to create a unique shopping experience.
Finally, one of the latest examples of an omnichannel strategy is Walgreens, the digital pharmacy. Using a smartphone, customers can refill their prescriptions by scanning the barcode of their medications with their mobile app.
In addition to the ability to change pickup locations and schedule a pickup time at a physical store with click and collect, Walgreens has a system for customers to view prescription history online. A good way to attract qualified customers to the store as well.
Are you now convinced of the incredible added value that the omnichannel approach can bring to your business? Just like these examples of strategies previously mentioned, get ready to make omnichannel a real tool for your business!
To go further on the subject: discover how to facilitate appointment scheduling in your company and thus make your customers' experience more fluid!
Our goal? Help you capture your clients’ data in order to personalize their experience and build customer loyalty.