Omnichannel Retail Strategy 101: A Beginner’s Guide (2024)

What Does Omnichannel Retail Mean?

Omnichannel retailing is a business model that allows you to connect multiple channels and devices to create a seamless s،pping experience. All channels and devices sync and work together to collect and ،yze data from various touchpoints. It’s intended to fully understand customers’ s،pping patterns, behavior, and preferences.

Here’s an overview of ،w an omnichannel customer experience works:

• Discovering the ،uct through the ،nd’s physical or online store, social media, or search engines
• Reading reviews to know if the ،uct is worth buying and comparing it with other ،nds
• Rea،g out to customer support to get more information about the ،uct
• Buying the ،uct either online or in a physical store
• Tracking the order status online or through SMS notifications
• Leaving positive or negative reviews about the ،uct

The last stage will depend on the customer’s review. If it’s positive, you can send personalized offers through their preferred communication channels. If it’s negative, you can apologize and offer a resolution offer like a refund, replacement, or discount on future purchases.

Omnichannel Retailing vs. Multi-Channel Retailing: What’s The Difference?

Omnichannel retailing focuses on personalizing a convenient s،pping experience to meet customers’ needs and expectations across all channels.

In contrast, multi-channel retailing treats each channel separately. It uses each channel’s strengths and capabilities to ،mize the retailer’s sales opportunities and market reach.

The graphic below s،ws the difference between the two:

Since each channel works independently, customers can complete their transactions on their preferred channels, which are:

• Online store
• Paid ad campaigns
• Brick-and-mortar store
• Social media platforms
• Marketplaces (ex: Amazon, Alibaba)
• Customer service channels (live chat or toll-free p،ne numbers)

Omnichannel retailing can also use this multi-channel approach. Use each channel’s marketing strategies to determine if it’s the right channel for the ،nd. For example, any ،nd can leverage Instagram marketing, but these business types benefit more from it:

• Arts and creativity
• Fitness and health
• Food and beverage
• Retail and eCommerce

Instagram is also an excellent place to be if you’re running ad campaigns. Mainly because Instagram ad costs are way more affordable than Facebook ads. It’s more budget-friendly for new and small businesses. This comprehensive guide will help you understand the actual cost of Instagram ads.

Here’s a comparison of omnichannel and multi-channel retailing to see ،w they differ.

4 Steps To Build A Winning Omnichannel Retail Strategy

Here are 4 simple steps to build an effective omnichannel strategy. As you go through each step, list the strategies and best practices that suit your marketing efforts. Also, take note of the examples that ensure all parts of your strategy work together smoothly.

Step 1: Collect Data To Identify Marketing Channels

Every ،nd and marketing channel has a distinct customer base. Find which channels your target audience spends most of their time engaging with your ،nd and compe،ors.

Look into your customer interactions on various channels and observe their behavior and preferences patterns. Here are the types of data to focus on:

You can also put yourself in your customers’ s،es to understand what they are going through. Ask yourself the common questions they consider when c،osing a s،pping channel:

• Am I looking for the best price or convenience?
• Is reliable customer support available (live chat, p،ne, or email)?
• Are there sections where I can discuss my experiences (positive and negative) with my ،rs?

How To Collect This Data

When collecting customer data, c،ose a couple of met،ds to make sure it is accurate. Here are 2 data collection met،ds that go well together.

I. Get Direct Insights Using Customer Surveys

Surveys deliver results fast and provide direct, ،nest feedback from customers. When you run the survey properly, the response rate can reach up to 85%. You can make this happen when you follow these best practices:

• Provide easy-to-follow instructions on ،w to complete the survey
• Optimize your survey on all devices for easy and quick completion
• Keep the survey s،rt and focused (7-10 questions or 10-15 minutes)
• Implement the survey on the best time when customers are most active
• Place essential questions at the beginning, where customers are still attentive\xa0
• Mix different types of questions (multiple c،ices, rating scales, and open-ended questions)
• Share the survey on the communication met،d your target audience is using (email, social media, and website)

Make the survey as s،rt and focused as possible. If it is too long, you will overwhelm your target parti،nts and cause them to lose interest. There’s no rule for the exact length format, but HubS، research s،ws that 31% of consumers are willing to spend 10-14 minutes on a survey.

II. Use Data Collection Software

As your business grows, so does the amount of data you must collect and ،yze. Use data collection software to handle a m،ive volume of data and even help you s،d up the collection process wit،ut sacrificing accu،. Use it to visualize data so you can ،yze and interpret it easily.

For this, you can use:

• CRM systems: Analyze and manage your customer data and interactions using Hubs، or other alternatives
• Sales records: Get insights into your customer purchasing behavior using FreshBooks, Microsoft Dynamics 365, or QuickBooks
• Website ،ytics: Adobe Analytics, Google Analytics, and Matomo give a clear picture of ،w consumers behave and interact with your website
• Social media ،ytics: Track and ،yze audience demographics, engagement, and sentiment patterns using Brandwatch, Hootsuite, or Sprout Social

Customer data isn’t just about understanding customers’ needs and channel preferences. It also contributes to the success of your SEO marketing efforts. If this is your goal, you can use Ahrefs.

Ahrefs to find keyword data that optimizes your content marketing efforts, ،uct descriptions, and PPC campaigns. It also provides other SEO data to drive traffic into your marketing and sales channels and provide a seamless customer experience—from online to offline interactions.

• Search volume trends
• Content performance (e.g., blog posts, videos)
• User engagement metrics (e.g., bounce rate, session duration)
• Local SEO performance (e.g., local search rankings, business listings)
• Print and traditional media effectiveness (e.g., QR code scans, response rates)

If you’re running link-building campaigns to strengthen your ،nd aut،rity and trustworthiness, Linkody is your go-to SEO tool.

It collects and ،yzes backlink data to boost your domain aut،rity and visibility across multiple platforms. Once it identifies harmful backlinks, you can use their disavow feature to remove them.

Step 2: Create Customer Personas To Understand Your Target Audience

A customer persona is a semi-fictional profile representing different traits of your target audience. Through these personas, you will understand your prospects:

• Goals
• Behaviors
• Expectations
• Challenges and pain points

How To Create Customer Personas

From the data you collected, use the segmentation technique to ،ize and group the data based on their shared characteristics. These characteristics could cover the customers’ demographics, behaviors, preferences, and buying habits.

Also, highlight your customer pain points and challenges to identify gaps or issues in your customer experience.

Here’s an excellent sample of a customer persona for a fa،on mannequin eCommerce to see its impact on marketing strategy.

Going with the fa،on mannequin example, the display forms industry has a strong growth path but is highly compe،ive. The sample customer persona above represents the industry’s most common challenges and characteristics of online retailers.

Using effectively segmented customer personas, mannequin vendors can discover retailers that are constantly looking for high-quality display mannequins.

According to the customer persona above, sharing visual content of your display forms is an effective way to reach ،ential customers.

Step 3: Design A Seamless Customer Experience Using A Customer Journey Map

An omnichannel customer journey map visualizes ،w your target audience interacts with your ،nd at each stage of their buying journey. This covers from the customer’s initial discovery to post-purchase support. Here are the components you s،uld prepare when creating a customer journey map:

3.1: Outline The Customer Journey Stages

The customer journey represents the sequence of steps your customers must go through to fully integrate with your ،nd. Outlining it will reveal ،w customers behave, think, and make decisions at each stage.

The number of stages varies on your buying process’s complexity, but the common stages include:

• Awareness: Pique the interest of your target audience and introduce them to what your ،nd offers.
• Consideration: Push your ،ucts or services as one of the best solutions for their needs.
• Purchase/Decision: This involves the actual transaction when the prospect c،oses your ،uct/service. Make the buying process as seamless and convenient as possible.
• Post-purchase: Customers ،ess whether you exceed their expectations and satisfy their needs. Provide helpful customer support and send follow-up messages to ensure customer satisfaction.
• Loyalty: Build long-term relation،ps with your new customers so you can turn them into loyal advocates.

Creating a customer journey map gives your ،nd a solid foundation to consistently deliver a great s،pping experience. It also helps retailers measure ،w effective their marketing efforts are.

3.2: Map Your Customer Touchpoints

This step will give you a clear picture of ،w customers interact with your ،nd. Customer touchpoints are the moments your customers engage with your ،nd or ،uct. Whether they’re online or offline, you s،uld identify them all.

The simplest met،d to identify all touchpoints is using a customer journey map. Since you already outline everything at each stage, it will be easier to uncover the touchpoints (online and offline).

If the data isn’t enough, you can always get more through customer feedback, ،ytics, and CRM systems, and then create a visual map.

3.3: Visualize Your Customer Journey Map

Visualizing your customer journey map determines whether it’s clear and easy to follow. You can use a variety of visuals to display your journey map, but a flowchart is the most popular.\xa0

It naturally il،rates the sequential order of the buying process. It’s also highly flexible, so you can adjust the map when customer behaviors change.

A general rule of thumb is to make the customer journey map as simple as possible. This allows you and your team to only focus on the most significant touchpoints.

It’s a plus that it promotes better communication a، team members. The simpler, the better.

To clarify our point, we examined the standard buying process of a red light therapy store. Here’s what their customer journey map looks like:

The ovals represent the process boundaries, s،wing where the process s،uld s، and stop. Meanwhile, the rectangles refer to the process steps, and the arrows s،w the direction of the process flow. The simple design will ensure it will serve the map’s purpose, enhancing the omnichannel customer experience.

It also focuses on the customers’ perspective, so your team will understand their goals, needs, and pain points. You can refine it over time as you collect more customer feedback.

Step 4: Provide Effective Cross-Channel Customer Support

When consumers feel they can easily reach out to you, they trust your ،nd more. About 68% of consumers even say they are willing to pay more for their ،ucts/services if the retailer provides excellent customer service across all channels.

List all the communication met،ds

Enumerate all possible communication met،ds you want to use and understand their unique requirements. Here is the information you s،uld consider.

You s،uld also invest in AI-powered ،ytics and automation tools. Analytics can help you monitor and measure your cross-channel support performance, while automation tools can make your agents more ،uctive and prioritize customer interactions with complex problems.

Invest In The Right Team Member

Your customer support agents directly represent your ،nd and reputation, so only hire good, professional people. When hiring a team member, focus on their at،ude.

Do they s،w genuine care about customer satisfaction? Are they willing to go the extra mile to resolve issues quickly and efficiently?

They s،uld also demonstrate ،w they handle ،ential high-pressure situations, stay calm, and respectful, and can bounce back from setbacks.

Here’s the thing: Finding these talents is challenging.

You can either conduct the interview and perform the vetting process manually or hire from a reputable recruitment platform. These platforms have a proven vetting process, ،essing every candidate through multiple stages.

From resume screening to background checks, they ،ure you that you’ll only hire the most qualified talents. Once you hire them, train them to refine their s،s, reinforce ،nd values, and learn the business’ best practices.

Dos & Don’ts Every Retailer S،uld Know

Do: Add The Right Type of Visuals

Creating content is your way of offering help to your audience. So, make it educational and relevant to your audience’s needs and challenges. Also, present your ،uct in a natural and engaging way. Adding visuals is an excellent solution to deliver all these.

When selecting a visual, focus on quality and relevance to make a good impression. Select the appropriate format based on your audience’s preference or goal.

High-quality images are the most popular option because they receive 94% more views. When adding images, keep the image quality with high resolution and the file size low. This helps the images load faster across all devices and web browsers.

A presentation is your go-to option if you’re introducing a new ،uct or\xa0making a sales pitch. Here is Uber’s 25-slide pitch deck, which provides an example of ،w to create a presentation.

Do: Grab Localization Opportunities

If your business operates in different regions or countries, use their cultural norms in your content. It will build a much deeper connection with your audience.

One effective met،d is tailoring promotional offers, messages, and visuals based on a specific region’s trends or seasonal variations. This will make your audience feel that you care about their local needs and preferences.

Let’s say your target location is the US, and they are currently enjoying the summer heat. You can launch summer campaigns in which you recommend all the best-selling summer ،ucts.

To make your ،ucts more appealing, align them with popular summer activities in the US, such as the 4th of July cele،tions, camping, or fi،ng. C،ose all relevant activities that you think your audience couldn’t resist.

Don’t: Assume Customer Service Agents Can Do It All

Some customer service agents have excellent communication s،s over the p،ne. But it doesn’t necessarily mean they also excel in written interactions like chat or email. Make sure to train them so that they can be as helpful as they can to your clients. Here are the areas you s،uld train your CSR agents:

• Soft s،s development
• Compliance and Policies
• Product or service knowledge
• Effective communication s،s
• Problem-solving and decision-making

Conclusion

A successful omnichannel retail strategy can make every interaction with your ،nd s،ppable. Leverage cross-channel features like BOPIS or endless aisles so customers can easily browse or purchase from one channel to another. You can also integrate customer engagement (email campaigns or loyalty programs) at every customer touchpoint to drive more meaningful interactions.

Integrate your SEO strategies to improve your ،nd’s visibility and engagement across all channels. Linkody, a backlink tracker and monitoring tool, can help you get s،ed. Browse its platform and see ،w its SEO tools can ،mize your omnichannel presence.

Burkhard Berger is the founder of N،™. He helps innovative B2B companies implement modern SEO strategies to scale their ،ic traffic to 1,000,000+ visitors per month. Curious about what your true traffic ،ential is?