Omnichannel marketing is a trend in the competitive market, as it seeks to integrate the online and offline worlds to engage the public and optimize customer service. But do you know why this innovation is important to leverage sales? And how to implement the solution in your company? Don’t worry, this content answers these and other questions.
Ahead, you get to know the concept and understand when omnichannel marketing emerged in the corporate context, in addition to following how this strategy works in management practice. The text also informs what is the difference between omnichannel and multichannel marketing, indicating solutions that will make a difference in your business.
Continue reading and find out more!
After all, what is omnichannel marketing?
First of all, it is essential to understand what omnichannel marketing is — the word is formed by omni, which means “all” in Latin, and channel, translated from the English language by “channel”. This is a strategy to integrate the company’s disclosure and communication channels, whether on digital platforms or in physical stores.
In this way, innovation, which positively impacts the shopping experience and the consumer journey, establishes a service plan for the team to contact the customer on social networks, institutional websites, SMS, telephone, and points of sale, among others.
When did this strategy come about?
Experts still haven’t reached a consensus on the origin of omnichannel marketing. What is known is that the consumption journey is constantly changing and, since the 2010s, companies have begun to establish strategies to integrate sales channels, focusing on improvements in customer service and customer experience regarding online and offline commerce.
How does omnichannel marketing work?
In practice, omnichannel marketing creates a connection between the company’s communication channels, which is essential to maintain the quality of customer service and the business’s reputation in relation to consumer expectations and experience.
To get an idea of the impact of the omnichannel strategy on retail, consider the case of a physical men’s and women’s fashion store located a few meters from your home. Now imagine that you want to buy an outfit to give as a gift to a family member.
With the intention of satisfying your demand (buying a gift), you could go to the store in person to observe the available options. However, as the store invests in omnichannel marketing and is on an e-commerce platform, you can check the catalog on your cell phone and then go to the physical space to make the purchase — or even finalize the purchase by email or Internet and only goes to the place to pick up the order.
In this way, the integration of sales channels, both on digital platforms (such as e-commerce) and in physical space, impacts the consumer journey and is decisive for making a purchase in a given business, which is why marketing omnichannel is a competitive differentiator for the public and the brand.
Why is omnichannel marketing different from multichannel?
Many people have questions about omnichannel marketing and multichannel strategy. But, in order not to confuse the two solutions, it is enough to know that the multichannel service proposes the company’s interaction with the public in different communication channels, while the omnichannel seeks to integrate the entire service process in an organization.
Thus, in the omnichannel strategy, all communication channels have access to the history of each customer, regardless of the channel in which they interacted with the brand. This allows consumers to start a service on Instagram, for example, and end it on WhatsApp without any noise in communication and always with the same quality of service.
In fact, the strategy can be based on the omnichannel marketing funnel, which is nothing more than a sales funnel. In this way, it is possible to guide the customer to different channels along the stages of the funnel and adapt the communication with him accordingly as well.
What are the main benefits of the omnichannel strategy?
So far, you know what omnichannel marketing is and how it works, but the question that remains is: why to apply this strategy in your company? So, see the main benefits of the solution!
Customer contact
The omnichannel strategy integrates several communication channels to better meet demands. With communication planning, she expands contact with the customer, who can browse the company’s digital platform and interact with exclusive content, for example, or even visit the physical store and have an incredible experience with the brand.
Optimized service
Omnichannel marketing also has an impact on employee productivity, as the technological solution promotes a higher volume of service. It uses Artificial Intelligence to diversify sales channels and allows the same operator to meet several demands simultaneously.
Brand repositioning
Finally, omnichannel marketing is a trend in retail, offering several means by which the customer can contact the brand. The strategy is seen as a way for the company to get closer to the public that has preferred channels to advance in the consumption journey. The result not only impacts sales but also promotes a repositioning of the company in the competition.
What challenges are associated with this strategy?
The goal of omnichannel marketing is to promote the integration of communication and sales channels in the company, offering quality customer service. But to achieve this goal, the strategy may face some challenges. Know which ones!
Exposure to comments
By expanding the number of sales channels and seeking to integrate the brand’s communication strategy, management can be more exposed to criticism and comments from the public. Therefore, it is important to know how to deal with these demands and, whenever possible, positively transform the consumer experience, observing fragile points in the journey as an opportunity for future negotiations.
Technological investment
In order to optimize the work of employees, it is necessary to invest in state-of-the-art technology, using programs to consolidate large volumes of data and accelerate the consumption journey without compromising the quality of the experience. However, to take full advantage of the innovation and guarantee a return on investment, the company must qualify the team.
Integration of processes
Process integration is the main effect of quality omnichannel marketing. But to be successful with this strategy, the company needs to reduce the self-knowledge deficit. This means that management needs to know in depth all internal processes, analyzing the bottlenecks in the purchase journey to make more accurate administrative decisions in relation to the customer.
How to apply omnichannel marketing to your business?
To implement omnichannel marketing, management must seek to integrate the company’s various communication channels — such as social networks and physical store service —, establishing parameters for the means to work together and benefit the relationship with the customer.
The company must involve different areas, such as marketing, sales, and customer service, to align strategies and solve possible problems in communication with the public. Ideally, employees should be very in tune with the strategy, focusing on experience and maintaining the bond between the organization and the customer.
BRQ helps the company implement and maintain customer management, uniting the marketing, sales, customer service, e-commerce, and IT teams. With Salesforce, employees have an in-depth view of each customer, an essential strategy to meet public demands and optimize the consumption journey.
In this content, you understood what it is, why it is important, and how to implement omnichannel marketing in your business. But, to be successful with the strategy, the ideal is to have the help of a partner to integrate the areas involved in the operation and optimize customer service.
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