Learn why omnichannel marketing improves customer experience.
Omnichannel marketing is on the rise because of how satisfied it makes customers. You too can make your customers more satisfied and engaged with your business with omnichannel strategies.
Omnichannel marketing is when you provide a seamless shopping experience across online, mobile, and in-person retail channels. This type of marketing is being incorporated into more and more businesses thanks to the change in consumer buying behaviors. If retailers don’t wish to lose out on customers and revenue, they must offer their products anywhere their customers wish to shop whether it’s online or offline.
If you are a small business owner, you might think that you can’t compete with larger brands who have the extensive resources, you don’t, to invest in omnichannel marketing. You can compete with larger brands though, by following these key strategies to help you grow and stay competitive.
The Benefits of Omnichannel Experience
Go Where Your Customer Are
As a small business, you can capitalize on the opportunity to reach a large number of people by being where your customers are. For example, if your products cater to teenagers or young adults, it is very beneficial to use social media as an effective sales channel. 77% of online teenagers have a Facebook profile and Facebook offers a simple platform where small businesses can sell their products. It is also important to make sure that your business is discoverable across all channels. Make sure anyone can easily find your website, social media page, mobile site, and store, whether it’s an online store or a physical brick-and-mortar storefront. If your small business can’t afford a physical storefront, it is still important to offer your customers a face-to-face option. Try setting up shop at a local trade show or farmers market and accept payments through your mobile phone. Also, try collaborating with similar retailers and selling through them.
Personalize Customer Experiences
Customers today expect to receive a personalized experience whenever they shop so it is essential that you offer this personalized experience to each one of your customers. Offering an omnichannel customer experience is the best way to ensure that each customer is treated individually and receives a personalized experience. Selling offline allows your employees to cater to the individual needs of each customer and create lasting impressions on those customers. When customers are treated with respect by a happy employee, they are likely to return and even recommend the store to their friends and family. If your store primarily sells online though, try recommending products that match what they have shopped for before they check out to increase their shopping cart size and improve customer engagement. You can also add a 24×7 phone or online support option to increase customer satisfaction.
If you primarily sell online, it is also important to optimize your online store for mobile shopping. Make sure your mobile website design is responsive and the layout automatically adjusts to the size of your customer’s screen. Before you launch any new mobile website design, make sure you use a tool like responsivedesignchecker.com to verify that your new design doesn’t leave customers frustrated and unable to make their purchase.
Offering customers an omnichannel experience is essential in our connected world. Offering an omnichannel experience to customers not only increases satisfaction but engagement as well. When customers are offered personalized experiences, they are more likely to return, recommended your business to others, and even promote your business on their social media pages.
