Why omnichannel marketing is important for your business

Omnichannel marketing” is a buzzword that we’ve been hearing lately. But what is it exactly? Well, it is simply a multichannel sales strategy that aims to give customers a consistent buying experience regardless of whether they’re shopping online, from a desktop, a mobile device, over the phone, or in a physical store. In the back end, an omnichannel approach means that distribution, promotion and communication channels are all integrated.

We asked our resource person on omnichannel marketing, Millie Morales, to enumerate exactly how such a comprehensive approach could benefit your business.

Here’s her list of the advantages of using an omnichannel approach in your marketing, sales and service efforts:

1.Seamless customer experience

As the number of buying touch points grows, so does the demand for seamless integration from one to the next. Your customers will love the convenience of buying your product or service on different platforms, be it online or offline. Customers will also greatly appreciate it if they have multiple ways to contact your customer support and sales teams. It’s even better if you are consistently responsive on all your channels.

2.Increased reach

You’ll be able to reach your customers wherever they are with an omnichannel retail and marketing approach. They don’t have to waste time looking for you. Your team or products are simply a click, an email, a direct message, or a phone call away, no matter where they are. The consumer is then empowered to interact with your company in a way that feels natural to them when the barriers between channels in a business are broken down.

A good example for points 1 and 2 is Watsons Philippines. Their strength was the steady number of foot traffic in their stores, which of course provided the biggest bulk of their sales, but they also recognized the changing consumer behavior and they have made their products available in several online marketplaces such as Shopee, Lazada, their own website, and recently, Watsons app. Upon seeing how the Watsons app was doing really well in other Asian countries, Watsons Philippines followed suit. This would prove to be a great strategy and investment, as they had launched these platforms before the pandemic, ensuring that the customers would be able to avail of their products on whatever platform they are comfortable with, without going to their actual stores.

3. More profit

According to Harvard Business Review, a study of 46,000 shoppers showed that omnichannel customers were spending more money than single-channel customers. Customers who utilized four or more channels spent an average of 9 percent more in the store than those who just used one. According to the same study, consumers who had an omnichannel purchasing experience made 23 percent more repeat shopping trips to the stores within six months. Offering a multi-channel shopping experience makes it easy for consumers to make repeat purchases or renew their subscriptions, ensuring recurring revenue. This is because your products are available on several platforms and channels, as and when your prospects are ready to buy.

In essence, the omnichannel approach blurs the lines between various sales and marketing channels, resulting in a seamless, integrated whole process. As a single perspective of the consumer and a single experience of commerce arises, the distinctions between channels—i.e, onsite, social, mobile, email, physical and instant messaging, will disappear.

Morales will facilitate a virtual workshop titled “Omnichannel Marketing: Future-proof your media marketing strategy” on March 28 to March 29. INQ

For more information, you may write to [email protected], or send an SMS to these numbers 0919-3428667 and 0998-9641731.

For your other online learning needs, Inquirer Academy could assist you in designing and facilitating a virtual workshop, a webinar, or a self-paced online course for your organization.

The author is the executive director of the Inquirer Academy