Creating A Seamless Omnichannel Marketing Strategy

Bygone are the days when one person was allocated one personal computer to carry out his activities. Today, with the upsurge in state-of-the-art technology, each person has multiple devices for his use. A research by Google even showed that 90% of device owners switch between at least three devices per day to complete a task. To keep pace with behavioral trends of consumers, businesses definitely have to offer seamless omnichannel options.

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The customer journey is multipronged

Today, a purchase can start and end on any device, at any time, and in any location. There has been a shift in the buyer’s journey and how they progress through the marketing funnel has been altered. In the United States, 213 million adults use 4 different devices to access the internet. Being more connected than ever and being able to interact with brands anytime and anywhere have unquestionably changed their purchasing behavior.

Consumers are demanding ultra convenience while shopping and failing to respond to their needs may result in the collapse of a business, especially in an era where competition is intense in retail and marketing. Businesses cannot escape accommodating their services to stay afloat. The channels need not be only technological. They can be extended to trade magazines, newspapers, catalogs, at the storefront or billboards.

Where does the omnichannel strategy stand?

Rakuten Marketing collaborated with CMO Club to survey 122 B2B and B2C Chief Marketing Officers. The latter were questioned about their business strategies. If 45% had already implemented an omnichannel marketing strategy, 11% out of this 45 % viewed their efforts as “sophisticated”. Out of those who had not yet implemented the omnichannel strategy, 29% were at the planning stage and expected to launch it within the next 6 to 12 months.

If many marketers have recognized the importance of the omnichannel strategy, many cannot implement it for various reasons. The main challenges restraining them are:

Siloed organizational structure
Lack of resources
Incapability to invest
Lack of analytical and technical resources to decipher data
Difficulty to integrate data
Lack of communication between marketing agencies and retailers
Lack of C-suite buy-in to the value of omnichannel

Getting started with an omnichannel campaign

There is no need for businesses to totally overhaul their marketing strategies to create an omnichannel strategy. Businesses may start small, by building a single omnichannel campaign spanning email, social, web, and in-store promotions. The key is to put the customer at the center of the experience.

Laying emphasis on content

It is crucial to know what kind of content the target customers are consuming. It is important to adapt content according to their needs. Tips to have a better idea would be to check their browsing history and their location as well.