Omnichannel strategy: why is it important?

Why omnichannel?

Today the consumer, before reaching the decision to buy a product, research on websites, read reviews, compare the various alternatives, check if it is cheaper to buy online or in the store, and in which nearby stores it is possible to find that product; before he is actually convinced of the purchase, many “meetings” between brand and consumer – touchpoints – in different channels are needed. A single marketing channel, therefore, is no longer enough, but it must think of a single strategic business plan, in which all the individual channels, complementary to each other, take part. Here it is: the Omnichannel strategy.

Online and offline sales: not necessarily a trade-off

With the sudden spread of e-commerce, the physical store sector has felt somewhat threatened; while it is true that on the one hand many brands are focusing on e-commerce, on the other hand web giants like Amazon have opened and intend to continue to open physical stores, because they recognize the advantages.

What you need to understand is that there should be no competition between channels, but on the contrary an integration and collaboration, because the final goal is the same: the sale – and it is certainly achieved more efficiently when all available means are used. The omnichannel strategy proves to be a winning one for a company, seeing the various channels as a whole and building a collaboration around them; if the user experience and the online customer journey are perfected in the awareness and consideration phases, there will be an increase in offline sales because consumers will arrive at the point of sale already informed and ready to buy. What is extremely important is the consistency of information and messages between the various channels, so that one supports the other to reach the only final result: the sale.

How to implement the omnichannel strategy

Digital conversion: change mentality and start thinking about digital and projecting yourself into the world of innovation.
Collaboration and internal training: you need a team that communicates and collaborates, projected towards a single common goal. Training also allows everyone to understand how to use new technologies.
Planning a unique strategy: creating a unique and intertwined network between the various channels. These must necessarily be connected to each other. It is not winning to communicate through any available channel, just choose the right ones for your target audience.
User-friendly online experience: the online user experience must be simple, clear and fast.

Monitor and listen: it is important to find methods to monitor all KPI’s and in particular online and offline conversions, to understand what are the drivers of sales, traffic and understand what is wrong or can be improved.