A few years ago, brands offering high-quality products and world-class service were believed to have cracked the code for winning customers. After some initial success, most such brands were unable to keep the momentum.
If it is not product or service quality, what is the single most important factor for attracting and retaining customers?
Customer Experience is the Key
While there are several aspects that build a successful brand, one of the top priorities should be to deliver a great customer experience.
According to Zendesk’s Customer Experience Trends Report 2021, 72% of Indian customers have said that they are willing to spend more with a brand offering a good customer experience. Moreover, the report also suggests that 50% of the customers will switch to a competitor after just one bad experience.
But with the number of traditional and digital channels for engaging with the brands steadily rising, especially since the pandemic, delivering improved customer experience is a major challenge. An omnichannel approach could be an effective solution. Here are some of the different ways in which an omnichannel strategy could boost customer experience-
1. Consistent Messaging and Improved Awareness
An omnichannel strategy aims to deliver an integrated shopping experience to the customers whether they shop from an online store or a virtual store. For instance, a customer who wants to purchase a new smartphone should have the same experience on a brand’s website, app, and even in their brick-and-mortar store.
The approach allows the business to have consistent messaging irrespective of the channel used by the customers. As the message remains the same, it helps in improving the customer journey and often leads to increased brand awareness.
2. Increased Number of Purchase Channels
According to a study by Harvard Business Review, around 73% of consumers now use multiple channels during their shopping journey. In other words, it is now crucial for brands to be present across as many channels as possible to deliver an improved customer experience.
An omnichannel strategy provides businesses with an opportunity to have a healthy presence across channels, be it on the web, mobile, or in physical stores. According to a joint study by MediaCT, Sterling Brands, Ipsos, and Google, 75% of the consumers are more likely to visit an offline store if they have come across the brand’s information online.
Moreover, the Harvard study also suggests that omnichannel customers spend around 4% more on average every time they shop offline and 10% more when shopping online. This could lead to significant improvement in sales and revenue for the brand.
3. Omnichannel Attribution Helps Map Customer Journey
If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it. Omnichannel attribution is a measurement model that brands can use to measure the effectiveness of each element of their marketing initiatives. Each channel or touchpoint that contributed to a sale can be pinpointed to understand the customer journey better.
The information can then be used for fine-tuning the marketing strategy and deliver an improved experience to the customers. Omnichannel attribution enables brands to track how effective their online and offline initiatives are even when multiple channels are utilized.
Improving Customer Experience with a Custom Omnichannel Strategy
Merely being present across the channels is not adequate anymore. Customers now prefer a consistent and rewarding shopping experience across channels, which makes omnichannel marketing an excellent way to fulfil their expectations and provide them with an improved experience.
Most brands foraying into omnichannel marketing do so with the expert assistance of reliable digital marketing companies. Experienced marketers can customize the omnichannel strategy for a brand to ensure that every initiative is fully focused on fulfilling the brand’s objectives while also delivering an improved experience to the customers.
