The 4.0 consumer is becoming more demanding as the days pass. When buying from a certain brand, they want to have a good experience.
They want to connect with the brand, and there is nothing better than figuring out that they can reach you through different channels: a social media platform, a site, and a physical store.
This connection between the online and offline channels is called Omnichannel.
This strategy is both an innovation and a response to customer demand for a better, more complete shopping experience with fewer online and offline barriers.
In this article, we are going to look at:
What is omnichannel?
Why is everyone talking about omnichannel?
What are the benefits of an omnichannel strategy?
How do you make your business omnichannel?
What are the main challenges of omnichannel?
To start, let’s first understand what this term means. Shall we?
What is omnichannel?
The omnichannel strategy is based on the simultaneous and interconnected use of different communication channels, with the objective of strengthening the relationship between online and offline to improve the customer experience.
The word contains the prefix “omni,” which in Latin conveys the meaning of “everything and the whole.” That is, its closest meaning would be something like “all channels.”
However, that is not enough to understand the power and scope of this term.
When we limit ourselves only to the word’s semantics, we may end up confusing omnichannel with multi-channel and cross-channel — other widely used terms.
They all relate to the user experience with the channels offered by companies. Therefore, they might convey the false feeling of having the same meaning.
To prevent this from happening, we have listed each of the terms separately below, with their respective definitions and examples. Check it out!
Multi-channel
When we talk about multi-channel, we are faced with the prefix “multi,” which refers to a lot or many.
An example of a multi-channel strategy is when a company offers multiple purchase channels, such as a website, app, and physical stores.
However, they are not connected. Salespeople who work in the physical store do not know about the purchases made through the app and on the website, and vice versa.
There is competition between the purchasing channels, and there is no exchange of information between them.
Cross-channel
In a cross-channel strategy, the channels of a company can cross as follows: the client can purchase an item online, on the website, and then pick it up at a physical store.
Here, there is no competition between the channels since they start to complement each other.
Omnichannel
As we said, the prefix “omni” refers to “all.” In this case, all the company’s channels are connected.
You can use the brand’s app while inside the store to check if they have the specific product you want.
If you find it through the app, you can place an order with one of the physical store sellers and choose to have it delivered at home.
Notice how all the purchase options are simultaneously interconnected?
Thus, one channel helps the other offer an increasingly better shopping experience and strengthen online and offline relations further.
Why is everyone talking about omnichannel?
The strategy of transforming shopping into a unique and increasingly practical experience is a challenge that several companies are trying to overcome. This is because consumers are more demanding and want more convenience.
Offering online channels for purchases and customer relations is no longer a novelty but a requirement for brands that want to survive in such a competitive market.
As we have seen, omnichannel offers a new and more complete shopping experience for the user, and that is why this term has been used so frequently lately.
Even though some companies already practice this, the strategy is still relatively recent and can be the differential that your business needs to stand out from the competition.