Seven months into a global pandemic, marketers are getting used to adapting. Messaging is now more empathetic, lasting relationships are preferred to quick sales, and marketers are stretching budgets as spending hits rock bottom.
Omnichannel marketing defined
Omnichannel marketing provides a cohesive customer experience at every touchpoint and on every channel. When a customer interacts with the brand on social, buys a product online, or reads promotional emails, for example, they get a consistent experience.
It differs from multichannel marketing, which uses various channels to reach more customers. Omnichannel marketing is about making a customer’s interaction with your brand consistent across every channel.
5 brands that prove omnichannel marketing is where it’s at
There are many brands that are relying on their omnichannel marketing strategy not just to survive COVID, but to thrive in it. Here’s a look at several brands:
1. Starbucks
The nation’s leading coffee shop deploys an amazing omnichannel strategy. The company’s app gives people the power to order ahead, pay with a virtual card, and collect loyalty points all in place. But, the experience doesn’t start and stop with the app. All of those services are available online and in-store too.
The company blends social marketing into the mix to attract customers and encourages them to upload photos and thoughts. It creates a comfortable, conversational feeling, like a chat you’d have with someone at a coffee shop.
2. Oasis
The UK retailer Oasis has also built a well-oiled omnichannel machine. Customers can shop online, through social channels, and in-store, and get the same great service at each one.
A customer’s online shopping habits can provide in-store recommendations and vice-versa. Items added to a cart via the app can be purchased in-store and paid for in-store via a tablet, as opposed to waiting in a checkout line.
The whole experience is meant to give customers the ability to shop freely, at their own pace, and on the channel of their choice.
3. VIP.com
VIP.com is a Chinese ecommerce site that charges retailers to sell goods through its site. Rather than simply offering a platform to sell wares, the company uses omnichannel marketing to help its retailers attract customers.
VIP.com relies on location-based marketing to fuel its customer experience. When the app is downloaded, customers are asked for permission to access their navigational apps. If granted, VIP.com uses locations to send customers relevant offers.
A customer’s location is just part of a larger customer profile that’s built to create a consistent (and profitable) experience for retailers and VIP.com
4. BarkShop
BarkShop, an ecommerce shop for all things canine, makes a point to be where their customers are. Because their customers are digitally-savvy dog-lovers, they post photos of cute dogs to Instagram, many of which are modeling a BarkShop toy or costume.
The company creates pop-up stores where dogs can come in and try out toys. They wear a small collar that tracks the toys they play with and gives the owners the ability to buy them via the app.
To further fuel a dog lover’s need to pamper their pet, the company created a subscription box that gives Spot new toys and treats every month.
5. Netflix
With more people at home during the pandemic, the number of Netflix users is growing quickly. The company earned $6.1 billion in the second quarter of 2020, a 25% increase in revenue from the same quarter last year. Their secret to success? Omnichannel marketing.
Long before COVID, Netflix focused on creating a seamless customer experience across touchpoints. Simple subscription plans and smart digital and social media marketing play a role, but perhaps the most crucial element to the company’s success is it’s easy-to-use interface that suggests content based on user preferences. The platform makes personalized suggestions on screen and those same suggestions are delivered to customers via email too. Netflix works to make its customer communications as personalized and consistent as possible.
With a platform built for customers and marketing methods that focus on consistency, it’s not hard to see why Netflix has the highest retention rate in the industry: 60% of customers stay with the platform for more than two years.
Wrap up
All of these brands used an omnichannel marketing approach before and during COVID with considerable success.
While the concept may seem complicated to implement, an omnichannel marketing platform can help companies of any size implement a sound strategy and consistent techniques that connect and convert customers.
Look for a feature-rich platform like CleverTap, that surfaces real-time data insights and offers a spectrum of engagement channels and capabilities. A platform like this can help you launch an omnichannel marketing strategy that outlasts the pandemic and elevates your brand.
