‘Own’ Omnichannel for Competitive advantage

We always hear that the consumer purchase journey is not a linear one. In theory, the marketing funnel is a good way to think about your customer journey, however in actuality , it is a lot more complex. The rise in ecommerce over the last 12 months has only emphasised the importance of creating a frictionless shopping experience across platforms (SERPs, Maps, social, marketplace, publishers, a brand’s website, and app) and physical spaces.

Whilst COVID has increased the demand for ecommerce, ‘near me’ terms on Google had seen a x10 increase in the last 5 years. Google data highlights that purchase journeys involving five channels drive x2 AOV in some categories – illustrating that taking consumers on a funnel style journey is as important to your margin as appealing to the ‘in-market’ customer.

However, omnichannel is one of the most challenging areas for any ecommerce marketer, predominantly for the following reasons. Whilst by no means comprehensive, we have some suggestions for good omnichannel questions to ask yourself at each potential stage:

1. How to define omnichannel for your business

• Do you have physical locations or entirely pureplay D2C?
• What is the role of digital platforms on in-store purchases & vice-versa?
• Does this differ by audience segment and what are their preferences for your products?

2. How to maximise your platform reach

• Is your shopping feed up to scratch?
• Who owns “Google my Business” in your organisation?
• Are you ready for Facebook shops and social commerce?
• Are you ready for Google’s Core web vitals update?
• What is the role of your app for your most loyal customers?
• Who in your business owns marketplace?

3. How to measure omnichannel

• Does your digital activation and messaging align to audience segments and data?
• Are you uploading store-data in Google analytics and Facebook?
• Are you embracing programmatic media and future-proofing your marketing in a post cookie world?

Book some time with one of our strategists and we will create a workshop discussion to support what omnichannel means to your business.