Omnichannel E-commerce: What You Need to Succeed

A decade ago, it was enough for businesses to sell their products and services over one channel and succeed. Nowadays, when the customer becomes more demanding, providing a great customer experience is a must. According to Salesforce data, 80% of customers consider quality experience as important as goods and services. 

Omnichannel commerce strategy helps businesses to stand out from their competitors and win more customers. Omnichannel strategy unites several distribution channels to provide a seamless customer experience from any touchpoint. 

In this article, we explain omnichannel commerce, its key strengths, and how to develop an omnichannel ecommerce strategy for your business. 

What is Omnichannel Retail in E-commerce?

Omnichannel marketing is a cross-channel strategy that allows businesses to provide consistent and personalized customer experience. Omnichannel retail unites multiple channels (social media, e-commerce, brick-and-mortar, email marketing, etc.) in an interconnected system to provide a smooth buyer experience regardless of a customer touchpoint or the buyer’s journey stage.

This is how omnichannel e-commerce works. The omnichannel strategy allows brands to deliver relevant content for each customer, thus personalizing the customer experience and helping them make deliberate purchases.

Benefits of Omnichannel Commerce

Today, embracing omnichannel commerce is no longer an option-it’s a strategic imperative. Let’s explore the key benefits that make omnichannel a game-changer for businesses.

• Customers crave a unified experience, and 9 out of 10 consumers want seamless service across communication methods, according to UC Today.

• A comprehensive study of 46,000 shoppers shows omnichannel customers spend more than their single-channel counterparts. The more channels customers use, the more they spend – those using four or more channels spend an average of 9% more.

• Omnichannel customers are more loyal, making 23% more repeat purchases within six months of the omnichannel experience.

• Personalizing the customer experience results in a 30% higher lifetime value for omnichannel customers than those using only one channel.

In the ever-evolving world of e-commerce, embracing omnichannel commerce isn’t just about meeting customer expectations; it’s about exceeding them and setting your business up for lasting success.

Difference Between Omnichannel and Multichannel Ecommerce

Omni- and multichannel strategies use multiple distribution channels to sell goods and services. However, omnichannel marketing focuses on customers, while multichannel marketing focuses on products and services. Consider the examples below. 

Due to channel interoperability and the use of digital tools, omnichannel distribution is a prominent approach to better brand awareness and loyalty. Omnichannel strategy not only improves the customer experience but also allows businesses to better manage inventory and optimize stock. The table below outlines the key differences between omnichannel and multichannel e-commerce. 

Best Omnichannel E-commerce Platforms and Software

E-commerce platforms play a significant role in omnichannel marketing. These platforms allow businesses to collect essential customer data, empower marketing strategies with analytics, automate inventory syncs, and more. Let’s discuss some of the most popular omnichannel e-commerce solutions.  

Magento

Magento (now Adobe Commerce) is an e-commerce retailing platform for creating e-commerce websites. Magento is an open-source technology tailored to ecommerce needs. It offers multiple features and plug-ins for creating an excellent online shopping experience (catalogs, shopping carts, payments, etc). Moreover, Magento is open for third-party integrations for businesses to implement omni channel strategy. Here are a few examples of features available with Magento ecommerce:  

• sales across multiple channels (website, mobile, social media, Google ads, marketplaces),
• brick-and-mortar support,
• discounts and customer reward programs,
• inventory management, 
• supply management and purchase monitoring.
• omnichannel order fulfillment, 
• various sales reports. 

Creating a Magento ecommerce website may require hiring a developer, however, the platform offers a website builder to set up a simple ecommerce site for non-coders. If you’re looking for professional developers to build an omnichannel ecommerce website, contact us, and our IT experts provide you with details on how to develop an ecommerce website. 

More about Magento Ecommerce Development in 2024

Shopify

Shopify is a software-as-a-service ecommerce platform that allows merchants to sell goods via online stores. Shopify has a user-friendly design and supports all the features the omnichannel commerce platform needs. You can set up everything from product sourcing to payment processing and shipping. Moreover, marketing and report tools are available in each Shopify plan.  

Implementing an omnichannel strategy with Shopify is easy. Key features to boost customer experience include but aren’t limited to: 

• centralized product management system, 
• accessibility across multiple devices, 
• social media integrations,
• email marketing,
• offline retail support.

In addition, Shopify has dozens of apps to improve the retailing platform. If you require a specific feature, you can add it without a hassle. 

BigCommerce

BigCommerce is a commerce SaaS solution for building and managing an ecommerce store. BigCommerce has all the features needed to build a successful ecommerce business from scratch. The platform is highly customizable and easy to scale. It can handle all omnichannel needs of your business. Here’s a list of the BigCommerce features that support omnichannel strategy: 

• channel management, 
• order management,
• customer management,
• inventory management.

More about BigCommerce

WooCommerce 

WooCommerce is an ecommerce plug-in for WordPress. WooCommerce allows merchants to create a great customer experience based on WordPress – a website builder, the most popular and customizable tool for creating websites. As WordPress offers many other plug-ins you can integrate them to leverage omnichannel strategy. For example, Omnichannel for WooCommerce plug-in offers the following features: 

• Google, Walmart, Amazon, and eBay channels,
• inventory and orders synchronization,
• WooCommerce store currencies,
• channel management, etc.

Read More About The Best B2B eCommerce Platforms 2024

How to Build an Omnichannel Ecommerce Strategy

Now that you know what omnichannel ecommerce is, let’s see how to develop an efficient omnichannel strategy. 

Key steps to creating an omnichannel marketing strategy for an ecommerce business include: 

1. Know your customers. Take time to define your target audience, their needs, and their wishes. It’ll help you to choose suitable channels and provide a personalized experience for each segment of your target audience. 

2. Choose distribution channels. Pay attention to where your customers spend more time to define your sales channels. 

3. Define channel goals. Some channels may represent the stages of the buyer’s journey and be mainly focused on interaction or awareness, etc. 

4. Map customer journeys. Analyze your customer’s behavior and outline how your customers will interact with your brand across all channels. 

5. Connect channels. Provide channel interoperability by connecting one channel with another.  

Omnichannel ecommerce brings businesses valuable outcomes. With an omnichannel strategy, you can improve customer experience and accelerate their loyalty, get more control of sales and traffic, and leverage data collection for a seamless management experience. 

If you want to know more about creating an online retailing platform that supports omnichannel strategy, book a call with our expert and get a professional consultation. 

How AI Personalization Can Improve Your Customer Experience

By integrating AI, businesses gain the ability to intelligently connect various channels, fostering a cohesive and captivating customer journey.

Data-Driven Personalization

AI excels at analyzing vast datasets, providing actionable insights into customer behavior across diverse marketing channels. This allows businesses to discern preferences and anticipate needs, transforming them from online stores to trusted companions throughout the shopping journey. Tailored messaging and offers based on this knowledge can significantly enhance customer satisfaction.

Beyond Data: Conversational Commerce Revolution

AI’s impact extends beyond data analysis. It’s revolutionizing customer service through conversational commerce. AI-powered virtual assistants offer instant, 24/7 support, answering queries, resolving issues, and recommending products based on past purchases. These assistants embody exceptional customer service: quick, efficient, and always available.

Optimizing Inventory Management

AI is also crucial for optimizing inventory management and ensuring consistency across channels. By predicting demand trends, businesses can plan and guarantee that customers find what they need, online or in-store.

AI: A Transformative Tool for Success

AI is a transformative tool that elevates business strategy and enhances customer satisfaction. By connecting online and offline channels, improving customer service, and optimizing omnichannel marketing, businesses equipped with AI position themselves for success in the ever-evolving landscape of omnichannel commerce.

Leading the Way: Embracing AI’s Potential

Businesses that embrace AI’s potential aren’t merely adapting to the omnichannel trend; they are leading the way. Integrating AI is essential for creating a user-friendly, intelligent, and seamless shopping experience that defines success in today’s competitive omnichannel environment.

Examples of AI-powered Virtual Assistants

• Amazon Alexa, integrated into various devices such as Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, and Fire TV, is a notable example. It enables users to make purchases, track orders, and quickly and efficiently access personalized recommendations through voice commands.
• Google Assistant is seamlessly integrated into Android and Google Home devices, providing users with various capabilities such as task assistance, query resolution, and shopping facilitation. With Google Assistant, users can easily place orders, track packages, and receive personalized recommendations.
• On the other hand, Apple Siri is a virtual assistant available exclusively on iPhones, iPads, and Mac devices. Siri can assist users with various tasks, including sending messages, setting reminders, and making purchases through Apple Pay.
• Lastly, Microsoft Cortana, a virtual assistant developed by Microsoft, offers users a range of features and capabilities. Cortana, an AI-powered virtual assistant developed by Microsoft, is integrated into Windows devices and offers voice-activated assistance. It can assist users with tasks such as sending emails, scheduling appointments, and making online purchases. 

Thanks to AI-powered chatbots, users can efficiently perform tasks, set reminders, and make purchases without hassle.

Conclusion 

Omnichannel commerce can satisfy demanding customers with a seamless customer experience across multiple platforms, engage more customers and improve the overall management of the ecommerce platform. If you consider starting an ecommerce business, omnichannel marketing is a discipline to pay attention to. All you need is proper digital tools to bring your ideas to life.