Leveraging a robust omnichannel strategy has been one of the top priorities for retailers in recent years for many good reasons. In fact, many retailers have had considerable success with this approach. According to statistics from marketing company Invesp, omnichannel sales campaigns have helped retailers retain nearly 90% of customers, while the rest usually retain only 33% of customers. So, there is no denying that omnichannel strategies can help retailers retain existing shoppers, attract new potential customers, and strengthen their position in the market. This article will cover 10 omnichannel best practices for aspiring retailers. So, keep reading to capture valuable information.
Brief Description of Omnichannel Retail
Simply put, an omnichannel strategy allows aspiring retailers to interact with the same buyer through multiple sales channels. As a result, it allows customers to switch between multiple touchpoints.
The number of touchpoints needed to convince buyers has been steadily increasing in recent years. For example, buyers only needed two touchpoints in 2000. This number has increased to six in 2015 and recently to eight.
With the continued increase in demand for touchpoints, creating an omnichannel strategy is essential for aspiring retailers. Fortunately, the omnichannel strategy is worth it.
According to a trusted study, marketers using three or more channels in their marketing campaigns get 250% higher engagement and purchase rates and 90+ higher customer retention rates. Additionally, omnichannel buyers spend about 13% more than others.
ConnectPOS, one of the best Point of Sale (POS) systems, allows you to follow many best practices to improve the omnichannel strategy.
Omnichannel Best Practices for Aspiring Retailers
There’s no denying that the omnichannel strategy offers many benefits to aspiring retailers. However, you can’t get very far with a half-hearted strategy. It is essential to optimize it to stay ahead of your competitors and satisfy your shoppers.
Create customer personas
Understanding your buyer profile is one of the essential elements of your omnichannel strategy. Specifically, you need to understand their buying habits, preferences, how they interact across channels, and more.
You need to answer the following questions to collect this data:
- What channels do buyers use to find information?
- What criteria are buyers looking for in a product before making a purchase?
- What devices and equipment do they use when making purchases?
- How do they discover new products?
- What made them buy/don’t buy?
Perfect the Mobile Response
Nowadays, the core element of the buying process is the mobile device. Therefore, it is wise to apply a mobile-first mindset to your omnichannel retail strategy. If customers don’t get the mobile shopping experience they want, they’ll be ready to leave.
Emphasize Consistency
It would be best if you designed your cross-device sales presence so that your potential buyers have a consistent experience everywhere.
So, it’s essential to prioritize user experience across all devices and remember browsing history. Thanks to that, your buyers don’t have to start over or lose information as they switch between devices.
Sharpen the Social Presence
Your omnichannel strategy will be far from perfect if you don’t utilize social media. According to many studies, retailers active on social media will achieve 45% more sales opportunities than the rest.
Women hand using smartphone do online selling for people shopping online with chat box, cart, dollar icons pop up. Social media maketing concept.
Take Advantage of SMS Marketing
The rate of customers opening SMS is as high as 98%. Hence, it is true to say that it should be part of your omnichannel strategy. However, the good news is that over 60% of marketers are still not using SMS. That’s the chance for you to stay ahead of them.
You can use SMS for marketing to keep your existing buyers up to date with all communications.
Utilize Email
Up to now, more than 4 billion people worldwide are using email, making Email an effective form of marketing for aspiring retailers.
Also, always remember that segmented emails are more effective than blasting mass emails. So, it is essential to categorize your buyers based on their interests and needs before integrating email into your omnichannel campaign.
Promote In-Person Interactions
Although online shopping has become more prevalent in recent years, more than 50% still prefer to order online and pick up in-store. So, you should create positive in-person shopping experiences to build long-term relationships with the average buyer.
Keep the Systems Tightly Integrated
Your customers won’t have a seamless buying experience if your retail system is a mess, right? We recommend adopting a reliable POS system, like ConnectPOS, to ensure that your retail apps & solutions, email marketing, and online shopping cart are tightly integrated.
Wrap Up
Hopefully, by the end of the article, you have grasped these helpful tips for developing an omnichannel campaign for your retail business. If you want to learn about more business trends, contact us for more information.
ConnectPOS is a all-in-one point of sale solution tailored to meet your eCommerce POS needs, streamline business operations, boost sales, and enhance customer experience in diverse industries. We offer custom POS with features, pricing, and plans to suit your unique business requirements.