Imagine yourself on a trip to Paris. Won’t you prefer everything well-planned so that when you arrive there, you get the most reasonable places to stay, eat, shop and travel? Your response would be a definite ‘YES’. Likewise, a customer’s journey online needs to be seamless and free from interruptions, creating a link with all digital interactions like social media and e-commerce purchases. Integrating all such interpersonal interactions-B2C as well as B2B brands and coordination of all the departments together is called “Omni-Channel Marketing”.

Marketing world uses a variety of mediums to transfer information to their customers and these channels range from print advertisements to direct mails, facebook interactions, content marketing and public relations. A customer’s journey that is connected, fluid and non-linear is thus supported through Omni-channel marketing.

Proved to be essential for customer experience and also a powerful way to optimize every channel by catering to customer’s specific needs, Omni-channel marketing is a significant implementation tool benefitting many successful businesses across the globe.

Why Omni-channel is even needed in first place?

Needs and wants of customers keep evolving and that requires a rethinking about customer engagement and providing them a seamless experience through unification of offline-online channels by businesses. Moreover, the modern age customers prefer having complete control over their buying decisions and they enjoy the freedom to shop whenever, wherever and through whatsoever means that suit them.

Here comes the Omni-channel marketing to their rescue! It simply designs a cohesive user experience for customers at every touch point.

Do not confuse it with multi-channel strategy which offers customers multiple ways of reaching out to a business and these channels are unable to work and integrate with each other.

Perks of this modern approach

• Users are empowered to personalize their own experience as they have the control to access the products, services and support options on demand.
• Enhances customer experience by combining online, offline and physical worlds and in this way allows multiple channels to be used by agents and customers simultaneously.
  
  
• Customers get a choice of channels they prefer to use and interact while their shopping journey, which induces in them brand loyalty and makes them come back again. This is rewarding for brands as they save money and also gain loyal customers.
  
  
• Through the implementation of multiple channels, there is a great way to reach out to different leads, customers and opportunities which are available on specific channels only. This way brands can combine that audience through smoother transitions or integrations between chats or texts and email channels.
  
  
• Larger companies which do not have enough time to interact with every single customer on a one-to-one level, gain through the personalized customer experience and help improve customer satisfaction by allowing multiple channels’ interlinking and coordination.

With a commitment to do what is best for customers, this strategy not just prioritizes accurate inventory, but also implements a data-driven approach and segments the audience and then map the customer journey. In short, it believes in ‘customer-centric’ theory both through words as well as action!