Omnichannel Ecommerce: Brick-and-Mortar Not Required
Remote work, Zoom classrooms These digital opportunities have become part of our everyday existence. We are more connected than ever before and seems to understand the potential of what that means. Online shopping doesn't make you feel "weird." This is just normal. And it's no different for retail businesses. Enter the concept of omnichannel ecommerce.
It doesn't require a brick-and-mortar business to be a flourishing company. If you've got an excellent concept for a new product or service, all you need is a strong attitude and work ethic, a willingness to adapt, and an internet connection.
What is Omnichannel eCommerce?
Omnichannel ecommerce is a multi-pronged sales plan that is focused on creating an unmatched customer experience regardless of whether the point of sale is on a mobile device, a laptop, or even a physical shop. That experience should also be consistent across every channel, from your online store and even Facebook Marketplace, Amazon, Etsy and many more.
There are many people who shop at one location. So, wherever they are you must be there.
And while the point of selling is to achieve the goal, you also need be aware of what the buyer's journey looks like when they are attempting to buy. What are the ways you can be participant in that journey?
The Harvard Business Review reports that 73% of buyers use several channels in their buying journey. That means when someone is deciding to purchase something you can be sure they've conducted a lot of research in order to ensure that they're making the best possible purchase.
Your business can't just be the source of the service your customer is seeking as well as provide an understanding and context?
Concentrate on the complete customers' experience. It's not only adding something to their carts or make the purchase. Instead, you should consider: How could your company be a source of information as well as items, or services? How can you accomplish that everywhere you make sales online?
The more channels a customer utilizes, the better the customer is to your company with the potential for 23% higher returns on purchase and as much as 13% more average order value.
Omnichannel eCommerce works.
What is the reason it's important for online stores to utilize platforms other that their own?
Let's do an experiment. Check out your feed whenever you log on to the social network. What kinds of brands and stores are shown to you?
There are probably more than you can count. The modern algorithms are so powerful that your feed could bring back things that which you did not realize that you are interested in. Perhaps you're not aware of when you looked up the most recent skincare trends waiting to be called at the doctor, but your feed does. It will inform you who's offering the best prices on skincare products right now.
Imagine that your company is the aforementioned skincare company. You might post a link on Facebook on a website article on the best products for skincare in 2023. Anyone who is interested may follow the link and go through the article, and then move on. Later, they'll come across an advertisement of your cream to treat eczema and then click the link to purchase it from Amazon. And the next time they would like to buy, maybe they visit your site directly and sign up to receive a monthly subscription.
This is three different channels that customers have accessed: Facebook, your website, and Amazon. But they all work together in a unified E-commerce strategy.
Do you find it more difficult to implement an effective omnichannel plan when you don't have a retail location?
No and yes. We've explained that the internet is everywhere, therefore retailers aren't needed for customers to have the ability to purchase at any number of locations.
There are many advantages to a physical location even though they do cost a significant expense and commitment.
The point is: You shouldn't feel like having a location that isn't there does not mean you don't achieve an omnichannel approach. If you have a physical location paired with an online shop You shouldn't simply call it a day. There are plenty of places to meet your clients to ensure that you're accessible via the channel that they prefer whenever they're ready to place purchases.
The advantages of having an actual retail store
There are many advantages of having a physical space. You can, for instance, connect more personally with customers through having a space where they can interact with your staff and your product.
If your store is situated in an area that receives an abundance of people walking through, you can persuade people to come in and purchase something. The ability to reach out physically while they're already in a shopping mentality. You can demonstrate products and answer questions right then and there.
Furthermore, there is a possibility for marketingopportunities, like the opportunity to host events in person and demonstrations of products. A reception in person is a fantastic way to launch a new product.
However, this has simply become an option of many possible avenues for people to buy. There are benefits to a physical location just as there are benefits to having presence on another marketplace. But this avenue comes with a number of downsides and expenses.
There are advantages to the absence of a storefront
Actually, there are a number of advantages of the absence ofhaving the luxury of a physical store. There's no expense associated with rental or utility bills, nor are there many of the hassles that come with a physical space. You don't have to deal with staffing or scheduling.
The focus can be narrowed and budget down to channels that are already proven. You can also remain agile, meaning that should something change and you need to adjust quickly. Physical locations are a heavy investment and one which you're not able to grab or move around on the go.
We will come back to the original question"yes and no!" Retail locations (or the absence thereof) can be both beneficial and challenging for the omnichannel strategy of e-commerce. Everything depends on the product and customer.
Tips for an effective multichannel strategy
Now that you understand why omnichannel ecommerce is important and necessary, let's take a look at the tips for a successful strategy. It's not a complete step-by-step instruction, but more of an outline of how to create an omnichannel strategy that is the most efficient feasible.
Keep your brand identity and tone consistent across all channels
Consider a company with a name as well-known as Coca-Cola. It doesn't matter if it's a commercial with polar bears, vending machines at the rest stop on the highway or even a billboard at a diner, its sparkling red and white says something: Coca-Cola.
Create a brand name and voice guideline for your business that includes items like specific colors, images, fonts, logos, and languages. As your company grows and you have a million other things to think about the future you will thank you.
Select the best selling channels carefully
There's an array of marketing channels that offer various types of targeted viewers. There are many different approaches needed to be successful, but you should pick those which are suitable for your company and give each one the attention it deserves.
It is important to choose a few options to consider, but don't feel afraid to pass on some that aren't suited to your company or target audience.
Social shopping
Marketplaces
Tapping into a marketplace like Amazon offers an opportunity to tap into other resources. Amazon's service called Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is able to manage all the steps involved with warehousing as well as shipping and customer service for orders.
Search
It's likely that you're putting in a significant amount of work into the search engine optimization. In a perfect world that someone searches for something that you offer, your site - - and only your site is likely to be listed in a flash.
However, in actuality, users are often conducting much more general searches, and are browsing through various options for the perfect fit. Google Shopping presents searchers with choices that is simple to read and evaluate.
Ensure your site is mobile-friendly
Although every single person, their dog or pet have smartphones however, an alarming number sites don't seem to be focusing on being mobile-friendly.
Seriously. Over 50% of the internet's traffic is mobile.
Imagine not catering to those customers! It's a huge chunk of the internet!
People expect an easy mobile user experience. Providing this can provide the opportunity to leapfrog other competitors and enhance people's perception of your business.
You'll also want to take an examination of your website on devices of all sizes: desktops, phones, as well as tablets. Tools like BrowserStack can help you do this electronically, and without needing users to be physically connected to all sorts of devices.
Check that the images aren't cut or distorted, that links and buttons are easily clicked on, navigation menus are easy to use, etc. In essence, you want your user experience to be stellar no matter what device the users have at their hands.
Use customer journey mapping
The customer journey map outlines the steps someone takes with your product or company. The process begins when the customer begins interacting with your brand - maybe via an Instagram advertisement, blog postor influencer - until they either make a purchase or cease to pay the attention.
There are many motives why the customer journey map is a crucial element in designing an omnichannel ecommerce strategy. This allows you to:
- Gain a clear understanding of the time, place, and the way customers interact with your business
- Identify investment opportunities for different marketing points
- Understand strengths and weaknesses in the purchasing process.
- Provide information for future marketing decisions
Customer journey mapping gives you knowledge of your audience's tendencies, who's buying your products and what's driving them to choose you. This information is vital for continued growth and success within the world of online shopping and will help you determine future omnichannel ecommerce strategies.
Learn how to build the customer journey maps.
Offer seamless customer support across every channel
Effective customer service is an investment into the future success of your company. Customers who are happy write glowing reviews, tell their friends they are happy, and also make purchases repeatedly. In addition, the positive vibe helps keep morale good. All of this is part of a longer-term plan to create a positive, healthy business.
When you're selling on a variety of channels, it can be tricky to provide top-quality service to each customer. It is essential to respond quickly to questions, messages, or requests for refunds on your site, third-party selling platforms such as social media and much more.
Optimize the checkout experience
The majority of customers prefer certain online marketplaces or platforms because they're familiar and simple to use. It's often due to the fact that they don't need to visit an extra website or application. Sometimes, it's because their payment options are stored or checkout is super simple.
Creating a valuable an omnichannel experience, it is essential to allow the preferred payment method that customers use while making the transaction as simple as is possible.
Conversions can be improved at checkout by doing a few things:
Organize your email marketing into a single, smart tool
No matter where they purchased a product or learned about your business, if they're on your email list and you follow-up, you'll be able to communicate with your customers. Send greeting emails, send out to them with deals, and even solicit reviews to assist in making more sales.
MailPoet can be an ideal tool for shops. You can build and customize mailers, schedule offers based on past purchasing history, or send abandoned cart emails to recoup lost sales and many more. Like PayPal, MailPoet integrates everything to the WordPress dashboard. It's an efficient, time-saving email marketing tool.
Continually review and revise your omnichannel strategy
What are successful companies' traits in the common? They're continually working on improving. It's not every platform that is going to work for you. Some strategies that don't work in other cases will be a huge boost for you. Don't be afraid of change and don't get too attached to any particular aspect.
On top of that, look into your platforms' available data and take time to learn about the ways analytics tools function. It's an investment worth making for the future of your business.
And remember, long-term growth requires patience. Avoid spending all of your time trying to compare yourself with other selling. Sure, you should understand the strategies others have been using successfully, but then work to improve your own efforts. Keep revising and improving so that you can get a lot further.
Omnichanneling without physical site
A successful omnichannel ecommerce plan does not require the presence of a physical store. There are a huge variety of different platforms that you could sell on, from your store up to Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Facebook, Google Shopping and many other.
Make sure you have a consistent presence across each selling channel. Connect to your clients, make sure they feel valued as well as do the effort to market and you'll be on your way to omnichannel sales!