In today’s fast-paced economy, customers are looking for integrated shopping experiences. Brand loyalty is strongly encouraged by an interactive experience across multiple access points. Providing multiple, cooperative channels for shopping increases customer spending.
E-commerce company growth depends on the ease of access. Having multiple online channels like websites, apps, and social media pages give your company the ability to reach more customers. Modern omnichannel solutions and integrated technology allow seamless integration of these components will make your marketing strategy more efficient.
There are many ways to use online channels. The most important thing is how they interact and communicate with each other. Here are a few methods to improve your individual channels and the way they work together.
Traditional Website
Your website was most likely the first developed and primary means of your sales strategy. With the millions of e-commerce sites on the internet, it’s essential to make yours stand out. Customers desire a site with intuitive features, ease of use, and plenty of speed and security.
Online shopping has grown by leaps and bounds in the last decade. Customers want an efficient experience with minimal complications. An effective search tool can make your website much more appealing to buyers. Being able to find exactly what they are looking for quickly will likely lead to a speedy purchase.
Tracking these search terms is a helpful tool. Knowing what customers are searching for gives you the ability to fill gaps in inventory. You can develop product listings that are easier to find. Most importantly, you can use the data to target the customer in other marketing channels.
A website is often the best place to gather data like reviews and customer ratings. This feedback can be used to promote products by other means like social media advertisements and email communications. It also gives you another way to track previous purchases and make product recommendations.
One of the most important features to customers in the age of cybersecurity threats is security. Focus on instilling confidence that their payment information is safe with you. They will feel more comfortable purchasing through your site or other buying channels.
Mobile Apps
It’s estimated that 2.5 million people own smartphone devices. That is a huge audience to miss out on marketing to. Having an appealing and engaging app gives you access to these potential buyers. Making sure it is seamlessly integrated with your website makes shopping easier and more convenient.
Modern customers need on-the-go shopping. They desire speed and the ability to power shop while multitasking. A well-designed app can encourage impulse purchases and generate a desire for your products.
Communication between your website and mobile app is a vital component to this. If a customer adds items to their cart on their laptop, they may need to access the same cart in the mobile app to complete the purchase. Making a shopping list or wish list in both the app is convenient as customers spontaneously think of products to add.
Mobile apps can give you the unique benefit of knowing the location of a customer. Communications can be tailored to the season, area events, or sports teams. A brick-and-mortar store locator is convenient to let customers know when they are near a location.
Components of mobile apps are a great way to encourage brand loyalty. Provide the ability to store loyalty cards on the app to be automatically applied to orders or scanned at stores. Thank customers when they have made a purchase and offer exclusive coupons and deals to app users.
Push notifications are an effective way to facilitate continual communication. Track purchase history and notify a customer when a similar product hits the site. Did a customer leave items in their cart on the website? Use the mobile app to send them a message reminding them to check out.
Use Social Media
Social media marketing is becoming an industry all its own. Use it to your company’s advantage in reaching a broad, worldwide audience. It has the potential to generate a significant number of site visits and new customers.
People spend, on average, over two hours a day browsing social media sites. Your company can’t afford to have a strong presence. Sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter provide a unique interactive marketing opportunity. You can also take advantage of platforms like Pinterest and YouTube to communicate engaging messages.
Drawing unique users to your page is important. Social media sites also give you the ability to remind customers of your product. Ads can be targeted to users that have visited your website recently. Their interest may be reignited when your advertisement pops up as they scroll through their feed.
The data available on social media sites, like Facebook, allows for the most cost-effective marketing. You can pinpoint the demographic features of the audience you wish to reach. Choose the specific age range, gender, and location of the customers’ news feeds where your ad will appear.
Engaging with customers gives you a great opportunity to cultivate brand loyalty. Responding quickly with creative messaging will make your company stand out. Many brands have successfully created a buzz around their websites by simply having dynamic interactions with users that get the public’s attention.
Pinterest and YouTube are good ways to drive traffic and create brand awareness. Create a video about your mobile app that shows users why they need to download it. Post creative ads on Pinterest so browsers can pin your website to their wall will generate repeat site visits.
Email Follow-Up
Email may seem like an old-school tool with all the new emerging technology. However, it’s still effective and beneficial to communication. Plus, it gives you an additional opportunity to reach buyers and generate site and app visits.
Use email to manage the customer experience from the start to the end of the purchasing journey. Confirm a customer’s order, keep them posted on the status, and follow up once their order is received. It’s also a perfect tool to check on satisfaction and to ask for feedback and reviews on your website.
Periodic emails are an awesome opportunity to keep customers in the loop and thinking about your brand. Personalize emails to their purchase history for the best impact. You can send a list of recommended products or promotions valid to their buying habits.
Retail Locations
Technology can make brick-and-mortar stores more interactive. Integrating your website in-store can make the shopping experience more exciting for customers. You can also use your mobile app to help users shop more efficiently.
Customers love self-serve kiosks. Connect a touch screen to your website so buyers can check inventory at other locations. Is there an item out of stock in that location? Secure the sale and give them the ability to order the product online immediately from right there in the store.
QR codes on in-store displays will encourage app usage. Customers can scan the code on their phones for immediate access to product details and reviews in the app. Product QR codes can also be scanned to add items to the customer’s wishlist on your website or to link them to a how-to video.
Conclusion
The modern shopping experience is driven by speed and convenience. Busy customers know what they want, and they want it quickly. It’s vital to make shopping convenient to gain and retain customers.
Omni-channel marketing provides your brand with the opportunity to tailor the shopping experience to your customers. Your goal is to provide ease of access and an engaging buying process. Integrating your channels well and creating unified purchasing spaces will help your business continue to grow into the next era of commerce.
