Successful omnichannel marketing can be a challenging thing to master, but as an eCommerce business, it’s our job to overcome obstacles and improve the shopping experience for our customers.
With the holiday season upon us, consumers will be in a shopping frenzy, bouncing from multiple devices and platforms to ensure that they get the best deal.
Even if you are new to the omnichannel approach, you need to enhance all of your shopping channels to engage holiday shoppers and capture more sales. Here are a few marketing-savvy ways to prepare for the holiday season.
Provide Exceptional In-Store Customer Service
Enhancing your in-store customer service should be a top priority for the holidays. According to the National Retail Federation, 45 percent of consumers are buying products online and picking them up in a store, which means that your in-store pickup process needs to be fast and easy.
Many customers have already done their research online and want instant gratification from purchasing their product in a store. This holiday season, make their experience hassle-free by designating a space in your physical store for online purchases and easy return or exchanges.
Hire Seasonal Workers to Help Manage the Load
To accommodate the holiday sales surge, omnichannel retailers need to consider adding seasonal sales workers. Even in the digital age, when many of our tasks are automated, there is still a need for human workers.
Despite having a clear FAQ page and live chat feature, your eCommerce business is going to receive an influx of customer service questions. Seasonal hires can be instrumental in answering these questions and meeting customer expectations.
Both eCommerce and physical stores can benefit from seasonal employees in their fulfillment centers. Warehouses are incredibly busy during the holiday season, and seasonal employees can help speed up delivery time, improving the customer experience for holiday shoppers.
Focus on Creating an In-Store Brand Experience
Not every consumer is coming to your physical store equipped with information. Some are there to experience the product firsthand before they commit to a purchase.
To accommodate these shoppers, many retailers are creating showrooms that allow shoppers to test out merchandise in innovative ways. This practice is known as “showrooming,” and it is one way in which your brand can provide holiday shoppers with an in-store branded experience.
With more than 75 percent of consumers looking for retail stores to become showrooms that provide a high level of service, this is something that every omnichannel retailer should consider providing soon. It may be too late to implement this year, but adding a physical showroom in the future can give your brand a competitive edge in the years to come.
Integrate Your Marketing Technology to Drive Conversions
Your customers are providing you with heaps of data from offline and online interactions. If your marketing technology isn’t unified, you’re going to have a difficult time managing your metrics and leveraging it to drive conversions.
Simplify your marketing by keeping everything on a single dashboard. Keeping your systems integrated will help you track customer interactions across platforms and devices.
For instance, a customer who purchases shoes from your physical store can be enticed with an email featuring personalized product recommendations based on their recent purchase history. If customers abandon their shopping carts, they can receive an email pointing them the nearest store location that has these items in stock.
Optimize for Mobile to Boost the Omnichannel Experience
According to a Forrester report, 68 percent of consumers use their smartphone while shopping in-store to help instill confidence in their decision to make a purchase. If you aren’t optimizing your omnichannel marketing strategies for mobile, you are at a distinct disadvantage to your competitors
From your website to your email marketing campaigns and social ads, your brand must deliver a rich mobile experience to consumers this holiday season to drive conversions and increase revenue. Here are a few mobile strategies to boost the omnichannel experience this year:
- Make coupons and rewards accessible on mobile devices.
- Leverage location data to target local audiences with targeted offers.
- Enable digital wallets to drive revenue.
- Use text message marketing to drive engagement and conversions.
Final Thoughts
Your email marketing, social media, online store and mobile marketing may be fully optimized, but unless they provide a consistent brand experience, you aren’t providing holiday shoppers with a true omnichannel solution.
To give holiday shoppers the seamless shopping experience they want, follow these strategies so your eCommerce site is best positioned to delight customers at every opportunity, regardless of device or shopping channel. For more holiday tips and trick, check out Springbot’s free holiday resources!
