Omnichannel Ecommerce: Brick-and-Mortar Not Required
Zoom classrooms, remote work - these digital experiences are no longer foreign to our daily lives. Humanity is now more connected than ever and finally seems to understand the potential of what that means. It's not like it's "weird." The internet is normal. This is the case in the retail space. Introduce the idea of omnichannel online shopping.
It doesn't require a brick-and-mortar shopfront to run a successful business. If you've got a great concept for a new product or service, all you require is a strong attitude and dedication to work, an ability to change as well as an internet connection.
What is Omnichannel eCommerce?
Omnichannel ecommerce is a multi-pronged sales approach that focuses on providing customers with a consistent experience regardless of whether the point of sale is on a mobile device such as a laptop or the physical store of a retailer. The experience must be the same across all channels that includes your online store to Facebook Marketplace, Amazon, Etsy and many more.
There are many people who shop at the same place. So, wherever they are, you should be available.
While the purpose of a selling is the ultimate goal, you also need be aware of what the buyer's journey is on the way to purchase. What can you do to be part of that process?
The Harvard Business Review reports that 73% of clients use multiple channels throughout their buying journey. When a customer decides to buy something, you can be sure they've performed a great deal of research in order to ensure that they're making the best possible choice.
Can your business not only be the provider of the item your client is looking for, but also provide the context and details?
Be sure to focus on the whole customers' experience. It's not only when they add something to their shopping cart or complete an order. In fact, you must be thinking about how can your business be an online source for information as well as items, goods or services? And how can you do it everywhere you do business on the internet?
The more channels that a client uses, the more valuable they are to your business by allowing an average of 23% more returns purchase and as much as 13% more mean order value.
Omnichannel E-commerce is a way to do business.
What is the reason it's important that e-commerce retailers use platforms other than their own websites?
Let's do an experiment. Take one look at your feed every time you visit your social media account. Which stores and products are being shown to you?
The answer is probably way too numerous to list. The modern algorithms are so powerful that your feed might remind you of things you forgot you were keen on. It's possible that you don't remember the time you browsed the latest skincare trends while waiting to see the doctor's office, but your feed does. And it will tell you who's offering the best prices for skincare items right now.
Imagine your business is an aforementioned skincare firm. Maybe you share an image on Facebook to a blog post detailing the best skincare products of 2023. Anyone who is interested may visit the page, go through the article, and then move on. However, later on, they might see an advertisement of your cream to treat eczema and click through to purchase it from Amazon. When they next want to purchase, perhaps they go to your website directly and sign up to receive a monthly subscription.
This is three different channels that a customer has accessed: Facebook, your website and Amazon. But they all work together to form an efficient omnichannel E-commerce strategy.
It is more difficult to develop an effective omnichannel strategy without an actual retail store?
No and yes. As we've outlined, the world is online. Therefore, the retail store isn't necessary for customers to have purchasing options at a range of points.
There are a number of benefits to having a physical space even though they do come at a fairly hefty expense and commitment.
However, the main point to remember is: You shouldn't feel like having a location that isn't there does not mean you don't have an omnichannel focus. If you have a physical store that is paired with an online shop it's not enough to call it a day. There are plenty of places to meet your customers so you're available on the platform that they prefer when they're ready to make purchases.
The advantages of having the benefit of having a storefront
There are many advantages that come with having a physical place. You can, for instance, be more personal with your customers through having a space where they can interact with your staff and your product.
If your store is at a place that has an abundance of people walking through, you can persuade people to stop by to purchase something. You can physically reach people who are already engaged in shopping. They can show products or answer questions right then and there.
Moreover, there's opportunity for marketingopportunities, like on-site events or product demonstrations. The hosting of a reception at your location is a fantastic opportunity to announce a brand new product.
It has become an option of the many options that people can purchase. There are many advantages of having a physical location just as there are advantages to having a presence in another online marketplace. But the option has a number of downsides and expenses.
The advantages of being able to not have a physical store
Actually, there are numerous advantages to the absence ofhaving a retail location. There's no expense associated with the rent or utilities, nor are there many of the hassles that come with a physical store. It's not necessary to contend dealing with additional staffing requirements and scheduling.
You can narrow your focus and budget on online channels that are already proven. Additionally, you'll be agile, meaning that should something change, you can adapt quickly. A physical location is a heavy investment and one that you aren't able to pick up or move around on the go.
So, let's go back to the original question Yes and No! The location of your retail store (or lack thereof) is both beneficial and challenging for your strategy for omnichannel e-commerce. Everything depends on your products and audience.
Tips for an effective Omnichannel strategy
If you've figured out why omnichannel ecommerce is important Let's review some keys for an effective strategy. This isn't necessarily a step-by-step outline, but rather guidelines to develop the most effective omnichannel strategy feasible.
Maintain your brand's image and tone constant across every channel
Imagine a brand that is as iconic as Coca-Cola. If it's a spot on TV that features polar bears, vending machines in the rest stop on the highway or even a billboard in a diner, that glimmering white and red says something: Coca-Cola.
Develop a brand voice guide and identity to your company, which includes items like specific colors, images, fonts, logos and even a the language. If your company expands and you have a million more things to consider and plan for, your future self will be grateful to you.
Select the best selling channels carefully
There's an array of advertising channels which offer diverse types of audiences. There are many different approaches needed to find success, but you should pick those you can use for your particular business, and commit to giving each one the attention the it deserves.
It is important to choose a few options to consider, but don't feel reluctant to reject the ones that don't really fit your company or target audience.
Social shopping
Marketplaces
Utilizing marketplaces like Amazon offers opportunities to access other sources. Amazon's service called Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is able to handle all of the processes associated with warehouses, shipping, and providing customer service for orders.
Search
You're probably putting a fair amount of time into search engine optimization. If everything goes as planned that someone searches for something that you offer, your site - and only your site is likely to be listed instantly.
In reality, however, consumers typically conduct broad searches and navigating various options for the perfect fit. Google Shopping presents searchers with the options that's easy to quickly scan and compare.
Ensure your site is mobile-friendly
Even though every person and their dog as well as their dog has a smartphone, a shocking number of websites still don't prioritize being mobile-friendly.
Seriously. more than 50% of internet traffic is mobile.
It's a shame to not cater for these people! This is a quarter of the web!
Customers expect a smooth mobile experience. This can give you a quick leap ahead of other competitors and enhance people's perception of your brand.
You'll also want to take the time to review your site across all devices including phones, desktops, and tablets. Software such as BrowserStack will help you accomplish this electronically, and without needing users to be physically connected to different devices.
Check that the images aren't cut, buttons and links are easily clicked on, navigation menus are easy to access, etc. Basically, you want the user experience to be excellent regardless of what gadget the users have at their hand.
Use customer journey mapping
The customer journey map outlines the steps someone takes when they interact with your company or product. It begins with the first time they begin engaging with your brand for instance, by way of an Instagram advert, a blog article, or even an influencer until they buy something or stop paying to your brand.
There are many good reasons the customer journey map is an important part of developing an omnichannel ecommerce strategy. This allows you to:
- Get a better understanding of where, when, and the way customers interact in your business
- Identify investment opportunities for different marketing points
- Understand strengths and weaknesses in the purchase process.
- Give information to help make future market decisions
The mapping of customer journeys also provides the information you need about your customers' preferences, the people who are purchasing your goods, and why they're choosing you. This information is vital to ensuring your continued growth within the world of online shopping and helps you plan the future strategies for omnichannel ecommerce.
Learn how to create the customer journey maps.
Give seamless customer service to customers throughout all channels
Effective customer service can be a great investment for the future of your business. Customers who are happy write glowing reviews, tell their friends to buy from them again, and even make repeat purchases. Plus, that positive energy helps keep morale high. This is all an integral part of the long-term plan for a happy, healthy business.
But when you're selling across a variety of platforms, it's difficult to offer top-quality customer service to each customer. It's essential that you respond promptly to inquiries, messages or requests for refunds on your website, your third-party selling platforms as well as social media platforms, and more.
Enhance your checkout experience
The majority of customers prefer certain online marketplaces or platforms due to their familiarity and easy to use. Some times, it's because they don't need to visit an extra web page or an app. Other times it's because their payment options are stored or their checkout procedure is extremely simple.
Creating a valuable an omnichannel experience, it is essential to allow users to choose the method of payment they prefer and keeping the process as simple as is possible.
Conversions can be improved when you check out by doing a few things:
Organize your email marketing into a single, smart tool
Regardless of where someone purchased the product or heard about your business, if you have them on your list of email addresses and you follow-up, you'll be able to communicate with the person. Send greeting emails, send out to them with deals, and even solicit reviews to help you generate more sales.
MailPoet will be a great tool for stores. You can build and customize email templates, create automated deals based on purchase history, mail abandoned cart emails to recapture lost sales, and more. Like payments, MailPoet lets you integrate everything directly to the WordPress dashboard. It's a time-saving, ingenious tools for marketing via email.
Continuously review and modify your omnichannel strategy
What does a successful business have in common? They are constantly striving to make improvements. There are many platforms that will not prove to be a perfect fit. Certain strategies that aren't working in other cases will be a huge boost for you. Don't be afraid of change and avoid becoming obsessed with single item.
From there, explore the data available on your platform and spend time learning how analytics tools operate. This is a wise investment in the future of your business.
And remember, long-term growth requires patience. Do not spend too much time looking at other selling. You should be aware of how others do it however, you must work to make your own improvements. Continue to improve and revise so that you can get a lot further.
Go omnichannel without the physical location
A good omnichannel ecommerce strategy doesn't require a retail location. There are a huge variety of different platforms that you could sell on, from your online store and even Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Facebook, Google Shopping and many other.
Create an omnichannel presence that is consistent across every selling channel. Make sure you connect with your customers, and make sure they feel supported, and put in the effort to market so that you're on your way to Omnichannel sales!