Omnichannel Ecommerce: Brick-and-Mortar Not Required
Zoom classrooms, remote work These digital opportunities have become part of the everyday life of people. We are more connected than ever, and now appears to be able to comprehend the full potential of what that means. Doing things online doesn't feel "weird." The internet is considered normal. And it's no different for retail businesses. Enter the concept of omnichannel ecommerce.
You don't need a brick-and-mortar storefront to have a thriving enterprise. If you've got a great concept for a product or service, all you need is a good attitude and dedication to work, an ability to be flexible and a connection to the internet.
What is Omnichannel eCommerce?
Omnichannel ecommerce is a multi-pronged sales strategy focused on delivering an unmatched customer experience regardless of whether the point of sale is on a mobile device, a laptop, or a retailer's physical location. That experience should also be the same across all channels, from your online store through Facebook Marketplace, Amazon, Etsy and many more.
There are many people who shop at one place. 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 experience is like in order to make a purchase. What can you do to be participant in that journey?
The Harvard Business Review reports that 73% of customers use multiple channels during their purchase journey. When a customer chooses to purchase something, there's a solid chance they've done a tremendous amount of study to make sure they're making the best possible purchase.
Does your company not just be the provider of the item your client is seeking, but also provide the context and details?
Be sure to focus on the whole customers' experience. It's not only adding something to their shopping cart or complete an order. You should instead be thinking about how can your business be a source of information and goods, products, or services? How can you accomplish it everywhere you do business on the internet?
The more channels a customer utilizes, the better they are to your business by allowing the potential for 23% higher returns on purchase and as much as 13% more mean order value.
Omnichannel eCommerce works.
Why is it crucial that e-commerce retailers use channels other that their own?
Let's do an experiment. Have a look at your feed whenever you log on to social media. How many different stores and products are being presented to you?
The answer is probably way more than you can count. Modern algorithms are so robust that the feed you receive could bring back things that you forgot you were interested in. It's possible that you don't remember when you looked up the latest skincare trends while waiting for a call from the doctor's office But your feed can. The feed will let you know who's offering the best prices on skincare products right now.
Imagine that your company is an aforementioned skincare firm. Maybe you share an image to Facebook on a website article on the best skincare products in 2023. Someone who's interested might click on that link, read the post, then proceed to the next page. But later, they may run across an ad for your eczema cream, then click to buy it from Amazon. When they next want to purchase, perhaps they go to your website directly and register for a subscription.
This is three different channels that the customer may have used: Facebook, your website and Amazon. They all function to create an effective omnichannel E-commerce strategy.
It is more difficult to develop an effective omnichannel plan when you don't have an actual retail store?
Yes and no. The world lives online, so the retail store isn't necessary to provide customers with purchasing options at a range of points.
There are numerous advantages of having a physical address even though it can come at a fairly hefty price and time commitment.
The point is you shouldn't think that the absence of a physical store is a reason to not be omnichannel focused. If you have a physical location paired with an online store You shouldn't simply say it's a good day. There are many other places to meet your customers to make sure you're present to them on the platform of their preference when they're ready to make purchases.
Benefits of owning the benefit of having a storefront
There are a few distinct benefits of having a physical space. In particular, you will be able to be more personal with your customers just by providing a place that they can get to know your staff and your product.
If the store you own is located in a location with lots of pedestrians, you can persuade people to come in and purchase something. The ability to reach out physically when they are engaged in shopping. You can demonstrate products and respond to questions right there and there.
Additionally, there's a chance for marketing, such as on-site events or product demonstrations. Hosting an in-person reception is a fantastic opportunity to announce a brand new product.
However, this has simply been one of many possible avenues for people to buy. There are advantages to having a physical location just as it is beneficial to have an online market. The difference is that this option comes with a number of downsides and costs.
The advantages of the absence of a storefront
Actually, there are many benefits to having a business withouthaving the luxury of a physical store. There's no expense associated with the rent or utilities, nor are there many of the hassles associated with having a physical space. It's not necessary to contend dealing with additional staffing requirements and planning.
The focus can be narrowed and budget on online channels that are already proven. Additionally, you'll be nimble so if something changes it is possible to adapt swiftly. Physical locations are expensive and which you're not able to grab or move around on the go.
In short, we come back to our initial answer Yes and No! The location of your retail store (or lack thereof) is both useful and troublesome for your omnichannel ecommerce strategy. All it depends on is the product and customer.
Tips for an effective Omnichannel strategy
Once you've understood the importance of omnichannel ecommerce Let's review some strategies that are effective. This isn't a detailed step-by step guide, but more of guidelines to develop the best omnichannel ecommerce strategy possible.
Make sure your brand's identity and tone constant across all channels
Think about a brand with a name as well-known as Coca-Cola. Whether it's a commercial featuring the polar bears or a vending machine at an intersection or even a billboard in a diner, that glimmering white and red says something: Coca-Cola.
Create a brand name and voice guideline for your business that includes details like specific colors images, fonts, logos as well as a languages. If your company expands and you are faced with a myriad of more things to consider, your future self will appreciate it.
Carefully select selling channels
There are a variety of advertising channels which offer various types of targeted audience. It will take different strategies to find success, but you should pick those you can use for your particular business, and commit to giving each of them the respect 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 brand or your target market.
Social shopping
Marketplaces
Tapping into a marketplace like Amazon also provides an opportunity to tap into additional sources. Amazon's Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) can take care of all processes associated with warehouses, shipping, and providing customer service for orders.
Search
You're probably putting a fair amount of effort in the search engine optimization. In the ideal world, when someone's looking for something that you offer, your site and your website is likely to be listed instantly.
In reality, however, consumers typically conduct broad searches and navigating a variety of options looking for the perfect fit. Google Shopping presents searchers with the options that is simple to read and evaluate.
Make sure your website is mobile-friendly
Although every single person, their dog and their dog's dog has a smartphone however, an alarming number of websites don't have the luxury of being mobile-friendly.
Seriously. Over 50% of the internet's usage is on mobile devices.
Think about not catering for these people! This is a quarter of the web!
Users expect a simple mobile experience. Providing this can provide an instant advantage over some competitors and will improve people's perception of your company.
Also, you should take a the time to review your site across devices of every size such as phones, desktops and even tablets. Tools such as BrowserStack can help you do this in a digital way, but without having you to have physical access to different devices.
Be sure images aren't cut, buttons and links are easy to click or navigated to navigate, etc. You want the users experience to be exceptional regardless of the device your visitors have in their hands.
Use customer journey mapping
A map of the customer's journey outlines the steps someone takes when they interact with your company or product. It begins with the first time they begin communicating with you - maybe through an Instagram advert, a blog postor influencer. They then either decide to purchase something or stop paying the attention.
There are many good reasons the customer journey map is an important part of creating an omnichannel strategy for ecommerce. This allows you to:
- Learn to understand what, when and the way customers interact with your business
- Identify investment opportunities for different marketing points
- Learn about the strengths and weaknesses the buying process
- Provide information for future market decisions
Customer journey mapping gives the information you need about your customers' tendencies, who's shopping for your items and the reasons they're buying from you. These details are crucial for continued growth and success within the world of online shopping and can help you decide on future omnichannel ecommerce strategies.
Learn how to create a customer journey map.
Offer seamless customer support throughout every channel
Effective customer service can be a great investment for the future of your business. The ones who have a positive experience write excellent reviews, refer their friends to them, and make repeat purchases. Additionally, this positive attitude will help keep the morale of your employees up. It's all part of a long-term strategy to create a positive, healthy business.
However, when selling through multiple channels, it can be tricky to provide top-quality support for every customer. You'll need to quickly respond to questions, messages, and refund requests on your site, other selling platforms from third parties such as social media and many more.
Improve the experience of checkout
The majority of customers prefer certain online marketplaces or platforms due to their familiarity and user-friendly. Some times, it's because they don't need to visit an extra site or app. Other times it's because the payment method they use is saved or their checkout procedure is extremely simple.
Creating a valuable omnichannel experience also means allowing the preferred payment method that customers use and making the payment process as easy as possible.
Conversions can be improved at checkout by doing a few items:
Organize your email marketing into a single, smart tool
Whatever the place where someone bought the product or heard about your business, if they're on your mailing list, you can follow up with them. Invite them with greeting emails, send out with discounts, and ask for reviews that can help you generate more sales.
MailPoet is a great tool for stores. You can create and modify mailers, schedule offers based on past purchases, and mail abandoned cart emails to recoup lost sales and much more. Plus, like Payments, using MailPoet integrates everything to your WordPress dashboard. It's a time-saving, ingenious advertising tool via email.
Continually review and revise the omnichannel strategies you have in place
What do successful businesses have in their common? They're always striving to improve. It's not every platform that is going to be a perfect fit. Some strategies that don't work for others will prove to provide a significant boost to your business. Be open to change and try not to be obsessed with one item.
On top of that, look into the data available on your platform and spend time learning the ways analytics tools function. It's an investment worth making for your future.
And remember, long-term growth requires patience. Don't spend all of your time trying to compare yourself with other selling. Sure, you should understand how others do it and then make your own improvements. Keep revising and improving so that you can get a lot further.
Go omnichannel without the physical place
An effective omnichannel strategy for e-commerce does not require the presence of a physical store. There's a wide range of other platforms you can sell your online store up to Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Facebook, Google Shopping as well as many more.
Make sure you have an unifying presence on each selling channel. Connect with your customers, make sure that they feel appreciated as well as do your marketing efforts and you'll be well on the way to creating an omnichannel approach to sales!