How Retailers Can Survive and Thrive in the Age of Omnichannel

Omnichannel and retail

The world of ecommerce can be daunting for retailers if you consider that Amazon controls 50 percent of the online retail market... but more retailers are beginning to embrace the idea of a digital future with omnichannel communication.

Findings by the JDA Software Group show that 62 percent of U.S. merchants now connect their brick-and-mortar stores to their desktop and mobile experiences.

To help you understand how your business can adopt omnichannel marketing to not get left behind in this digital wave, we’ve unpacked the boldest and most effective omnichannel marketing by brands customers love.

Learning from the best omnichannel experiences

Disney

Disney does their utmost best to make sure they offer an unrivaled customer journey, from booking your trip to planning your stay, and every detail in between.

With their tool, My Disney Experience, you can plan it all - from which restaurants to eat at to where to stop to be entertained, and even where to shop - their app is truly exciting for everyone who’s used it.

It even shares information on how to get around the park, what the waiting times are for the various rides, and where and when you can meet the Disney characters.

Additionally, Disney’s magic wristband which customers receive on arrival - is not only their access band to the park, but is also their room key, photo-storing device, main payment method, and so much more.

Timberland

Manufacturer and retailer Timberland made waves in 2017 when the brand rolled out a new connective digital experience in-store for customers. Rather than using this approach for e-commerce, it’s physical stores adopted a new interactive way to connect with customers in select stores.

Each person who walked into a Timberland shop received a tablet which, when pressed against products and specific symbols and signage, reveals product descriptions and other important information that would otherwise have been explained by a shopping assistant.

Additionally, Timberland ran an augmented reality campaign which allowed customers to photograph themselves and project their faces onto a digital mannequin. There they could select the clothing items they are interested in and try them on...virtually. It’s quite something to behold - see for yourself.

Not only were these fun and innovative touchpoints for customers, but Timberland was able to capture a plethora of data from these efforts to guide future marketing by using real-time information straight from their shoppers.

Orvis

The iconic American fly-fishing, hunting, and sporting goods brand, Orvis, is worth a mention for businesses who may think their customer base is too old, specific, or even... wealthy.

Orvis discovered that their customers spend a significant amount of time on their tablets, mobile phones, and apps, and used it to their advantage. They went all-mobile in-store with its Aptos Store POS system which increased enterprise sales by 10 percent as well as doubled satisfaction among their associates.

The new system increased the customer experience and engagement in the store by allowing the merchant to be “able to provide all the product, inventory, and pricing information shoppers need to make a confident decision, as well as all the resources to process transactions efficiently and on their customers’ terms. If a customer finds two items in a store but requests a third item that store doesn’t have in stock, an associate can order the out-of-stock product online and process payment for all three via the iPad Mini.”

The omnichannel outlier

Mobile phones have been around for decades yet marketers are still trying to understand how to use it as part of their omnichannel efforts. With mobile phones, one of the cheapest, most immediate and effective ways of communicating with customers is with SMS.

Clickatell Touch is one way that can improve your business’ omnichannel strategy - it's been carefully built to increase sales, streamline support and reduce costs.

Remember, good businesses don’t build apps, pages, or websites, they build memorable customer experiences.