The COVID-19 Pandemic drastically changed the retail landscape and consumer behavior, leaving businesses finding ways to optimize strategies, boost sales, and out-perform the competition. But with ever-changing economic climates, growing customer expectations, and the accelerated evolution of tech, brands need to utilize strategies that can be leveraged all year round, especially during peak seasons. Businesses need a plan to significantly boost customer satisfaction with an amplified presence: an omnichannel retail strategy.
As customer experiences go, having an omnichannel retail strategy and omnichannel support is a crucial competitive advantage. Shoppers frequently favor convenience above all; they want brands to meet them where they are—and where they want brands to be. Accessibility is the core factor at play. Hence, the omnipresence and brands, in turn, must follow. After all, the customer is king.
What is an omnichannel retail strategy?
An omnichannel retail strategy refers to the strategic unification of customer experiences across multiple touchpoints, including offline and online, to create a fully integrated shopping experience. “Buy online, pick up in store”—that’s just table stakes these days, and having game-changing retail management services and omnichannel retail strategy offers sophisticated experiences across touchpoints.
Picture the omnichannel retail strategy from a skincare brand that offers a personalized skin care subscription. The journey can start from the customer discovering the brand from a social media post with a free trial link. Here’s a quick rundown of the process:
- The customer signs up on the brand’s app, sends photos and descriptions of their skin concerns, and chooses for their personalized products to either be shipped or picked up in-store.
- Once the free trial is over, it’s time to send them a reminder to sign up for a full plan through the app’s push notification feature.
- The customer doesn’t have to worry about running out of products with push notifications reminding them to order early.
- Pop-up store opening nearby? Notify the customer for an opportunity to grab one-on-one consultations for free, which would automatically update their ongoing product subscription.
- Casually browsing in-store? App users can enjoy exclusive perks like scanning, saving, or using exclusive discounts.
A retail omnichannel strategy dramatically changes how customers interact with brands in multiple touchpoints. A Harvard Business Review(HBR) study showed that omnichannel shoppers loved using retailers’ touchpoints: comparing vouchers on mobile apps, browsing personalized in-store catalogs, in-store pickups, and more. These avid omnichannel users usually have bigger shopping baskets compared to non-users; the more channels they use, the more they spend.
The Consumer’s New Shopping State of Mind
HBR’s study also found that customers who used omnichannel touchpoints are more likely to be brand advocates. Implementing a retail omnichannel strategy alone, however, doesn’t result in customer loyalty. It’s better earned by having a deep understanding of the customer:
- A Craving for Authenticity
Brands must be careful with how their voice is perceived in their retail omnichannel strategy. An overwhelming 90% of ad-exhausted consumers say they need to see authenticity when deciding to support a brand. Any brand that appears honest and has the ability to “read the room” (aka worldwide events: pandemics, inflation, etc.) will immediately stand out from the ocean of hardsell promos. Adjusting the brand voice accordingly is the way to go.
- From Online to Real-World Shopping
After being cooped up in their work-from-home setups, people are excited to spend more time in the real world. Online will remain the primary channel for product discovery but most people (76% of surveyed consumers) plan to start shopping in stores again. Because of this, brands that have an established omnichannel sales strategy will be able to capture most of the market during holiday seasons compared to those without.
- Convenience is King
Consumers want every part of their retail experience to be quick and simple. People are short on time and are willing to pay for convenience: 52% say that more than half of their purchases are influenced by convenience. This is where a strong retail omnichannel strategy comes in. A business must be able to deliver on its promises and customer expectations: accessibility, delivery, quality, promises, and returns.
- Add to Cart, Add to Calendar
As in-person shopping picks up, customers will want refreshing, high-touch brand experiences. Online events, on the other hand, will be great for those who are on the lookout for good deals. Brands with an established retail omnichannel strategy will easily attract these event seekers all year round.
Top Four Retail Omnichannel Strategies to Utilize
Now that we’ve established some new shopping behaviors, we compiled a list of winning retail omnichannel strategies that can be utilized any time of the year.
1. Harness the power of retail app features
Consumers love using retail apps that make their online and in-store shopping experience frictionless. In fact, 4 out of 5 of the most used retail app features 4 out of 5 of the most used retail app features2 are the ones that connect physical and digital shopping experiences. The best app features to consider for a strong omnichannel retail strategy are the ones that help customers plan their journeys and save time and money.
What to add:
- In-app notifications for purchases that are ready for pickup, exclusive vouchers, or stock availability
- Scanning in-store promos and saving them in-app
- In-store loyalty reward redemption and in-store digital voucher redemption
2. Integrate a unified omnichannel experience across all touchpoints
Designing a successful omnichannel retail strategy is all about knowing how to deliver a cohesive customer experience no matter how or where a customer reaches out to your brand. Customers are now more picky about how they do their business. 40%2 of consumers say that if a brand isn’t accessible in their preferred touchpoint, that’s the end of their journey. The most valuable omnichannel experiences are the ones that can be achieved with a centralized commerce system.
What to add:
- Up-to-date and accurate pricing and product availability information for nearby or preferred stores
- Unified customer service information at any touch point that eliminates repetitive issue history
- Centralized website, in-app, and mobile information that automatically syncs a user’s cart wherever they login
3. Get personal with conversational commerce
If highly personalized notifications aren’t part of your retail omnichannel strategy yet, it’s time to change that. 71% of consumers2 say they expect brands to engage them in real-time. It can be as simple as notifying customers of timely offers or attractive buying opportunities.
Personalized and conversational commerce not only helps brands stay top-of-mind, it can also effectively minimize overstock by offering the right product to the right buyer in a timely manner.
What to add:
- In-app notifications or text messages linking early event promos or limited-time offers
- Personalized and exclusive promo notifications based on previous purchases
4. Produce a strong and consistent content stream across all channels
An ecommerce omnichannel strategy needs a cohesive voice across all touchpoints. Any signs of discrepancies can lead a customer to doubt the brand’s trustworthiness. Nearly half of consumers2 are more likely to engage with a newly discovered brand if it appears trustworthy and transparent across multiple channels.
What to add:
- High-quality brand assets in all touchpoints: physical store, social media, website, app, ads, etc.
- Strong social media presence with consistent content streams and multiple follower engagements
Preparing for the Future of Retail: Hybrid and Unified Commerce
In today’s consumer landscape, establishing a retail omnichannel strategy is a must. It’s common for most shoppers to use multiple channels to complete a single transaction. The future of retail is clear for omnichannel retailing: a unified commerce or the ultimate harmonization of all channels including payment systems, products, and customer data so retailers can deliver a totally integrated and frictionless experience.
Brands should start optimizing their omnichannel retail strategy as early as now. Customers expect retailers to not only keep up with changes but to actively deliver novel, convenient, and positive customer experiences. Based on a recent Forbes study, 80% of unsatisfied customers2 will most likely abandon a brand, so brands who don’t play along will surely suffer.
Retail Omnichannel Strategies + Us = Ridiculously Enhanced Customer Experiences
Retailers have long accepted that a customer journey is no longer linear. Being able to meet customers where they are, in the manner they prefer, and with as little friction as possible, is the key to maintaining a highly effective omnichannel retail strategy. This results in highly satisfied customers and better sales performances.
As a dedicated partner to the world’s most innovative and disruptive brands, delivering Ridiculously Good customer experiences and effective omnichannel retail strategies are TaskUs’ main expertise. With our Retail Vertical continuously expanding, we continue to find the most economical solutions for our partners across the globe. Much of our expansion has come from increasing Risk + Response support, helping our clients control fraud on all their touchpoints.
For instance, we’ve helped a large and highly successful eCommerce platform with the following:
- 95.8% quality score on risk operations
- 1M+ listings reviews
- 99.5% quality score on seller verification
- 340 seller shops reviewed per hour with a 98.8% quality score on shop reviews
For those who also want to be one step ahead of the competition, let Us help you face the new year and the future by optimizing your support model while continuing to raise the bar on customer satisfaction.
