Omni-Channel Selling

Omni-channel advertising is the new buzzword for all retailers.  Basically, consumers are buying in unpredictable ways, so companies have to face the new challenge of engaging with customers in multiple ways.  This article highlights 6 key ways to start the process of omni-channel advertising. First, companies should figure out how to best utilize social media.  Often, social media can be seen as disingenuous, so it is important that whatever is posted makes sense with your brand and can connect with your core market.  Often, companies need to identify influencers and use them to help pass on information via word-of-mouth or referrals.  Second, companies need to make sure they are advertising across all channels - it helps make their message consistent and expands their reach to target consumers.  Third, companies need to be using data they gather from all channels and use it to best understand shopping habits of their customers and better strategize how to advertise. Next, you have to seamlessly integrate all channels - what is available online should be available in store (or you create a way for customers to be able to get the merchandise in store), discounts should be consistent, etc.  Often, the channels operate separately, and companies miss opportunities for synergies and/or frustrate customers.  In addition, companies need to experiment.  Because omni-channel advertising is a new concept, there is no proven method, and each company's strategy should be different.  Finally, companies need to make sure their mobile experience is seamless, customer-friendly, and applicable to their target customers.  More and more, customers are buying from their phone, and they need to be able to do so easily.  While clearly each company needs to come up with their own way of integrate offline and online channels, leading retailers have stayed on top of their omni-channel distribution, and it seems to be a way to differentiate themselves from competitors.