Omnichannel Ecommerce: Brick-and-Mortar Not Required
Remote work, Zoom classrooms - these digital experiences are now part of our daily lives. Humanity is more connected than ever and finally appears to be able to comprehend the full potential of what that means. Online shopping doesn't make you feel "weird." This is just normal. This is the case when it comes to retail. Introduce the idea of omnichannel ecommerce.
There is no need for a brick and mortar business to be a flourishing enterprise. If you've got a great concept for a new product or product, all you'll need is a positive attitude, determination, the ability to adapt as well as an internet connection.
What exactly is Omnichannel Ecommerce?
Omnichannel eCommerce is a multi-pronged selling approach that focuses on providing customers with a consistent experience whether the point of sale is a mobile device such as a laptop or the physical store of a retailer. This experience needs to be the same across all channels, from your online store to Facebook Marketplace, Amazon, Etsy and many more.
There are many people who shop at the same place. Therefore, no matter where they go there, it is important to be accessible.
Although the goal of the selling is to achieve the purpose, you need be aware of what the buyer's experience is like in order to make a purchase. How can you be a part of that process?
The Harvard Business Review reports that 73% of buyers use several channels in the purchase process. This means that when a person is deciding to purchase something you can be sure they've conducted a lot of research to ensure they've made the right choice.
Your business can't just be the provider of the product your customer 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 carts or make the purchase. You should instead consider: How do you make your business an information source and goods, products, or services? And how can you do it everywhere you do business on the internet?
The more channels a customer utilizes, the better they are to your business by allowing an average of 23% more returns purchases , and up to 13% higher mean order value.
Omnichannel eCommerce works.
Why is it crucial that e-commerce retailers use different channels to their own website?
Let's do an experiment. Check out your feed when you open social media. How many different items and shops are presented to you?
The answer is probably way more than you can count. Modern algorithms are so robust that the feed you receive could remind you of things you forgot you were looking for. You may not remember when you looked up the latest skincare trends while waiting to see the doctor, but your feed does. And it will inform you who's offering the best prices for skincare items right now.
Imagine your business is an aforementioned skincare firm. Maybe you share a link to Facebook to a blog entry on the best skincare products of 2023. Someone who's interested might follow the link and read the post, then go on. Later, they'll run across an ad of your cream to treat eczema and click through to purchase the product on Amazon. The next time they would like to buy, maybe they go to your website directly and then sign up for a subscription.
This is three different channels that the customer may have used: Facebook, your website as well as Amazon. However, they're all linked to create an effective omnichannel E-commerce strategy.
Is it harder to create an effective omnichannel plan without the luxury of a physical store?
Yes and no. The internet is everywhere, therefore a retail location isn't required to provide customers with the ability to purchase at any number of locations.
There are numerous benefits to having a physical space even though they do come at a fairly hefty expense and commitment.
But the point is this you shouldn't think that the absence of a physical store means you can't be omnichannel focused. And if you do possess a physical presence with your online store You shouldn't simply declare it to be a day. There are plenty of additional places to meet your clients to ensure that you're accessible via the channel of their choice whenever they're ready to place purchases.
The advantages of having an actual retail store
There are some distinct advantages to having a physical location. For example, you can be more personal with your customers just by providing a place where they can interact with the employees of your company and with your products.
If the store you own is located situated in an area that receives lots of pedestrians You can convince people to come in and purchase something. It is possible to physically contact people while they're already engaged in shopping. They can show products or provide answers right 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 method to introduce a new product.
It has become one of many possible avenues that people can purchase. There are advantages to having a physical location just as there are advantages to having presence on another market. But the option has a number of downsides and costs.
Benefits of being able to not have a physical store
In reality, there are numerous advantages to nothaving a retail location. There's no expense associated with rent or utilities, nor are there many of the hassles that come with a physical store. There's no need to worry with the additional staffing and schedules.
It is possible to narrow your search and budget to online channels that have already been proven. Additionally, you'll be nimble so if something changes it is possible to adapt swiftly. Physical locations are an investment that is costly and you can't usually pick up or move around on the go.
We will come right back to the initial question"yes and no!" Retail locations (or absence of it) 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
Once you've understood the importance of omnichannel ecommerce, let's look at some tips for a successful strategy. This isn't a detailed step-by step instruction, but more of guidelines to develop the most effective omnichannel strategy that you can.
Make sure your brand's identity and voice constant across all channels
Imagine a brand that is with a name as well-known as Coca-Cola. Whether it's a commercial featuring Polar bears, vending machines at an intersection or an advertisement inside a restaurant, the sparkling red and white says one thing: Coca-Cola.
Develop a brand identity and voice guide for your company that incorporates things like specific colors, fonts, logosand fonts as well as a languages. If your company expands and you are faced with a myriad of different things to think about and plan for, your future self will appreciate it.
Carefully select selling channels
There's a myriad of marketing channels that offer diverse types of viewers. There are many different approaches needed for success, however you should pick those you can use for your particular business, and give each one the attention the it deserves.
You should select several to consider, but don't feel afraid to pass on those that truly don't fit your brand or your target market.
Social shopping
Marketplaces
Utilizing marketplaces like Amazon offers opportunities to access additional options. Amazon's Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is able to take care of all processes that are involved in warehousing, shipping, and providing customer service for orders.
Search
There's a good chance you're doing a considerable amount of effort on search engine optimization. In a perfect world, when someone's looking for something you're selling, your site and your website will be displayed in a flash.
But in reality, people are often conducting much more broad searches and navigating various options for the ideal match. Google Shopping presents searchers with choices that's easy to quickly scan and compare.
Ensure your site is mobile-friendly
While every individual and their dog as well as their dog has a smartphone and a plethora of websites don't have the luxury of being mobile-friendly.
Seriously. Over 50% of internet usage is on mobile devices.
Imagine not catering to all those customers! That's half of the internet!
Users expect a simple mobile experience on their mobile. Providing this can provide 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: desktops, phones, as well as tablets. Tools such as BrowserStack will help you accomplish this in a digital way, but without having you to have physical access to different devices.
Make sure that images don't get cut off or distorted, that links and buttons are easy to click and navigation menus are simple to navigate, etc. In essence, you want your users experience to be exceptional regardless of the device your visitors have in their pockets.
Use customer journey mapping
The customer journey map outlines the actions that a customer takes when they interact when they interact with your company or product. It begins with the first time they begin communicating with you - perhaps by way of an Instagram ad, a blog post, or an influencer - until they either decide to purchase something or cease to pay to your brand.
There are many good reasons an understanding of the customer's journey is an important part of designing an omnichannel ecommerce strategy. It allows you to:
- Gain a clear understanding of where, when, and the way customers interact with your company
- Identify investment opportunities for different marketing points
- Learn about the strengths and weaknesses the purchasing procedure.
- Provide information for future marketing decisions
The mapping of customer journeys also provides an understanding of your customer's habits, how they're purchasing your goods and what's driving them to choose you. This information is vital to ensuring your continued growth in the retail industry and helps you plan the future strategies for omnichannel ecommerce.
Learn how to build an interactive customer journey map.
Give seamless customer service to customers across all channels
Customer service that is efficient can be a great investment for the future of your business. Happy customers write great reviews, refer their friends to them to buy from them again, and even make repeat purchases. Additionally, this positive attitude helps keep morale up. It's all part of a longer-term plan for a happy, healthy enterprise.
However, when selling through a variety of platforms, it's tricky to provide top-quality support for every customer. You'll need to quickly respond to questions, messages, and refund requests on your website, on other selling platforms from third parties as well as social media platforms, and more.
Optimize the checkout experience
People prefer certain markets or platforms because they're familiar and simple to use. Sometimes it's because they don't have to visit an extra website or application. In other instances, it's due to the fact that their payment options are stored or checkout is super simple.
Making sure that you provide a great Omnichannel experience is also about allowing users to choose the method of payment they prefer and keeping the process as simple as is possible.
You can boost conversions during checkout by doing few factors:
Organize your email marketing into a single, smart tool
Regardless of where someone purchased a product or learned about your company, as long as they're on your email list it is possible to follow up with them. Invite them with welcome emails, reach out with special offers, or 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, email abandoned cart customers in order to recover lost sales and more. In addition, as with PayPal, MailPoet lets you integrate everything directly into your WordPress dashboard. It's an efficient, time-saving email marketing tool.
Always review and update your strategy for omnichannel
What do successful businesses have in the common? They are constantly striving to make improvements. There are many platforms that will not prove to be a perfect fit. Some strategies that don't work for others will prove to an enormous benefit for your business. Do not be scared of changing and don't get obsessed with particular item.
On top of that, look into the data available on your platform and spend time learning the ways analytics tools function. It's a worthwhile investment for your future.
And remember, long-term growth requires patience. Avoid spending excessively looking at other sellers. You should be aware of the strategies others have been using successfully however, you must work to improve your own efforts. Continue to improve and revise and you'll get pretty good.
Omnichanneling without physical site
A good omnichannel ecommerce strategy doesn't require a retail location. There's a wide range of other platforms you can sell your online store to Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Facebook, Google Shopping as well as many other.
Create an unifying presence on each selling channel. Connect with your customers, and make sure they feel supported as well as do your marketing efforts and you'll be on the way to creating Omnichannel sales!