Customers are shopping across diverse digital channels as well as brick-and-mortar stores. To meet their needs at every touchpoint, you need to do more than offer multiple channels. You have to deliver fully interconnected experiences.
This is where developing an omnichannel ecommerce experience comes in.
Omnichannel ecommerce helps customers have a smooth and connected experience, whether they’re shopping on social media, your website, your app, or in-store.
In this guide, we’ll look at the many benefits of using an omnichannel ecommerce plan. We’ll also explain how to build a plan that helps your business grow.
Omnichannel ecommerce is a way to bring together your marketing, sales, and customer service so everything works as one.
It connects online and in-store shopping and links all the places customers interact with your business online. This includes websites, ecommerce marketplaces, mobile apps, social media, and email.
This means that customers can enjoy a consistent, frictionless experience while:
Omnichannel and multichannel ecommerce share one key similarity. They both use multiple channels to reach and engage with customers. But how these channels are used is entirely different.
A multichannel ecommerce strategy maximizes reach by offering multiple channels to customers. This includes:
However, all of these channels operate in isolation. So, there’s no integration, communication, or data sharing between channels. This results in fragmented, inconsistent experiences.
An omnichannel ecommerce strategy creates consistent, holistic experiences across multiple channels. It does this by integrating touchpoints, platforms, and data.
It harmonizes and synchronizes everything from:
This allows customers to switch seamlessly between channels.
Omnichannel ecommerce can be a bit confusing. But once you understand the four key components that the strategy is built on, it’s easy to see how it all comes together. So, let’s get into it.
In omnichannel ecommerce, every touchpoint your customers interact with has consistent, cohesive branding. This includes your:
Uniform branding makes you instantly recognizable across touchpoints. It also makes you synonymous with your key brand pillars. These are your purpose, personality, values, positioning, and promises.
In turn, you increase your brand’s authenticity and trustworthiness. These are essential for driving conversions and loyalty.
Not convinced? 46% of customers will pay more for brands they trust.
Your customer journey encompasses many different platforms. These include:
It isn’t a straightforward journey, as customers tend to bounce back and forth between channels.
Omnichannel ecommerce integrates customer platforms and critical tools like your CRM and ERP. This means customers get the same experience at every step. This includes learning about your brand and becoming loyal fans.
For example, they can switch between channels and receive the same:
It even enables features like:
Cross-platform customer journey integration also extends to customer service. An omnichannel contact center unifies all of your customer service channels. These include phone, SMS, email, and live chat.
This means that customers can switch between channels without having to repeat their issues. This facilitates streamlined service experiences.
Omnichannel ecommerce strategies rely on key systems like:
These systems maximize stock visibility. They do this by enabling real-time inventory and order tracking across platforms.
So, no matter where your customers shop, they’ll be able to access the most up-to-date information about:
You’ll also gain 360-degree visibility into your inventory levels. This drives optimized stock management and reduces stockouts and overstocking.
Siloed data creates disjointed experiences. According to Salesforce, 79% of customers expect interactions to be consistent across departments. But 55% of people still feel like they’re talking to separate teams instead of one connected company.
Omnichannel strategies fix this by putting all data in one place. This makes it easier for teams to use the same information. When data is shared well, businesses can quickly collect and study it from different channels to learn things like:
When all your teams share the same data, they can work together to give each customer a smooth and personal experience. They can view every past brand interaction to tailor:
Omnichannel ecommerce drives:
This enriches customer insights.
Let’s deep dive into exactly how omnichannel ecommerce fuels business growth.
35% of an ecommerce store's revenue is created by the top 5% of customers. These are customers who make repeat purchases and recommend your brand to others.
Omnichannel experiences curate these loyal customers by meeting their needs for:
A loyalty-driving omnichannel experience may look something like this:
Not to mention that if customers need support, they can receive exceptional services via:
Omnichannel ecommerce opens the door to vast markets of new potential buyers.
If you only use one platform to connect with customers, you limit yourself to a small demographic.
But if you create a presence on various platforms, you can enhance your brand’s visibility across the digital landscape. This includes using platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Etsy, and Amazon.
For example, age is a key factor that influences which channels customers use to:
Take social media, for example. Gen Z prefers TikTok and Instagram. Millennials prefer YouTube. Gen X and Boomers usually choose Facebook.
The same goes for customer service preferences. Younger generations prefer live chat and social media. Older generations are more comfortable with the telephone and email.
By expanding your channels, you make your brand more accessible to your target audience. This boosts your reach and unlocks entry into new markets.
McKinsey research found that customers who shop across platforms are 70% more likely to make purchases. They also spend 34% more than people who exclusively shop in store.
But what is it about omnichannel ecommerce that makes it so profitable?
Firstly, the more shopping channels you have, the more customers you can reach. In turn, you can generate more sales. But it goes even deeper than that. When you connect all your channels, customers can shop their way, easily and without trouble.
Customers can buy online and collect in store. Alternatively, they can use your mobile app to scan items while they’re in store and view:
This encourages easy, confident purchases.
Plus, omnichannel unlocks better upselling opportunities that ramp up sales. You can use integrated ecommerce upselling tools to make tailored product recommendations.
These tools include Upsell.com. Tailored recommendations are based on past purchases or recently browsed items.
When all your channels work together, it’s easier to follow each customer’s journey and send them the right message at the right time to help them buy.
Let’s say that a customer abandons their online cart. Here, you can reel them back in by sending encouraging reminders via email or push notifications. Follow up with an exclusive discount or tailored product recommendations to incentivize purchases.
Upsell.com helps you increase AOV with targeted offers across the full shopping journey, from product and cart to checkout, post purchase, and beyond.
Overall, omnichannel ecommerce reduces cart abandonments by creating frictionless checkout experiences across touchpoints.
Carts can be synced across platforms. Cart notifications can follow customers from web to mobile. Customer service can be integrated into checkout pages to deliver speedy issue resolutions.
Unified data delivers rich customer insights. When you better understand what your customers like, you can create marketing messages that speak directly to them. This helps more people stay interested and make purchases.
For example, if you know what a customer recently looked at or liked, you can send them an email with content they’ll probably enjoy.
Alternatively, retarget them with a tailored ad on social media based on a product page they visited.
You can also analyze recent purchases to send:
This has the potential to significantly boost repeat sales. Together, Upsell.com users made an extra $2.42 billion in sales from upselling after a purchase.
Omnichannel strategies are much more involved than multichannel strategies. So, you’ll need a clear, detailed plan of action. By following the steps below, you can build and use a strong omnichannel plan that sets you up for success.
To create an omnichannel plan that helps your business grow, you need to set clear goals to track your progress and results.
Try using the SMART framework. This involves setting goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based.
Instead of setting a goal like “Increase customer loyalty.,” a SMART goal would be something like “Increase repeat purchases by 20% in the next year.” Make sure to determine quantifiable metrics for each objective.
Next up, create a customer journey map that outlines all the channels you currently use. Audit these channels to determine the role each touchpoint plays in your customer journey. Use cross-channel analytics and customer feedback to identify gaps and inconsistencies.
Common gaps to look out for include:
Now, it’s time to consolidate your customer data into a single system to enrich data visibility and accelerate access to insights. To do this, you’ll need a customer relationship management (CRM) system.
A CRM system collects and stores customer data from across your:
This allows you to create comprehensive customer profiles.
Gain instant visibility into which marketing campaigns every customer interacts with across things like:
See which sales channels they use to make purchases. Also, find out:
Access past conversations with customer service across your different channels - all in one place.
Armed with unified data, you can personalize experiences across channels by targeting customers with:
One of the most important steps is linking your online store with the tools you use.
This helps you keep customer info, products, shipping, and marketing all working together so that shoppers have a smooth experience on every platform.
Use APIs and plugins to integrate your ecommerce platform with tools like:
Delivering omnichannel customer support also requires integration. Here, you’ll need a VoIP-based phone system.
What is VoIP? It stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. It lets you make phone calls over an internet connection. VoIP providers enable users to connect easily with tools like CRMs, email, and helpdesk software, either directly or through APIs.
This helps agents support customers better by giving them one place to see customer info and making it easy to talk across different channels.
It takes around five to seven impressions for customers to remember your brand. If your brand looks or sounds different on each channel, people may not trust it, and that can hurt your sales and growth.
To build a strong and real online brand, create clear rules for how your brand should look and share them with your team.
The best way to do this is to create a brand book. This is an internal knowledge document that details the elements that make up your unique brand identity.
Key elements to specify in your brand guidelines include:
By using the same look and message everywhere, you can :
What is an example of an omnichannel strategy in action? Here are two standout examples from brands that are getting it right:
Barnes & Noble started as a physical bookstore but improved the way customers shop by adding a mobile app, mobile site, and desktop website.
Online, customers can see what’s in stock and check order and delivery info. They can also buy from any device and pick up in-store, with their shopping cart and order details staying the same across all channels.
The brand has also capitalized on the BookTok trend. When customers find books on TikTok, they can be sent to Barnes & Noble’s special BookTok pages on the website or app, making it easy for them to keep shopping.
Barnes & Noble’s personalized recommendations are on point, thanks to CRM integrations.
Starbucks is known for its coffee shops, but it also uses online tools to support shopping and customer rewards.
The Starbucks card, available as both a real card and a digital one, lets customers earn points every time they buy something.
Customers can order and pay for their drinks ahead of time, using different devices without any problems. Because Starbucks connects its app and payment systems to its customer database, it can give personalized tips and local suggestions.
Screenshot taken from starbucks.com
An omnichannel ecommerce strategy goes beyond just offering multiple channels. Start by setting clear goals, finding and fixing any gaps in your current channels, and making sure your data and tools work well together.
Keep your brand style the same across every customer interaction.
When you do this, your business can grow by:
Here are clear, quick answers to common questions people ask about omnichannel ecommerce.
The four pillars are channel integration, unified customer data, consistent brand messaging, and a seamless cross-channel experience. Together, they ensure customers can move smoothly between platforms without disruption.
The 4 C's are consistency, convenience, communication, and customer-centricity. These principles guide brands in delivering a unified and personalized experience across all touchpoints.
Multichannel means selling across different platforms that operate independently. Omnichannel connects those platforms so customers enjoy a continuous, consistent experience across every interaction.
Yes, Zara is a strong example of omnichannel retail. It integrates its online store, app, and physical locations to let customers browse, buy, and return across channels effortlessly.
Not entirely, Amazon is primarily multichannel. While it offers multiple shopping avenues like its website, app, and Alexa, it lacks the deep in-store integration that defines true omnichannel experiences.
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