Find Your Customer in the Maze of Omni and Multi-Channel

The only constant in modern commerce is that today’s knowledge and technology is obsolete tomorrow. Stay ahead of the game by keeping one mantra in mind: in everything you do, drive unified commerce (we’ll tell you how below). Shoppers today connect to businesses via a range of channels, whether it’s through Facebook, emails, Instagram messenger, a mobile app, phone or in-store.

Consequentially, customers are meeting companies at a much higher number of touch-points than ever before, which in turn means that businesses need to ensure a great seamless customer experience across a web of various channels. Driving unified commerce means that you assume the customer utilises multiple forms of media to browse your products or to contact you, so you need to establish a cohesive brand and connection strategy for each of your channels AND for each of your customers.

MULTI-, OMNI-, AND MORE

Multi-channel means establishing a presence in several channels, while the next level, omni-channel, entails creating a cohesive and consistent customer experience across all channels. If omni-channel is a level up, then unified commerce is the apex; it’s mastering omni-channel by deeply understanding your customer. This method (unified commerce) aims to detect a customer’s preferred channel and thereby optimise their experience using data as your guide.

Click (or Tap) into unified commerce using the following tips from Vaimo.

KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER

Get to know your customer – who is he or she? Is she more likely to find your products on Instagram, or through a Youtube video tutorial? Is he a member of an online forum where he might run across your ad? Whatever the case may be, identify your customers and build a likely customer journey. Tracking and analysing your target audience will show your shoppers’ preferences, from behavioral patterns to the communication channels they favor. Be sure to gather feedback from customers to see where you can boost their experience even further.

OWN YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE

Make your customer service fast, irrespective of the channel, and don’t make the customers have to try another channel. Modern customers treat online stores like any other website – if there’s an issue, whether it’s speed or inconvenience, the customer will simply move to another site. A fast and frictionless customer journey is key, and merchants that understand how to use that as a guiding principle in creating an agile and flexible technology environment are the ones that succeed.

SYNC YOUR MESSAGE

Make sure your online store works seamlessly, with a consistent message across channels (content parity), and a smooth integration between your technology and your customer service processes and staff. As a test, have your own employees or friends and family make test purchases and returns – and collect their feedback. Did they receive conflicting messages, like an employee telling them their order was cancelled, but an automatic email stating otherwise?

Also, train your employees to really understand the technology they are using and the touch-points inside and out, as they themselves are an integral part of the smooth customer journey.

OVERCOME CHALLENGES

There are many things that might get in your way to unified commerce bliss. Legacy systems hinder the addition of the latest functionality and real-time processing, while organisational and technological silos similarly limit your reach. This also makes your data fragmented and harder to access, which makes analysing your customers more difficult. Merchants need to implement solutions to replace legacy systems and crack silos to merge communications with customers for a better retail experience and ultimately, to drive more sales. Yes, it’s troublesome, and yes, it’s expensive, but competitive retailers are doing everything they can to attract new customers – and so should you.

GET OUT THERE AND DO IT

Establish new solutions now and reap the benefits in the long run by making your brand and message strong wherever it meets your customer. Improve your customer experience by getting to know your customer personally, and equip yourself with the tools to do it today and not tomorrow!

Get in touch with us today to establish your unified commerce!