Understanding Omni-Channel Retailing

The philosophy of omni-channel retailing is about providing consistent, yet unique brand experiences across multiple customer touch points. For example, a brick and mortar storefront should be thinking not only about their appearance in person but also how that imagery and theme carries through in marketplaces, websites, mobile imaging, interactive catalogs, in-store displays, and social media. 

Customers are looking for and at your business in more than one way. About 7% of consumers are only looking online and 20% are only looking in-store while over 70% are looking at multiple channels before making a purchase. That is why having a fully-integrated approach to commerce will provide shoppers with a unified experience across online and offline channels. True omni-channel retailing extends from physical locations to mobile-browsing, e-commerce marketplaces to onsite storefronts, social media to retargeting, and everything in between. 

The ability to deliver a consistent experience across offline and online channels, while factoring in different devices that consumers are using will make your business more successful. You will see a higher return on investment the better you make your user’s experience. The omni-channel consumer journey uses information about one sales channel and invites consumers to participate in another which they might not have done otherwise. This aids in future brand recognition, a critical aspect of business success.