The aim of every (successful) eCommerce business is for its products to be seen, recognized, and purchased, but visibility can be challenging in this technologically advanced world. On average, the world creates 2.5 quintillion bytes of data; it is roughly the size of four Eiffel towers stacked upon each other.

With so much content made daily, businesses have to be creative in how they promote their products. These innovative tactics are tied to marketing. You can do marketing in two ways; omnichannel vs. multichannel marketing, but people don’t know what they are. For example, omnichannel vs. multichannel marketing is often used interchangeably when they mean different things. So we will paint a clear picture of these marketing forms and how each can benefit your business.

Understanding the difference between omnichannel vs. multichannel marketing is essential for planning your campaigns properly.

Omnichannel Vs. Multichannel Marketing: How Do They Differ?

Omnichannel marketing is a coordinated approach to marketing that ensures brand consistency and message synchronization across multiple channels, including social media, email, mobile, in-store and online. It begins with the customer experience and uses data about the customer journey to identify what works best at each stage of the buying process.

On the other hand, multichannel marketing promotes products and services across multiple channels without necessarily considering where the customer is in their journey. Instead, its primary focus is not on creating a well-rounded customer experience but on driving sales.

In gauging omnichannel vs. multichannel marketing, the former focuses on integrating a customer’s experience and engagement across all marketing/ social media platforms, while the latter targets using different channels to drive sales irrespective of the brand voice on other media.

As the name implies, "omnichannel marketing" involves all channels, while "multichannel marketing" can use voice, print, chat, email, or a physical store. The critical differences in omnichannel vs. multichannel marketing are:

• Customers Experience - the multichannel marketing approach is accomplished when the customer completes a call to action, while the omnichannel do so by understanding the customer's behavior.

• Customer vs. Channel-Centric - the omnichannel approach considers building customer relationships an essential part of marketing, while the multichannel focuses on promoting content on all channels to gain engagement.

• Consistency - the multichannel marketing approach lacks consistency across all the platforms. Consistency is essential for a business because customers often switch to platforms that can offer a more well-rounded shopping experience, like in the omnichannel approach.

From the factors listed above, it is easy to spot that if customer experience and relationship are your eCommerce business's goal, then it is advisable to pursue the omnichannel approach.

Omnichannel marketing strategies deliver a seamless and consistent customer experience across all channels. For example, if a customer browses for a specific product on your website, they should be able to find it in your store or on your social media accounts as well. To better help your understanding, here are some examples of the omnichannel approach:

• Make it easy for customers to purchase online for in-store pickup. This strategy can reduce shipping costs for customers who prefer shopping online but want their orders immediately. Retailers like Best Buy and Home Depot offer this option.

• Include social media buttons on your website so customers can easily share content with friends on social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

• Include email signup options on your website and in-store so you can reach customers both online and offline.

• Highlight top-selling products on your website so customers know what’s popular right now.

Tips to a Winning Omnichannel Marketing Strategy for Your Brand

Although it is easier said than done, eCommerce brands can win with omnichannel marketing if they adopt the basics. Which are:

• Do Not Treat All Channels Equally

A customer filling their carts on your website is different from one who came across your content on social media. Every customer received from each channel should be handled differently. Your omnichannel marketing should account for the stages in the customer’s shopping experience.

• Create a Seamless Customer Experience

Since omnichannel marketing is customer-centric, the shopping experience should be straightforward and enjoyable for the customers. For example, eCommerce brands can achieve this with an easy-to-use store interface and straightforward navigation and call-to-action options.

• Integrate Your Offline and Online Channels

You cannot adopt an always available 24/7 customer support motto online and be available offline. However, an omnichannel marketing approach is seamless throughout, so customers should have access to you offline and online during working hours.

• Capitalize on Social Media

Social media is a massive advantage to eCommerce business owners wishing to tap into a wider audience. Customers come across new products daily online. Brands can leverage multiple social media platforms and an omnichannel approach to target potential customers.

We believe that omnichannel marketing allows eCommerce brands to level the playing field with more prominent players by providing a more personalized and targeted experience to their customers, and the best way to utilize the gains of omnichannel marketing is by using AllValue.

Whether it is on the go or in-store, wherever your customer is, you can create a seamless experience that will keep them coming back. AllValue achieves this by creating customized marketing campaigns and showing your ads to the right audience at the right time; this leads to a higher conversion rate and lowers your cost per acquisition (CPA). Experience next-level marketing with the omnichannel marketing approach at AllValue.