An omnichannel customer journey is a buying process, where the customer uses various points of contact, combining several communication channels. The objective is to offer an unmistakable experience and service to your customer. During this omnichannel journey, the consumer goes through various stages, before reaching the final phase which is that of the purchase.
The different stages of the omnichannel customer journey
The customer can discover a product through a display advertising campaign on their daily journey, view a sponsored publication on social networks that announces upcoming promotional offers for this product, or even visit the online store. That's what we call the consumer awareness stage.
During the secondary phase In the omnichannel customer journey, the consumer will learn about the brand, using their smartphone to be able to visit the website, consult online reviews and thus ask questions on social media to obtain more information on the product sheet.
Later, once the customer has determined his needs, he will act with the brand to complete the purchase. This is the terminal phase of the omnichannel customer journey. Therefore, if the customer is satisfied with their purchase, they could later recommend the company to a friend or become loyal to the brand. That's what we call the Viral marketing phenomenon.
Better understand the value of the omnichannel customer journey
It is for meet the expectations of constantly connected consumers and whose buying habits are changing very quickly, that this omnichannel customer journey approach was therefore designed. Faced with the multiplication and diversification of possible potential points of contact between a brand and a consumer, businesses must meet their needs in order to optimize all existing contact channels. The commercial relationship has become more complex, the consumer has freed himself from the traditional buying process; the omni-consumer obtains information quickly, anywhere and especially at any time, and therefore expects to receive an answer immediately.
Depending on the use of his smartphone, he will tend to mobilizing several ways indifferently and successively to come into contact with a company : via its website, the physical point of sale, by email or even through social networks. However, he expects the company to offer him a unified, smooth, and consistent experience, thanks to an offer and a sense of attentive and qualitative customer service, regardless of the channel used. The various channels are therefore not competing, but complementary, and require a questioning of the company's strategy in the face of current challenges: hence the need to articulate and do operate in synergy all available channels, in a fluid way to provide optimal service, and build customer loyalty.
An omnichannel strategy can only be deployed unless there is a profound transformation of the company and a reorganization of processes in order to always put customer needs at the center of the activity and decisions taken. Omnicanality is then an adapted response for businesses in relation to new customer uses: it is based on close interaction and a permanent exchange between them. All the interactions in the omnichannel customer journey are now an integral part of the entity's value proposition and constitute a differentiating aspect from the competition, to the benefit of the customer experience.
Differences between single-channel, cross-channel, omni-channel
The single-channel designates a sales journey made up of a single sales channel : for a brand, it may be a question of selling goods at a physical point of sale.
Cross-channel offers, for its part, a more complete experience, characterized by a wide range of possibilities and more flexibility. It is based on the mobilization of several channels (email, social networks, telephone, etc.), which act in a complementary way at all times during the customer journey. This synergy brings fluidity and coherence to the experience, the consumer is assured of receiving the same response from all services linked to the various channels. This mode of operation adapts to the needs and desires of the consumer, who can buy a product on a brand's online store and then turn to the physical point of sale to pick up his order.
The customer journey Omnichannel is positioned as an evolution of cross-channel. This new “user centric” concept places the consumer and his experience at the center of the company's concerns. The objective remains to offer a new and memorable experience, where the customer is led to live a journey characterized by great fluidity and by the personalization of the relationship at each point of contact. This approach requires retailers to establish real synergy and coherence between all available channels, because today's customers are likely to mobilize them simultaneously. By deploying an omnichannel strategy, businesses can aim to present the best possible experience to their customers, in order to retain them over the long term.
How to develop your omnichannel strategy?
Discover The key steps in marketing, to develop an omnichannel strategy that offers a tailor-made and qualitative experience to its customers, and thus seize a unique chance to retain them and improve their results.
Step 1: Know your customers well
In the era of the omnichannel customer journey, know your target like the back of your hand, their needs, their feelings and their opinions, is essential. It is important to cultivate your relationship with her by getting as close as possible to her through simple actions. Thanks to more or less elaborate tools, it is possible to question them directly via surveys or polls, to analyze their published opinions, to identify trends through emails exchanged, or even to examine the behavior of a user on their site or application to understand their browsing path and therefore their intentions. What requests led them to your site, which pages attract attention or, on the contrary, scare them away? All means are good to collect data, in order to analyze it to obtain relevant information according to its objectives. Segmenting consumers makes it possible to better understand their needs, expectations and consumption habits. This is very valuable information to offer them a simple, personalized and intuitive omnichannel customer journey, but also by sending them the message that corresponds to them. It is the best way to establish a strategy that is adapted and optimized according to the most important element, namely the customer. The objective is really to provide a customer experience that is as fluid and personalized as possible on all the channels involved.
Step 2: Have a good CRM
Omnicanality places the customer at the center of the strategy: it is therefore essential for companies to equip themselves with the best tools in order to better understand and respond to them. Customer knowledge is the key element in deploying an omnichannel strategy, which requires the provision ofpowerful CRM software for its teams. The role of customer relationship management software is in fact to collect, store, centralize, analyze and allow the exploitation of customer data as it interacts with the company during its omnichannel customer journey. Each employee can easily consult the history of interactions and customer information in one click, in order tooffer a fast and quality customer experience constant, as well as informed information about the customer's situation from one channel to another. This software is designed to improve customer relationships and stay ahead of the competition in the face of ever more demanding consumers.
Step 3: Be consistent during the stages of the customer journey
The multiplication of contact points during the omnichannel customer journey between a company and a consumer requires a lot of effort in order to: offer a consistent and aligned customer experience. To achieve this, companies must reinvent their organization internally thanks to CRM in particular, but also at the level of processes in order to offer a unified and highly personalized service in continuity, online and offline. Each channel in which a prospect or a customer engages must offer the same level of response and satisfaction to maintain consistency., better meet expectations and build customer loyalty. A multitude of details come into play to present a coherent journey to a consumer: compliance with a graphic charter applied to all media, harmonized prices and delivery conditions or even the use of a distinctive editorial tone are prerequisites for promising a unique experience, quality and a constant level of service.
Step 4: Personalize the customer experience
Omnicanality is based on a tailor-made journey adapted to its target audience; the aspect of personalization is therefore a determining and differentiating factor in the customer journey to convert and retain. Because to offer a unique experience that surpasses the competition, omnichannel is seen as an opportunity to make a difference. Personalization implies that the company adapts to the real needs of customers and is positioned as an aid in order to respond to them, with a more empathetic and human approach. In short, a real sense of service. There are a multitude of biases and actions to personalize a customer's journey in relation to their type, the channels mobilized and their intentions: the sending of personalized email sequences and newsletters according to the segmentation of the persona - in the event of an abandoned cart for example, a display of the site adapted to the browser, for example, a display of the site adapted to the browser, which highlights suggestions based on the products already purchased or consulted by the browser, the sending of alerts for special events (private sales, sales), birthdays, etc.). The goal is to truly offer its customers an experience that is as smooth as it is pleasant, in order to significantly increase sales and retain them over the long term. Customer satisfaction remains essential for businesses, since the customer will take more into consideration the brands they aspire to.
The impact of personalization on turnover is proven, but it is not the only benefit. It makes it possible to maintain a very special relationship with a consumer during the omnichannel customer journey, and therefore to generate greater loyalty. As the experience is experienced as more qualitative, human and individualized by the customer, he comes out strengthened in his choice and in his purchase, and is ready to renew his trust.
Digital signage, the perfect channel for an omnichannel experience
To face the success of e-commerce and the flight of visitors, the retail sector must bring customers back to the store, and especially attract new ones by becoming Omnibusiness. This is how the concept of” was born Phygital ”, which combines the digital sphere with the physical world. Retailers want Reinventing the customer experience and deploy a wealth of strategies in order to make consumers want to go to physical points of sale again: web-to-store and web-in-store were developed to meet the expectations of consumers who are more connected than ever, and to turn the situation around to their advantage.
These concepts have seen the emergence practices that aim to make e-commerce sites and physical stores complementary, such as the possibility of withdrawing or returning products ordered online directly in store. Omnicanality has also accelerated the use of digital signage in stores and points of sale in order to optimize the customer experience.
What is dynamic signage?
Digital signage, known as “digital signage” in English, refers to a means of communication that contributes to broadcast multimedia content on screens. As a result, the term “dynamic” combines two aspects: on the one hand, the presentation of an animated message and, on the other hand, the ability of the user to maneuver his digital communication.
The challenge of omnicanality is to multiply the points of contact between the company and consumers, to create a relationship and exchanges with them on the various channels mobilized. So-called traditional channels must be exploited in the same way as new digital tools, in order to reach and build a solid relationship with the target. For retailers, the physical point of sale remains the most obvious and accessible potential shopping space, as it embodies their presence and physical identity.
Why choose Cenareo?
By broadcasting the latest advertising campaigns to reinforce the brand image of the brand, by allowing the consultation of an interactive catalog, by displaying offers, by creating digital signage. The digitization of retail spaces, and in particular with digital signage, has the advantage of generating highly qualified in-store traffic, and of increasing sales thanks to a personalized and unique customer experience. Cenareo and its management system dedicated to digital signage facilitate the sharing of content in real time on its fleet of screens, in order to offer an innovative experience, a real bridge between the physical point of sale and the digital world. Digital signage is not only a very powerful communication channel, but also a great way to create interaction with customers in-store.
Cenareo supports you in the deployment of your omnichannel strategy, to attract new customers, offer them a new experience and retain them. Its digital signage management system facilitates the automation of impacting content, to better respond to new trends that are ever more innovative and user-centric in the shopping experience.
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