By mobilizing different channels simultaneously, the Cross channel communication multiplies the points of contact between the company and its audience. This strategy places the customer experience at the center, to better meet consumer expectations. La Cross channel communication promises not only to strengthen its visibility and to offer an innovative customer experience, but also better overall performance for businesses.
What is cross-channel communication?
La Cross channel communication consists of a distribution strategy that allows a consumer to use different channels to get in touch with a brand. It takes advantage of the decompartmentalization of channels and their complementarity in order to make them work for the benefit of each other. This synergy of contact points represents significant growth potential, as well as a way to capture and retain customers. Since the consumer remains the top priority today, cross-channel seems to be the way to integrate consumers into the center of their business strategy.
Omnichannel, multi-channel, and cross-channel communication: what are the differences?
Multichannel is characterized by the mobilization of several channels that are not likely to interfere. Each channel remains autonomous, for unidirectional communication via major media or with direct marketing channels, internet or mailing. The disadvantage of multichannel is the lack of interactivity: the company must absolutely strive to standardize its communications on the various channels in order to maintain a certain coherence. The difficulty lies in the need to multiply the opportunities to get in touch with your target, without ever weakening the performance of one channel in favor of another.
Omnichannel is emerging as an evolution of multichannel, responding to new consumer expectations. It optimizes all distribution channels and integrates them into a global marketing strategy. Omnichannel improves customer relationships, by focusing on the experience lived on digital channels and in points of sale. It increases interactions and streamlines the customer journey, who can contact the brand through the channels of their choice.
If multichannel seeks to vary the points of contact, the Cross channel communication goes further and proposes complementarity between the various channels, mobilized simultaneously and brought to interact. This strategy increases conversion opportunities during the customer journey and promotes a better online or point of sale experience.
Objectives and advantages of a cross-channel communication strategy
The strategy of Cross channel communication aims to capture and maintain prospects in the company's ecosystem. Its aim is to multiply the possibilities of the consumer to come into contact with the brand, thanks to the synergy of marketing channels.
The different marketing channels
A channel is a way through which a company interacts with its customer or invites interaction, but also a commercial channel. Businesses generally use the following channels:
- Web desktop/mobile;
- Social networks;
- Print materials (flyers, catalogs, etc.);
- Physical points of sale;
- Digital signage in stores or DOOH.
The challenges and advantages of cross channel
The objective of the Cross channel communication is to optimize processes, in order to gain in performance, competitiveness and visibility. For its effectiveness to be expected and measurable, the company must implement certain actions.
Streamlining logistics
The synergy of channels involves improving the organization between stores, the e-commerce site and customer support (email, telephone, etc.) The cross-channel aims to streamline the customer journey, which cannot therefore face the lack of collaboration between the brand's departments.
Optimize the general organization
The challenge of cross-channel is to have time-consuming operations carried out by the company (in store and via customer support) by the consumer himself on the Internet. By offloading these services, cross-channel compensates for the drop in margins due to the development of digital channels, forced to adopt a permanent discount policy to remain attractive on an ultra-competitive web market, by reducing operating costs.
Driving strategic growth
Rapid development can become anarchic, which is why cross-channel involves rigorous monitoring of sales volumes for each channel in order to control their growth and not to disrupt the functioning of the company. Indeed, the development of distance sales will necessarily have an impact at the social level — the need for recruitment and staff allocation — and on inventory management.
The company that manages to meet the challenges of Cross channel communication can expect significant growth. In addition to improving its brand image, it is growing commercially by attracting new customers. Finally, it perfects and optimizes its relationship with consumers by supporting them throughout the purchasing process.
Objectives and measurement of the results of the cross channel
The success of a strategy of Cross channel communication is assessed with the analysis of results and benefits thanks to the indicators specific to the various channels:
- Web desktop/mobile, social networks: organic visits and results of paid advertising by analyzing coverage and impressions, engagement, volume of conversions, cost per conversion, cost per conversion, cost per click, etc.;
- E-commerce site and marketplace: visitor traffic, average basket value, conversion rate, etc.
In addition to these two channels, digital signage can be added: as with e-commerce, the success indicators of a point of sale include the traffic generated and the evolution of sales. When digital signage is integrated into the store space, it becomes an additional channel for a cross-channel strategy. THE digital signage in points of sale helps increase traffic and quantify the audience that comes in front of the screens. In particular, there are 4 performance indicators in-store screens and Cenareo has developed a performance score to measure and improve the impact of your communication screens via 4 key criteria: the attractiveness of the media used, the freshness of the campaigns broadcast, contextual targeting and the balance of your strategy glocal.
The Cenareo solution dedicated to digital signage in stores is a powerful and innovative tool at the service of Cross channel communication businesses. Manage your communication and monetize empty spaces on your screens with a solution adapted to programmatic advertising, with a high ROI.
How to deploy a cross-channel strategy?
The strategy of Cross channel communication is part of a company's overall digital strategy, in order to respond to the changes in behavior brought by digital technology.
Define your goals
To develop a plan of Cross channel communication, achievable and measurable goals should be set. Should cross-channel give the company the opportunity to increase its visibility on the internet? To increase turnover? From this questioning will result in specific sub-objectives for each channel mobilized.
Segmenting your audience
Segmentation makes it possible to better understand your audience and expectations. The aim is to address them more effectively, with the most appropriate offers, via the most relevant channels. This step consists in establishing the criteria that qualify your target based on age, gender, consumption habits and any other factor useful to their knowledge.
Develop an action plan
Studying your target makes it easier to define the customer journey for your strategy Cross channel communication. What are the contact points mobilized? What are their buying preferences? The customer journey study highlights the opportunities to strengthen its communication operations. The action plan then sets out the measures for developing the cross-channel strategy: the type of content to be published, their format, the channel to be mobilized, what type of offer to highlight...
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Cenareo supports companies in their strategy of Cross channel communication, thanks to the power of digital signage. With its solution of digital signage software for content management with a high ROI, attract new customers to points of sale and provide them with an immersive shopping experience.
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