Over the last few years, consumer habits and needs have changed as a result of new communication technologies creating a kind of consumer 2.0 who splits their purchases across multiple platforms, requiring companies, especially those in the Retail sector, to readapt and reinvent themselves - one of which goes by the name of Omnichannel.
Omnichannel strategy: what is it?
Omnichannel (omnichannel is a strategy that helps your company offer a unique brand experience to your customers on multiple sales platforms. This implies not only a physical and online presence, as well as the necessary articulation between these two sales channels, but also the presence of the same language, quality of service and products. In practice, regardless of the channel from which the customer contacts your business, they are expected to experience the same type of service. This link between the two channels (physical and online) can take various forms.
By including an omnichannel strategy, your business can, for example,
- start accepting orders and receive payments onlinegiving customers the opportunity to pick up their purchases in the physical shop
- create omnichannel marketing strategies that, according to sales data, encourage purchases in one of the two channels available
In essence, a cross-channel omnichannel strategy (omnichannel online offline) will give your company greater flexibility and the ability to appeal to a consumer who is no longer loyal to just one sales channel and who values, above all, the personalisation of the purchasing journey, competitive prices and the ease and convenience with which they pay for their purchases.
How can you implement an omnichannel strategy in your business?
Putting the consumer at the centre of your activity through an omnichannel strategy will require deep attention to detail and may take some time to bear fruit, but it will be worth it once sales and turnover increase.
To implement an omnichannel strategy in your business, the first thing to do is, after create a website to support your physical business or a physical support for your online business, integrating all the channels under the same language and form of operation.
In addition, in order to make the consumer experience more homogeneous, create complementary channels to these on social networks and, if it makes sense, create an app to bring customers closer to the brand and give them a more personalised experience.
Whilst it's good to extend your business's presence, you need to ensure that the response rate and quality cuts across all channels and devices, otherwise you'll create friction in the customer experience.
After this more technical phase, the implementation of an omnichannel strategy must go through:
Homogenising the language on the various channels
Speaking with one voice, regardless of the platform the customer is on, is essential if your omnichannel strategy is to work as you hope.
For this to happen, your company's message must be clear, non-standardised (it could become boring and lose its attractiveness) and personalised (it's important to compile and monitor the data left by your customers over time to be able to offer what each customer expects at any given time) in order to meet the needs of the consumers you want to attract and retain.
Automation, payments and logistics
Making the buying journey as satisfying and personalised as possible should include an email automation strategy that periodically sends messages designed specifically for each of your customers or subscribers.
For example, if you sell technology items and have a customer who is very receptive to gadgets related to gaming, send them discount coupons for headphones or headsets or inform them of the arrival of a new product. However, for the message to get the response you expect, it must be sent at the right time and be eye-catching.
So that there is no friction at the height of the checkout (finalising the purchase with the act of payment), it is important that the means of payment you make available to your customers are adapted not only to the sales platform, but also to the habits and needs of consumers.
In the case of your site, consider including one of the online payment solutions of REDUNIQ: the E-Commerce payment gateway or the REDUNIQ@Payments.
- REDUNIQ E-Commerce allows your online shop to receive e-commerce payments with debit and credit cards, Visa and Mastercard, from customers all over the world, with no membership costs or monthly fees, while guaranteeing you checkout processes with less friction and a higher sales rate.
- The REDUNIQ@Payments turnkey solution, which is aimed at businesses that sell online without a website (e.g. social networks or marketplaces), will allow you to receive payments online, by e-mail, SMS, WhatsAppby Multibanco reference, MB WAY or with Visa and Mastercard, by issuing a payment link through the REDUNIQ portal, without having to worry about membership costs, fixed costs, monthly fees or integration.
As far as your physical business is concerned, you should make sure that your automatic payment terminal - TPA be prepared to receive contactless paymentsas this is the increasingly common way for the Portuguese to pay for their purchases.
To help you with this task, REDUNIQ offers you three innovative TPAs:
- REDUNIQ Easy: this solution gives your business, whether it's seasonal or has a low sales volume, access to a payment terminal with a high quality of service. monthly fee according to the monthly invoicing volume, with no commissions, loyalty period or minimum revenue, allowing you to accept credit and debit card payments (Visa and Mastercard brands) via PIN, contactless e MB WAY and thus enjoy yet another way of increasing your sales and, consequently, your turnover.
- REDUNIQ SmartAndroid automatic payment terminal which, in addition to allowing a physical shop to accept contactless payments with card, chip, MB WAY, Google Pay and Apple PayIn addition, it comes with a set of management apps that will help your business become fully mobile and digital.
Among the apps available is Instalments nowan application that allows its customers to payment in instalments between 2 and 6 interest-free monthly instalments, while your business will receive the full amount of the purchase in one go every day, without any additional fees or commissions.
- REDUNIQ Soft: this is a NFC payment Android that allows you to turn your mobile phone into a real terminal from which, at any time or place, you can receive payments easily and quickly by QR Code, NFC or Contactless.
When it comes to logistics, put consumer empowerment into action,
- buy in a shop and receive the parcel at home;
- buy online and pick up in shop;
- buy online and have it delivered to your home. hiring transport companies that guarantee low delivery times and, in some cases, free deliveries.
Monitor the customer experience and fine-tune the strategy whenever necessary
For your omnichannel strategy to be as effective as possible, it is important that it is accompanied by constant monitoring of your customers' behaviour.
Make use of CRM or GA4 tools, interpret the data, identify the obstacles that are creating friction and change the strategy to unblock these constraints.
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