Customers seamlessly switch between your website, social media, and physical stores every day. Did you know that more than half of customers use three to five channels for a single purchase? What once seemed revolutionary is now the standard: the omnichannel approach.
Yet, only a few companies manage to make this complex journey truly seamless. What’s their secret? In this blog, we’ll guide you through the steps to optimise your omnichannel customer experience—from analysing the customer journey to investing in technology for personalised interactions.
An effective omnichannel strategy starts with fully mapping out the customer journey. Thanks to new data analytics capabilities, you can now understand better than ever how customers experience each interaction and how these shape their overall journey. You can now identify and prioritise the most important cross-channel journeys. Which paths across different channels are taken most frequently? Which generates the highest conversions? Or, where do customers encounter the most difficulties? You can determine where to optimise your customer journey by recognising these key routes. This allows you to take targeted actions to enhance the experience in a highly effective and efficient manner.
For instance, at the start of their journey, a customer may find it important to be able to check the availability in-store. Meanwhile, in-store, they might appreciate being able to view their wishlist via the mobile app, helping them locate items faster and view them in person before making a decision. Then, after making a purchase, the customer may value engagement through notifications on upcoming sales of related items. And how convenient would it be if a customer in-store could choose to have the product delivered to their home and select a preferred delivery time?
Once you have identified and optimised the key touchpoints, the next step is to create a personalised customer experience. Personalisation is the key to success in an omnichannel strategy. Today’s customers are willing to share their preferences and needs—as long as they receive a tailored experience in return. This presents a significant opportunity to guide customers through their journey in a way that truly resonates with them.
Imagine store employees having access to real-time customer information. This would enable them to provide personalised assistance that perfectly matches the customer’s needs. Or consider flexible delivery options that align precisely with customer preferences. By integrating personalisation into every touchpoint, you not only create moments of surprise and satisfaction but also build stronger, long-term customer relationships. This leads to a competitive advantage that is hard to match. It’s every retailer’s dream—but how do you make it a reality?
To bring this personalised customer journey to life, you need the right technological infrastructure. A comprehensive and consistent view of your customers is essential, regardless of the channel they use. Integrating systems such as CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and CDP (Customer Data Platform) enables you to synchronise customer data across various channels.
Additionally, logistical systems such as WMS (Warehouse Management System) and OMS (Order Management System) play a key role in ensuring product availability and flexible fulfilment options. By integrating these systems, you can provide accurate stock information and flexible delivery choices. These integrations not only enhance customer communication but also ensure that back-end processes—such as inventory management and shipping—run smoothly. These systems form the backbone of a successful omnichannel strategy. But how do you make the right choices?
A modern IT architecture is based on the MACH principle (which stands for Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, and Headless). It consists of manageable components that work together closely but are also easily adaptable per service. It should also decouple the front end from the backend. For most companies, this is the way forward but by no means a quick fix. It's best to follow a phased approach, using business and IT priorities to depict the order. This lays the foundation for an omnichannel strategy that evolves with changes in customer behaviour and technological innovations.
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Our experts are happy to share their insights and explore how your organisation can take the next step.