The diagram below demonstrates how consumer behaviour has altered with the onset of online shopping and a permanently connected world,with 51% of all consumers now researching online before visiting a store.What is an Omni-consumer?The Omni-channel customer has 360 degrees of discovery and uses all possible channels simultaneously prior to purchasing a product. This means customers are entering stores already well informed about product features and price. Seamless shopping means that instead of perceiving a variety of touch points as part of the same brand, consumers will be able to seamlessly explore brands through mobile, TV, desktop, in store and socially, creating a customer centric experience that is not channel specific.The following example from Marc Jacobs shows a brand that has been particularly successful in Omni-channel marketing.
Each touch point fits seamlessly and enables a consumer to engage research or purchase on the device of their choice.So what are the benefits of moving to Omni-channel marketing?Increased customer interaction helps the customer to develop a better understanding of the brand. From an operational perspective this can mean slight changes, with a possible higher demand for new launches and highly informed consumers that may demand expertise knowledge from brand employees.Omni-channel consumers spend on average 15%-20% more than existing customers and exhibit strong brand loyalty. However an immersive experience of the brand can be a costly outlay, with the requirement to manage multiple experience points in the path to purchase.We are now seeing that consumers interact with brands in the ways that work for them and not the other way around. Retailers need to remain flexible to the consumer’s requirement to immerse them in the brand, ongoing engagement being poignant to the action and future purchasing behaviour of the consumer.2014-04-02 09:37:42 By Matty Wilcock
