I say you don't...

The pandemic clearly showed why brands need to provide omnichannel experiences to efficiently engage B2C and B2B consumers with their offer. More so, consumers now judge and reward brands by their ability to reach and serve them in the channels they prefer. Research shows that customers say the best brands exceed their expectations across the entire customer journey regardless of what touchpoint they interact with.

With the pandemic followed an unprecedented growth in online shopping. According to Danmarks statistik, 4 mio. Danes shopped online in 2020, representing 85 percent of the population (age 16 to 89).

Successful commerce now requires a truly omnichannel approach, where digital and in-store channels, as well as in-store and back-office personnel, play together in a coherent and seamless way, and where customers can engage with the brand in the channels of their choice, across the entire purchase journey. They should be able to start in one channel and finish in another.

Having a clear omnichannel strategy is therefore critical for companies to deliver the customer experience demanded by customers and to deliver growth for the business.

Many companies today claim they provide omnichannel experiences, but in most cases I would claim this not to be true. Omnichannel is too often confused with a multi-channel environment, where customers have access to a variety of touchpoints for interaction, but which are not synchronized or connected. Brands can provide amazing mobile experiences, engaging campaigns and well-designed websites, but if these don't work together it' s not omnichannel.

To me, omnichannel is about providing a truly integrated and seamless customer experience no matter how or where customers engage with your brand. It's about understanding the customer journey and provide relevant touchpoints and means of interacting with the brand across that journey, also taking into consideration the context, e.g. time of day, while commuting etc. Other key components of omnichannel include:

• Synchronized customer and real-time data – available in all channels
• Recognition of customers across channels and touchpoints
• Hyper-personalization of touchpoints
• Seamless support for mobile devices – for all types of engagement
• Cross-channel analytics – enabling tracking of performance and attribution
• AI and machine learning to automate intelligence and operations
• Modern IT architecture with next-gen enabling technology, e.g. MACH

Omnichannel experiences are also equally important within B2B as B2C, where the need for digital channels (and processes) for selling and engaging with customers have been radically accelerated due to the pandemic, replacing traditional face to face sales meetings and events.

B2B buyers aren’t just moving to omnichannel. They’ve arrived. Given the choice of in-person, remote, and ecommerce channels, purchasers have shown they want them all

McKinsey

Important to recognize, regardless of B2C or B2B, omnichannel is not only about the touchpoints and channels – it spans the entire business and its operating model. As TotalRetail puts it:

Brands need a truly unified business, from infrastructure to people, supported from the top-down

TotalRetail

Disney is usually referred to as the brand that gets it right, across all of its channels – from the website and mobile touchpoints to the wristband and the experiences of the physical locations. Oasis in UK is another example of a brand with successful delivery of omnichannel experiences. Here in Denmark, brands like Matas and Bog & Idé have both been recognized and awarded by Dansk Erhverv and Elgiganten recently announced what is supposed to be the largest omnichannel investment in the Nordics so far.

So it's clear that lots of things are happening out there and if I should point at some common denominators for the brands that succeed, like the ones listed above, I would say:

• customer centricity and understanding the customer journey,
• data maturity and the ability to leverage data across channels, and finally,
• the skills and ability to execute.

And when I get the question on where to start or how to improve, the answer is most often related to these three things;

• get control of your data,
• build a true understanding of customer needs through-out the customer journey, and
• invest in skills and processes to allow you to deliver, e.g. agile, development, technology and analytics.

To summarize, providing a clear strategy for your brand's omnichannel presence that is fully integrated into the business and the operating model is key going forward – even more so in a mature market like Denmark where consumers are digitally savvy and judge brands based on their experiences from interacting with best-in-class companies across the globe.

If you want to learn more about how Valtech can help you to deliver true omnichannel experiences please contact us: