This is a great time to be running a digital business.
There are a lot of opportunities and advanced marketing tools, while it has never been easier to reach your target audience no matter where they live.
But all this also means that your market is very competitive and saturated so that you have to really make an effort if you want to stand out and cut through the noise.
To do that and promote your business effectively, you can’t rely on just one or two marketing methods. Instead of that, you need to take a comprehensive approach – all your efforts have to be synced, streamlined, and aligned.
Cross-channel marketing is an excellent way of targeting your customers across different channels and sending them a strong, unified marketing message.
Leverage Smart Technologies
The boom of e-commerce which we’ve been witnessing for quite some time is the result of the development of the internet and different advanced technologies.
However, this doesn’t mean that brick-and-mortar stores are just a relic of the past – as a matter of fact, some people prefer to shop in-store. The latest data shows that the greatest share of purchases occurs in-store, as well as that people are spending more in-store than online.
The reason for that might be that people still like to touch, feel, see, and try on the product they want to buy in person.
On the other hand, 70% of smartphone users who want to buy something in-store, first do their research on the product online.
So, creating multiple touchpoints, both digital and physical, is crucial for engaging your customers.
Here are a couple of ideas of how some big brands do that and impress their audiences:
- Zara recently installed RFID-powered floor-to-ceiling mirrors in their London store in an attempt to integrate online and in-store shopping. These smart mirrors identify the garment in the shopper’s hands and display a hologram-based image of a model wearing it, together with a complete outfit suggestion. The brand also allows customers to place orders online, pay for their goods with their smartphones, and either pick up their purchase at the store or have it delivered.
- Disney took immersive customer experiences to a whole new level. Тheir cross-channel approach starts with a mobile-optimized website, and what distinguishes it from other similar websites is that even trip-planning and booking can easily be done via a smartphone. Customers get a Magic Band, and this great tool serves as a hotel room key, ordering food, and storing the pictures from the entertainment park.
- Sephora managed to solve one of the biggest issues when it comes to purchasing makeup online – consumers find it hard to pick the right shade without trying on lipsticks, eyeshadows, or foundations. The beauty giant built Sephora Virtual Artist, an advanced AR chatbot which allows its customers to try on makeup virtually by uploading their selfies and applying different product shades to see which one best fits them. This virtual try-on feature shows how a relatively simple common and easily implemented technology such as a chatbot can be used in numerous innovative way to improve customer engagement and conversions.
Boost Your Offline Visibility Too
Catching your customers’ eye offline is crucial for building your brand recognition and visibility, and can bring you a lot of foot traffic.
One of the most attractive and effective ways of turning heads is by creating larger-than-life, memorable window, out of home, and point of purchase displays with the help of Massivit 3D Technology.
Some of the benefits of this state-of-the-art technology are:
- Sometimes it’s crucial to jump on the bandwagon and play on the latest trend while it’s still sizzling hot, and with Massive 3D, you can print anything that you can think of in a matter of days.
- It’s possible to stay in line with your existing marketing campaign by printing different elements, products, or characters from it. This the consistency will be maintained across all your channels and your customers will be able to easily identify your brand when they see your commercial, 3D window display, or any other marketing effort.
- The wow effect. People are visual beings, and you can be sure that by having oversized 3D-printed customized models you’ll be able to attract your potential customers and get them to slow down and take a peek when they’re passing by your shop window.
For example, a David Jones store in Australia actually 3D-printed a stunning frame from the Este Lauder’s television commercial for the Beautiful Belle fragrance – it featured the back of an old-fashioned car in front of a floral background and transported those who stopped to see it into the scenic backdrop of the commercial itself.
Make Sure You Deliver on Your Promise
And when we say, deliver, we don’t mean only in the sense of the quality of your products, but also of your chain of supply.
For example, the visibility of your inventory is crucial for the success of your sales. Namely, if your customers order something and wait for it to be delivered and it turns out that the item is actually out of stock, you risk losing that customer due to such a sloppy mistake.
Another important thing that can have a significant impact on your cross-channel marketing is optimizing your online store and streamlining the ordering and purchasing process, as well as product recommendations.
If your customers can easily find what they’re looking for on your website and pay for it without having to waste time providing your with unnecessary information, as well as get recommendations for products that they might like, your customer experience will be superb.
Given that there are still many people who first check out and try a particular product in-store and then buy it online, it’s crucial to align these two processes and make it as easy as possible for them to physically pick the product and order it online.
Free shipping is also a nice touch which looks great on your ads and promotions, and if we bear in mind that almost 80% of consumers say this perk is what would make them more likely to shop online, it’s clear how you can boost your sales.
Cross-channel marketing can present your brand the best possible light, improve your customer experience, and help you build credibility and loyalty with your customers.