What is multichannel marketing?

 

Multichannel refers to marketing over many different channels. A multichannel strategy will interact with a customer online and instore, in ads, on tv etc but (and here is the difference!) the channels will be more isolated from one another, they will function independently.

 

Examples of reaching a customer using a multichannel approach would be by email or text messages, podcasts or social media. Each channel is the starting touchpoint for a customer journey.

 

What is omnichannel marketing?

 

Omnichannel refers to consistency in your marketing over all channels, focussing on a seamless customer experience. Marketing in all channels with the same voice, same look, same experience, each channel working with the other to complete a shopping experience.

 

A simple example of an omnichannel strategy would be ‘click and collect’, where a customer searches and buys an item online and collects it from a physical store. 

 

Omnichannel marketing allows you to connect with your customer on all channels and includes your social channels and customer service channels. Omnichannel marketing allows you to interact with your customer on a more personal level based on their interests and shopping history. 

 

Omnichannel marketing is focused on the customer experience. Each channel working together to create a unified customer experience.

What are the differences between omni and multichannel ecommerce and why you should know more about it.

 

Omnichannel and multichannel both refer to marketing via many or all channels. The difference however, is that Omnichannel offers a more holistic approach to the customer experience. One channel feeding into another, creating a seamless shopping experience. It is geared around creating the perfect shopping experience for the customer.
 

Multichannel marketing uses the channels independently to further a customer experience. Interacting with your customer on many channels but one working independently of another. The customer journey starts from the beginning each time on each channel.

 

To Sum up Omnichannel describes selling on all channels available and is centred around the customer, whereas multichannel is centred more on the product or service you are selling and is more geared on promotion through many channels…casting as wide a net as possible to net customers, and being visible everywhere a potential customer might be.

 

Should I use a multichannel or an omnichannel approach to my marketing?

 

Omnichannel and multichannel work hand in hand to make up the ultimate marketing strategy so it is important to understand how the two work, how the two differ and how the two are complimentary. Ultimately multichannel is a more traditional approach and is simpler and more immediate to implement, but omnichannel offers more precision and the ability to affect and to track the entire customer journey, which will aid your efforts in aiming your marketing more directly to where it is needed, for an improved ROI.