Within all the disruption that we are experiencing today, there is a phenomenon that stands out and this is omnichannel. We have heard a lot about it in the last decade, but it is until today that it has gone from being a bombastic term, and sometimes with little substance, of marketing, to becoming a reality for the consumer. This new environment implies new challenges and ways of understanding, as well as measuring the results of brands and retailers in front of the consumer.
Why do we say that omnichannel is a reality today?
The above statement is explained by both attitudes and consumer purchase data. Prior to the pandemic, although interest in developing digital marketing channels already existed within companies, they were still focused on winning at the physical point of sale, understanding that migration to digital would be gradual, expensive, and in some cases. unattractive to the large consumer base that prioritizes the physical experience and the use of traditional means of payment.
Although today many will deny it, saying that they have promoted digital transformation for years, the reality is that it was because of the pandemic, that the industry really accelerated its digital capabilities that, otherwise, would have taken us at least twice as long. reach. This is how digital transformation explodes, driving consumers and brands towards electronic commerce. However, the foregoing cannot be understood as a move to omnichannel, since in many cases it was forced, this being the only option available to the shopper who went from the physical world to the online store.
It was not until 2021 and 2022 when the consumer became truly omnichannel and e-commerce naturally became, and by choice, another option for the consumer. Interesting how thanks to this, today, the narrative of companies and brands is no longer about the focus on electronic commerce itself, but rather the comprehensive development of its different marketing platforms and points of contact with the consumer, leveraging on the analytics and data management to win consumer choice and loyalty shopper.
From consumer shopping data, today we see an explosion in the number of shopping trips and the average number of channels visited per household, both in record numbers. The foregoing poses a growth opportunity for those brands and retailers that manage to understand the consumer’s “purchase journey”, but also the risk of losing consumer loyalty and spending by distributing their spending on more shopping trips and carrying less product in each one of them. In this sense, we can think of omnichannel as a double-edged sword that must be well understood so as not to end up suffering its negative effects.
As a brand, being relevant to the consumer today is more difficult than ever. While today’s consumer provides us with more information through every purchase they make, they are also exposed to much more information, all day and everywhere. In the current environment, having the right communication, the right offer, and the right pricing strategy no longer depends on the channel itself, but on the drivers consumer purchase.