No Omnichannel Experiences? You Are Dead to Me

No Omnichannel Experiences? You Are Dead to Me

Harsh words? But I have a feeling I am not alone telling this when it comes to omnichannel experiences.

Born in the early 80s, I fall into a category called Xennials – a micro-generation born on the cusp of the two generations between 1977 and 1985. This article has a lot of details and says, as Xennials, we have both the cynicism of Gen Xers and the optimism of millennials. Think of this, I had an analog childhood, a digital adulthood, and my first email address ended with @hotmail.com.

I also belong to a category of people who regularly order products online and pick them up at a retail store. This behavior isn’t surprising given there are studies that show that consumers who research products online often go to the store to buy them. And the reverse is true too.

Probably because I am a Xennial, I always hop between online and offline channels before making a purchase. So, call it a “Click and Collect,” or “Feel-it before Click-it,” the trend indeed exists (in my case anyway).

A little bit more about me. I am price conscious, but I don’t mind paying a few more dollars to avoid the hassle. New and fashionable things attract me, and I like having a similar experience across my laptop, iPad, iPhone, or the physical store I visit. When I visit the store, I love getting straight to the pair of sneakers that I already found online.

As a marketing executive, this means a lot to you. You need to know that an omnichannel strategy is more important than ever to ensure what your customers see in digital form is what they get to feel at the store. Here are few questions to ask –
⁃    Is it possible for you to erase customer’s awareness of channel?
⁃    Will you be able to provide a seamless transition between devices when customers interact with you? Can it be a smooth transition from one communication channel to another (Twitter-phone-chat-in person)?
⁃    Can you continue a customer’s digital interaction into a real-life conversation?
⁃    How quickly can you enhance the talent and skills required to manage customer engagement?
⁃    Have you developed your customer experience vision across multiple departments within your organization?

Word of Caution:

Last few years have shown major retailers shutting many of their stores off. The so-called retail apocalypse has begun. It is so ingrained in the U.S. that it now has the distinction of its own Wikipedia entry. The page lists closing of a large number of North American brick-and-mortar retail stores starting in the 2010s and continuing through 2018.

It is time for you to consider the revolutionary shift in customer expectations when it comes to the omnichannel experience. Capitalizing on this unique moment can help you differentiate from the competition and survive the apocalypse.

Let me know what you think. If you want to understand how technology can help, I am happy to make myself available for a coffee (or a beer. You pick!).

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