Over the past decade, omnichannel marketing’s importance received great attention, and for good reason. With the information pipeline flowing at maximum volume and speed, businesses need new processes to attract consumers’ attention to promote their products and services.
At risk of dating myself, I was
a child in the age of corded telephones, traditional grocery stores and Blockbuster video.
The internet was nonexistent.
Fax machines were considered magical.
We used hardback encyclopedias to research topics for book reports.
No one had an answering machine. If you called someone and they did not answer the phone, you called back later.
Imagine that!
Life was simpler, and effective marketing also was far less complicated.
Back then, many people read the newspaper most days. We listened to local radio and delighted at billboards’ creativity, or simplicity. Boy, how things have changed.
The total estimated circulation of U.S. weekday print newspapers peaked at 63 million copies in 1984, according to Pew Research. By 2017, circulation dropped to around 30 million. Unsurprisingly, some publications’ digital versions saw increased interest.
For example, The New York Times reported a 42 percent digital circulation gain and The Wall Street Journal saw 26 percent growth. This illustrates the changing trends in how consumers choose to receive information. These changes have been escorted into our lives largely on the arm of affordable technology. Smartphones, computers and their offspring—social media apps—are major game-changers.
The world was headed this direction. The past two years’ associated lifestyle changes accelerated the change. We were literally pushed into the virtual world, for a while anyway. Again, all retailers must add a digital marketing plan to their toolbox.
Enter omnichannel marketing. Here is how omnichannel marketing plays out in everyday life.
When consumers look for a product or service, they might begin their search on their smartphone. Then consumers might switch to a tablet or laptop and scan Instagram for ideas. Then they might go to Waze or Google Maps for directions to your brick-and-mortar space.
Next, consumers remember they received a direct-mail flyer from the business, so they browse the flyer for information. Billboards, radio and printed mailers are effective, but they are not enough.
In 2022, building your retail store’s online presence is imperative. Offering an eCommerce option is not just recommended but expected. Notes from a September 2021 IBM/NRF study more succinctly make the case: “(Shoppers) expect stores to be digitally enabled and for brands and retailers to support hybrid shopping journeys, which blend physical and digital channels.”
As Senior Vice President of Customer Care at Time Warner Cable, John Bowden, explains: “Multichannel is an operational view—how you allow the customer to complete transactions in each channel. Omnichannel, however, is viewing the experience through the eyes of your customer, orchestrating the customer experience across all channels so the experience is seamless, integrated and consistent. Omnichannel anticipates customers may start in one channel and move to another as they progress to a resolution. Making these complex ‘hand-offs’ between channels must be fluid for the customer. Simply put, omnichannel is multichannel done right!”
You can find marketing partners to help you achieve your outreach goals in print and digital channels. Partners could be third-party providers or national and regional distributors.
For example, NTP-Stag’s Parts Via eCommerce platform enables consumers to buy branded products. Consumers can then choose to ship their purchases to a qualified network retailer/installer.
Finding a partner who can provide a similar service will enable your retail store to reach consumers before they walk through your door.
In NTP-Stag’s case, the dealership signs up for the program, selects vendors with whom to partner, and then becomes a location the supplier can ship to when consumers place orders.
Look to other digital marketing tools to build strong digital connections as well. Tools enabling dealers to share their products through social media channels or email blasts provide additional venues to reach consumers.
For example, NTP-Stag has Social Share and Email Share tools available. The Social Share tool includes prewritten texts and product images dealers can download and paste into their social media posts. The Email Share tool will add a dealer’s predesigned product content with a subject line, image and text into an email template. A Flyer Template tool, much like media available from the Go RVing Dealer Portal, lets dealers download a single-page product flyer containing pricing and contact information to offer consumers.
Lastly, remember to include an SMS (short message service) program, also known as text messaging, when building digital connections.
Text messaging is very effective, especially in a tight budget environment, and continues to become more popular. When we hear a notification, we tend to instantly look at our phones.
For me, text messaging outreach is a call to action. A couple times each month, I receive text messages from retailers I shop on regularly. Usually, the messages include a sneak preview of an upcoming sale or a special coupon to use in the store or online. Sometimes the messages simply announce a new product line or event.
One retailer offers a 50% bounce-back coupon three times a year and, if you select the option, will call you once before the coupon expires to remind you to return to the store and use it.
Granted, the reminder call is prerecorded, but the effort is considerate and effective. Why not add text message advertising to your marketing toolbox this year? Engaging consumers and enhancing their brand experience is vital.
The customer shopping experience has never been confined to the retail space and in-person visits. The experience starts wherever, and whenever, potential shoppers become aware of your operation and motivated to patronize your business.
Perhaps they visit your website, call the store or drive past your lot. This is where the first impression is made. Your goal is to bring those customers into the store, deliver a great product and/or service and keep them engaged and willing to return.
Omnidirectional marketing is the future and “the now” concept to connect the customer engagement circle. For more information about these and other marketing or merchandising services, contact your marketing partners today.
Val Byrd is NTP-Stag’s customer merchandising manager. She has worked in the RV aftermarket for the past 20 years and is a leading RV retail expert on store layout/design and aftermarket product display. Previously, she worked in the grocery industry as a retail manager, buyer and promotions manager.
