7 Killer omnichannel marketing strategies for your ecommerce business

TL;DR

Omnichannel marketing is a must for ecommerce: Modern consumers switch between multiple channels and expect a connected experience across all touchpoints – making an omnichannel marketing strategy essential.

Top omnichannel marketing strategies include unifying customer data, optimizing mobile experiences, using social commerce, leveraging AI personalization, integrating online and offline touchpoints, orchestrating multi-channel campaigns, and delivering omnichannel support.

Maropost can support your omnichannel marketing strategy by centralizing customer data, automating cross-channel campaigns, personalizing recommendations, and delivering seamless experiences across every channel.

Today’s consumers move across all channels – online, in person, and beyond – to get what they want. And they often switch channels within a single shopping journey. In fact, according to McKinsey research, more than half of consumers engage with three to five channels during each journey they take toward making a purchase.

More importantly, they want seamless experiences across all channels. Imagine a shopper who discovers a product on social media, browses it on their phone, receives a personalized email reminder, visits a nearby store to try it, and finally completes the purchase online – all while experiencing one seamless, connected brand journey across every channel.

That’s a perfect example of omnichannel marketing. And because modern consumers increasingly expect consistent experiences across all touchpoints with your brand, having an omnichannel marketing strategy in place is fundamental.

In this article, we’ll outline 7 omnichannel marketing strategies that you can implement to stay competitive in the ecommerce world. Plus, we’ll show how Maropost can help you connect channels, deliver a seamless customer experience no matter where and how shoppers engage, and drive more sales.

7 Must-have omnichannel marketing strategies and tactics for ecommerce businesses

1. Unify customer data across all channels and touchpoints

The primary goal of an omnichannel strategy is to create a consistent and personalized customer experience across all channels and touchpoints. And having access to unified customer profiles is the foundation of it. In practice, it means collecting customer data and activity from every interaction on every channel. That includes website visits, online and in-store purchases, app usage, email opens, social media engagements, and customer service interactions.

Why it matters:

Without a unified customer view, your data is fragmented, which leads to disjointed experiences. Without a full picture, you can’t truly understand your customers’ needs, browsing and purchasing behavior, or communication preferences – which means you can’t tailor your messaging or personalize interactions effectively.

Pro tip: With Maropost’s Unified Commerce Platform, you’ll get a complete view of each customer, including their purchase history, engagements across all channels, and customer service interactions – so you can personalize with confidence, not guesswork.

2. Design mobile-first journeys (because that’s where the buying happens)

As more online purchases now happen on mobile devices, designing mobile-first journeys isn’t optional anymore. From initial discovery to final purchases, the mobile experience should be intuitive and frictionless. While you don’t necessarily need to have a mobile app, having a mobile-responsive design is critical. That includes optimized loading speed, simplified navigation, thumb-friendly elements (buttons and forms), one-click checkout, and mobile payment methods.

Why it matters:

The global mobile commerce market is booming. Based on data from Statista, by 2027, mobile commerce will account for over 60% of all ecommerce transactions. And if your mobile experience is poor, you are driving customers away and losing potential sales. E.g., Google found that 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take longer than 3 seconds to load.

3. Turn social into an owned conversion engine (not just top of funnel)

Social media is no longer just for brand awareness, product discovery, or customer service. It’s actually becoming a powerful shopping channel. And if you want to deliver a truly omnichannel shopping experience, make sure your shoppers can make purchases directly within your social media channels without being redirected to your website. Fortunately, platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok allow you to integrate shoppable posts, so your customers can buy products right where they discover them.

Why it matters:

Social commerce is clearly one of today’s biggest ecommerce trends. According to a report by Straits Research, the global social commerce market is expected to reach $6.2 trillion by 2030. If you’re not yet selling through your social media channels, you’re missing out on a major opportunity to boost engagement and sales.

4. Use AI to personalize shopper experiences across the entire journey

AI is a powerful tool that lets you offer highly personalized experiences to your shoppers across the entire customer journey and enhance your omnichannel marketing efforts. Here’s what it might look like in practice:

• AI-powered search and product discovery: AI analyzes browsing and shopping behavior to show products that best match each shopper’s intent while they are actively exploring your website or app.
• Personalized cross-channel messaging: The AI analyzes each customer’s engagement and purchase history to send perfectly timed emails or SMS messages with content and offers tailored to their interests.
• Personalized recommendations via AI chatbot: The chatbot uses customer purchase history and browsing data to offer relevant product suggestions and guide shoppers through the purchase funnel.

Why it matters:

Personalization improves customer experience, makes customers feel valued, and increases engagement and sales. A report by Accenture revealed that 91% of consumers are more likely to shop with brands that recognize, remember, and provide them with relevant offers and product recommendations.

5. Integrate online and offline experiences (BOPIS & "Return Anywhere")

For brands with a physical presence, integrating online and offline experiences is crucial. For example, BOPIS (Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store) allows customers to enjoy the convenience of online shopping with the immediacy of in-store pickup. Similarly, "Return Anywhere" policies (buy online, return in-store, or vice-versa) remove friction from the returns process.

Why it matters:

Shoppers value convenience and flexibility when their shopping experience blends digital and physical channels. For example, according to Capital One Shopping research, worldwide, nearly 10% of e-commerce revenue comes from BOPIS purchases, and 50% of consumers who use BOPIS do so because they find it more convenient.

6. Orchestrate true omnichannel campaigns (3+ touchpoints)

Building true omnichannel campaigns is an essential part of your omnichannel marketing strategy. For example, a customer sees your Facebook ad (touchpoint 1), clicks through to browse products (touchpoint 2), receives an abandoned cart email (touchpoint 3), and then gets an SMS reminder (touchpoint 4). This sequence keeps the customer engaged at every stage and greatly increases the likelihood of completing the purchase.

Why it matters:

Omnichannel campaigns can significantly outperform single-channel campaigns and help you drive more sales. Based on data from Omnisend, purchase rate of omnichannel campaigns is 287% higher than single-channel campaigns. Moreover, omnichannel campaigns that involve SMS are 47,7% more likely to end in conversion.

Image source: Omnisend

7. Provide a seamless post-purchase customer service experience

Lastly, customer service is a critical component of the omnichannel experience. Today’s consumers expect to be able to get support across multiple channels. More importantly, they want to be able to switch between multiple channels without having to repeat themselves.

For example, a customer starts troubleshooting through a chatbot and then decides to call the support line, where the agent instantly sees the chat history and picks up the conversation without asking the customer to repeat any details. That’s what an omnichannel support experience looks like.

Why it matters:

Exceptional post-purchase customer experience builds loyalty and encourages repeat purchases. Zendesk reports that 3 in 4 consumers will spend more with businesses that provide a good customer service experience. To meet your customers’ expectations, make sure to use a customer service platform that can consolidate support requests from all channels into a single view for your support team.

Next steps and how Maropost can boost your omnichannel marketing strategy

Having the right tools at your disposal is the foundation for building a successful omnichannel marketing strategy. Here’s how the Maropost Unified Commerce platform can help your business implement omnichannel marketing effectively:

• Get a single customer view in one platform: When data is scattered across different systems, you don’t see the full picture. With Maropost, every interaction, purchase, and support ticket lives in one unified profile, giving you a 360-degree customer view.
• Automate omnichannel marketing campaigns: With Maropost Marketing Cloud, you can orchestrate and automate cross-channel marketing campaigns and improve engagement and sales by delivering the right messages to each shopper at the right time.
• Personalize search and product discovery: Maropost Merchandising Cloud enables you to instantly increase conversions with AI-powered search and discovery and increase the average order value with AI-driven product recommendations.
• Unify ecommerce and retail operations: With Maropost Retail Cloud, you can manage your ecommerce and retail operations in one centralized platform and deliver a seamless shopping experience no matter where and how your customers choose to shop.
• Provide an omnichannel support experience: With Maropost Service Cloud, you can support your customers on the channels they prefer. Plus, with unified customer profiles, your support agents get more context to resolve issues faster and more effectively.

Book a demo to see the Maropost Unified Commerce platform in action and learn how it can take your omnichannel marketing strategy to the next level.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is omnichannel marketing?

Omnichannel marketing is about creating a smooth and consistent brand experience for your customers across every touchpoint – whether they are shopping on your website, visiting your physical stores, or engaging with your brand through emails, SMS, or social media. Simply put, instead of treating each channel separately, you connect them all so that your customers receive a seamless experience no matter where and how they engage with your brand.

What’s the difference between omnichannel and multi-channel marketing?

When it comes to omnichannel vs. multichannel, the difference comes down to how connected the experience is for the customer. In multi-channel marketing, you simply use multiple channels to engage with your shoppers – but they often operate independently and don’t communicate with each other (i.e. don’t share data). Omnichannel marketing takes it a step further by linking all your marketing channels together – and that allows you to create a better experience for your customers.

What is an example of omnichannel marketing?

• Example #1: Apple is an excellent example of omnichannel marketing done right. Its website, mobile app, and physical stores are fully connected to deliver the best-in-class experience. Shoppers can browse products online, book in-store appointments or schedule in-store pickups through the app, and then complete their purchase in person.
• Example #2: Sephora has also mastered the art of connecting its digital and in-store experiences. Through the mobile app, customers can browse products, read reviews, and even virtually try on makeup using augmented reality. And when they visit a physical store, beauty advisors can access their online profiles to see past purchases, saved items, and preferences to deliver personalized assistance.

What are the main benefits of omnichannel marketing for ecommerce?

An omnichannel approach helps ecommerce brands increase sales and retain more customers. Based on data from Aberdeen Group, companies with strong omnichannel customer engagement retain nearly 90% of their customers, compared to just 33% for companies with weak omnichannel engagement. On top of that, businesses that implement omnichannel strategies see a 9.5% year-over-year growth in revenue, compared to 3.4% for those that don't.

What is the difference between omnichannel and unified commerce marketing?

Omnichannel and unified commerce marketing sound similar – and both terms are often used interchangeably. But there’s a key difference between these marketing approaches. Omnichannel marketing focuses on integrating all your customer-facing channels (like email, social, and in-store) so they work together. Unified commerce is the next step. It integrates the underlying systems and data that power those channels – think inventory, POS, and order management – into a single platform. Unified commerce marketing ensures a better experience for both customers and the brand.