'Transparency, macro-targeting & social media are at the core of omnichannel marketing'

With the advancement of technology, the lines between virtual and real lives have blurred. As people change their behaviors, marketers, salespeople, and customer support representatives will also need to react accordingly. Today, marketers are increasingly adopting a holistic omnichannel experience that customers can use whenever they want.

Harvard Business Review, along with a major US retail company, conducted a 14-month study to understand the shopping behavior of customers. They interviewed 46,000 shoppers and found that 73% of consumers used multiple channels. They also found that these customers proved to be more valuable to the retailers. Customers who used more than 4+ channels spent 9% more time in the store than the ones who used a single channel, the study revealed. 

Clearly, omnichannel customer experience is no longer an option, it's a necessity. The retailers are finding new ways to acquire, engage, and retain customers through positive experiences across multiple touchpoints. Their focus is shifted from traditional marketing to highly-personalized data-driven omnichannel marketing strategies which results in high ROI compared to traditional marketing. 

How are technology brands experiencing the change? 

Ingram Micro India Marketing Head Naved Chaudhary said, “The majority of marketers seek to provide a highly personalized experience to today's consumers as a part of their marketing strategy. A well-executed and targeted campaign has the ability to significantly increase ROI, revenue, customer acquisition and brand recognition.”

“At Ingram Micro, we continually develop capabilities to deliver greater levels of personalization. The ROI can be many folds, but it depends upon the media vehicle used, product/category for which we develop a marketing plan. For the high involvement categories, we can’t expect a high level of ROI,” he noted. 

Designing a successful Omnichannel Marketing strategy to stay relevant in the competitive business environment is crucial. “Businesses must provide a cohesive and unified brand experience across all sales and marketing channels, whether they are accessed digitally, in person, or both. It's all about integrating your digital and physical selves together. That's where a well-thought-out omnichannel approach comes in handy,” explained Chaudhary. 

He suggested three strategies to react to the new digital marketing and data privacy constraints - 1) Be transparent in your communication, 2) Use a macro-targeting strategy to reach out to consumers - To target a large number of customers this way without having to know their personal information, and 3) The use of social media is a great approach to connect with the customers.

Sharing his input on how marketing is coping with digital transformation, he said, "A digital-first strategy helps us in the transformation in a variety of ways, propelling us toward the all-digital future that is clearly on the economic horizon".  

“A digital transformation plan requires putting technology into every aspect of the business model, including what it offers, how it communicates with clients, and how it operates across India via regional campaign modification. Different media vehicles react differently but using a digital-first strategy helps us meet our goals,” he pointed out.