5 Omnichannel Trends to Watch in 2022

𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰? 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐦𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝟖𝟗% 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝟑𝟑%!

Evidently, brands must work to develop strong omnichannel presences and engagement in today’s competitive landscape, or otherwise risk falling behind the competition.

📌 The Importance of Omnichannel Marketing

86% of buyers hop between two channels on a regular basis. They don't simply jump from one brand to the next; they also hop from one channel to the next. As a result, 87% of retailers consider omnichannel marketing to be critical to their success. They recognise that in order to stay on top of their game, they must provide consumers with a consistent customer experience across all touchpoints. As a retailer, it is critical to acknowledge the importance of omnichannel marketing, and how you can leverage it to give your consumers personalised shopping experiences while increasing your return on investment.

📌 Omnichannel Marketing: 5 Trends to Look Out For

With the importance of omnichannel marketing in mind, here are some key trends you should look out for, and consider how they can be applied to your business.

1️⃣ Consumers Prefer to Shop Offline

Post pandemic, in-person shopping experiences are in high demand. 59% of shoppers say they're likely to look at a product online and buy it in-store, also known as webrooming. On the other hand, 54% of customers are more inclined to look at a product and then buy it online, a practice known as showrooming. Regardless of where customers make their purchases, they have the tendency to visit your store front.

In-person purchasing not only allows customers to touch, feel, and try on your items, but it also fosters a feeling of community that has been severely absent since the COVID-19 outbreak. Keep in-person shopping a factor in mind, if you’re thinking of establishing a physical presence.

2️⃣ Contactless Transactions

Even after COVID-19, 67% of consumers are expected to continue utilising curbside pickup. This isn't simply a sign of a trend that will continue into 2022; it's a reflection of broader buyer psychology. Brands may miss out on omnichannel victories if these new safety-driven features aren't included as an option in their customer journeys.

This doesn’t mean that retail business operators should anticipate less physical contact with their customers. Consider that when purchasing a product 15 years ago, the average buyer required just two touchpoints. Now, the average customer requires six.

3️⃣ The Rise of Social Commerce

For quite some time, businesses have utilised social media for marketing, sales, reputation management, customer service, brand building, and other purposes. However, social networking sites now provide merchants with a new benefit: built-in buying tools.

Social media usage increased by 68% during the COVID-19 epidemic. By 2028, the growth of the mobile industry and changes in consumer buying patterns will have pushed social commerce revenue above $3.37 trillion.

Over 60% of businesses have already implemented some form of social ecommerce feature. If you want a piece of the social commerce pie, now is the time to get started selling directly on social media. Instagram is a great platform you can consider, since it offers a total in-app buying experience, including the ability for marketers to create shoppable videos.

4️⃣ Buy Online, Return in Store (BORIS)

In 2021, 20.8% of internet purchases were returned, compared to 18.1% in 2020.

In 2022 and beyond, "buy online, return in store" (BORIS) is expected to be one of the most popular trends. Here, if a consumer is unhappy with an item they purchased online, they have the option to return or replace it in the brand's local store instead of contacting a shipping company or going to the post office.

BORIS merchants will stand out among the competition, since it saves their consumers' time and money, while showcasing the convenience of omnichannel retail.

5️⃣ Applying Online Data to the Offline World

Online data is being used by brands to better understand what customers desire in the physical world. To optimise customer lifetime value, shops are merging data on each individual consumer’s online and offline behaviour. For example, brands can provide specific in-store offerings based on information gathered through online channels.

Increased conversions, more effective advertising, better-informed product development, and stronger customer connections will be some of the benefits you can look forward to reaping from applying this omnichannel approach to your brand.

Customers appreciate the advantages of omnichannel because it ensures they receive the highest utility from their spending. After all, omnichannel shopping is preferred by 90% of consumers. Read more about our take on omnichannel marketing here!

📌 Ready to Develop Your Omnichannel Strategy?

Look no further!

VKT offers a full-fledged 360° Digital Marketing Programme focused on accelerating your company's growth. Expect not only solutions in Omnichannel but also a variety of other services ranging from Branding to Social Media Management.

With our experienced MRA & EDG Certified Consultant, VKT boasts a proven track record in achieving a high EDG application success rate that grants your business up to 70% funding for SMEs and 50% for non-SMEs. So wait no longer, and contact us for a coffee chat to discover more about how you may start your omnichannel journey and leverage our expertise!

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