Emerging Omnichannel Marketing Trends (Part 1)
Omnichannel eCommerce Trends…
“This is the Way” [Mandalorian voice].
Siloing channels is a mistake, and you will lose so much in the long run.
Consumers are engaging with content across all platforms and your brand should be no different.
With the rise of TikTok garnering so much attention from consumers, other platforms (like FB & IG) are quickly trying to jump on the band wagon of quick, catchy, social media videos.
With Instagram Reels, IG TV, FB Stories, and IG Stories, these are all examples of where the future is headed.
That said, we are not seeing an abundance of people choosing one over the other.
In fact, the inverse is true.
When creating content for one platform, people are posting across their entire network.
Showing us the real importance of being omni-present as brands.
WHAT ARE OMNICHANNEL ECOMMERCE TRENDS?
Seems like a made-up term, right??
Well, it’s pretty self-explanatory…
“Stores selling both online and offline — likely also selling through multiple online channels (i.e. on Amazon, eBay, Facebook, B2B). We’ve also been referencing the importance of listing your product wherever consumers are already spending their time. This is increasingly known as contextual commerce, a more strategic take on the overarching omnichannel term.” – Big Commerce
Be everywhere – sell your products everywhere.
Now that we’re on the same page, let’s dive into the fun stuff!
1) eCommerce Omnichannel: “The New Normal“
The transition is always a bit rocky, but…
We are really starting to see the results of working across multiple channels vs just a single channel.
Back in 2019, you could’ve scaled an eComm brand to $10MM+ just off FB alone!
Nowadays…
Not a chance!
Why is this?
Because attention has been garnered across multiple channels.
You might feel, “…damn, wish I could’ve done X”.
Of course!
We all do… Hindsight is 20/20.
That’s the past, this is the present.
And as we look at our strategies, we need to consider the past, present, and future.
So, the “New Normal” has quite the meaning here in 2022, in more ways than one.
What we’re talking about today though, is marketing & advertising.
As newer platforms, such as TikTok, have been created and promoted we haven’t seen a decrease in active users on other platforms.
In fact, we’ve seen the opposite.
Active monthly members continue to increase on every platform.
The reason for this?
In today’s attention economy, if someone posts a video on TikTok, they’ll also post it on Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat.
This also means that people are more likely to see your brands message if it’s also on multiple channels.
Because what we do, Social Media Advertising, is based on performance, numbers like this excite us.
By simply running ad campaigns on, at least, three or more channels, you increase your purchase rate by ~3x!
Does this seem too difficult to do?
It shouldn’t, but if you’re already not doing this, it could feel overwhelming.
Well fear not!
It’s simple.
As simple as this (follow these simple instructions):
- Create a video – this could be an amazing piece of work or could simple be a slideshow video, showcasing your products. You can do this right inside the Facebook Business Manager if you don’t know how.
- Run that video in a campaign on Instagram.
- Then download that video and run a campaign on TikTok.
- Repeat with Snapchat.
It’s really that simple.
There are a handful of other things you are going to want to do, but in essence, it’s that easy to get 3-campaigns up and running today.
2) Buy Now, Pay Later – BNPL
Financing eCommerce products and purchases is on the rise.
Brick and mortar department stores have been doing it for ages!
Getting you to sign up for a credit card and having that card cover your purchase.
Remember?
Back in the day when you would go “inside” a store (pre-pandemic).
Now you might ask…
Well, what does have to do with omnichannel?
Great question!
It’s all about conversions… And at the root of it, Omnichannel is all about conversions.
In the US, around 70% of shoppers abandoned carts.
Abandoned carts equate to around $34 Billion in sales left in carts.
With a Buy Now, Pay Later app like Klarna, we see an average of:
- 58% increase in average order values (AOV)
- 30% lift in checkout conversion rates
These are staggering numbers and a definitive factor in creating success for your marketing & branding campaigns.
And as I previously mentioned, buy now pay later isn’t new.
It’s just now entered the digital age.
That said, there is still risk involved with consumers falling behind in payments and, in their minds, your DTC brand affecting their credit score.
However, what this really opens up is that Gen-Z & Millennial trillion-dollar market.
Allowing for the ease of conversion.
3) More Content = Influencer Brand Partnerships
Now that the age of Omnichannel is upon us, we must also step up our content game.
I understand this is what marketers have been saying for years, but it’s really hit its zenith (so far).
Because consumers are on all these different platforms, as brands, we must also be on all these platforms (ergo Omnichannel).
It is as simple as that.
But how does one go about creating all this different omnichannel content.
Well, there are a few ways to do this.
- Repurpose old content.
- Make a single piece of core content (longer form) per week and break it into chunks (short form) for distribution throughout the rest of the week.
- Get influencers to create content for you.
You ever scroll through TikTok videos or Instagram and wonder how these seemingly nobody influencers are advertising products?
It’s all due to the need for more content.
While you, as a brand, can always create your own content, if you’re wanting to step up your game you add influencers into the mix and bump up your production 10x.
Even with the influencer phenomenon some major brands are still having trouble creating enough content in this noisy internet-atmosphere we’ve created.
But that’s okay, even is you’re a small business.
As there are many micro-influencers looking for work. And frankly, they’re way more appreciative about the opportunity than the big guys are.
The best part about getting influencers to make your content for you?
It’s a double-whammy.
What does that mean?
Not only are you getting content but the creators and influencers are also sharing content with their own followers.
Even if they only have 1,000 followers, they tend to be 1,000 true fans.
That’s a big deal because it means that it is easy for them to get their content seen by those 1,000 true fans.
It’s a relatively simple process.
So what are you waiting for?
Get out there and find some influencers to help promote your omnichannel content!
Think of it as a budget-friendly way to get your content out there.
4) Social Selling Through Shoppable Video
Shoppable video has been around a while.
Previously, making you go in-store to purchase your products.
What we’re talking about here is the rise of Shoppable Video.
But unlike old days, where one would only be able to rely on their store to get them into the store, now they can also rely on a video (with a shoppable element) to get consumers to buy on your brands website.
Now you’re no longer relying on store traffic.
In fact, you could even run your campaign on Instagram without posting it to a storefront.
Shoppable Video is the new way for shoppers to shop on-the-go and is the most common type of video that consumers are watching today.
Which means…
You can potentially get them to buy online!
This involves integrating your app into all of the major eCommerce platforms – i.e. Shopify, BigCommerce, etc…
However, there are two major challenges to this kind of omnichannel strategy.
The first is technical in nature.
The second is budget-friendly.
Since this isn’t something you can just do through shared ads – this requires a certain level of capital to get done properly.
But it’s worth it, as Shoppable Video is the future of video marketing & omnichannel.
5) DTC On Social Will Mean More Than Just Physical Products
Direct to Consumer – DTC; remains an important part of you eCommerce strategy.
This is because of the ease of which consumers can purchase physical products.
However, as time goes on, we are seeing social selling evolve into Social Sharing & Referrals.
This is when your omnichannel customers share your product with their friends, family, colleagues, etc…
Which leads them back to you for more.
A new approach to this would be creating a community based platform with exclusive content from influencers who want to create DTC campaigns themselves.
Think of it like a “Product Hunt” but instead of discussing the newest tech gadget or app, its clothing and accessories.
The clothing industry is slowly becoming more and more social.
But it still feels like there’s a gap between the influencer community (Facebook & Instagram) and the real world.
That said, if your brand creates video campaigns that showcase influencers promoting your products this could be an opportunity to bridge this gap.
And with that, we would be able to truly say that there is a “little bit of the digital” in your physical store now too.
So don’t worry!
This isn’t some big leap.
It’s merely taking the modern-day digital approach to physical product sales.
On top of that, we’re seeing a trend that goes beyond physical products.
Whether you’re in the automotive industry, housing & real estate, or even digital products, we’re seeing a huge surge in these types of companies focusing their strategies on DTC.
This trend will continue and increase as CPMs remain low and results fly in.
