Local campaigns and their secret to meeting consumer expectations.
Time travel back six, seven years ago and the very existence of omnichannel marketing used to drive e-commerce marketers crazy. It’s not a real word, they say. In fact, ‘omnichannel’ was merely a made up buzzword. Omni meaning all or everywhere and channel referring to the different means of communication. Omni-channel. Omni channel. Or omnichannel; used to be a concept that wasn’t achievable beyond the grasp of mere marketers. The idea of having an omnichannel experience seemed like a pretty tall order back in the day because it was ‘impossible’ to be present everywhere all at the same time.
.
What is omnichannel marketing?
Omnichannel marketing is providing that seamless, integrated, and consistent transition across all channels, formats, and devices. Brands need to be involved in every touch point of the consumer’s journey, and not just the end and the beginning. Their websites and mobile apps should provide a personalized buying experience for each and every individual consumer.
.
Brands are expected to know their customers – everything from their favourite summer outfits to their monthly makeup refills. Kinda like a semi-creepy virtual partner. And all of this knowledge derived from the unassuming efforts of consumer data collected over time.
.
Anyway, enough talk. Let’s delve into some of the local campaigns and let you in on their best practices. Read on and follow by example, why don’t you?
.
https://giphy.com/gifs/qwRWDxqfxqBFu/html5
(Source: giphy.com)
.
SEPHORA
Sephora is one of the leading omnichannel beauty brands in Singapore. With the proliferation of mobile in today’s retail landscape, Sephora knows the importance of omnichannel marketing to find the cohesion in all the different touch points in a consumer’s journey.
.
A leading omnichannel example by Sephora is how they started leveraging augmented reality (AR) technology in their mobile applications. Sephora Virtual Artist uses facial recognition to allow customers to virtually try on their products instantly, at any time, without ever stepping foot in the store!
.
.
Purchasing a makeup product requires customers to do their own research as well as product comparisons with other competitive brands out there. With the Sephora Visual Artist, customers are able to compare multiple products and colour swatches virtually before committing to a purchase. Sephora engages their customers further by providing virtual tutorials that are customized to each individual face, colour match makeup looks to their #OOTD and use a virtual arm to compare hundreds of colour swatches! I mean, who wouldn’t want the flexibility of time and a more convenient shopping experience?
.
https://giphy.com/gifs/doUu2ByZDbPYQ/html5
(Source: giphy.com)
.
Recently, Sephora has launched their first and biggest beauty event in Singapore and Southeast Asia exclusively for its Beauty Pass members. Sephora Playhouse is in commemoration of Sephora’s 10th birthday and will run from 20th to 29th July 2018. This first-ever interactive ‘beautyverse’ included their fair share of omnichannel marketing.
.
A unique QR code is available in each Playhouse room and directs the audience to the various microsite that contains more fun online activities. By allowing the audience to take home the experience via mobile, they continue to engage their audience and provide them with a consistent experience on both physical and digital platforms.
.
.
ZALORA
Zalora knows what’s up. They clearly know that having a good omnichannel strategy means providing their customers with the ultimate holistic shopping experience. A holistic approach that mergers both the physical and digital worlds of retail shopping.
.
Back in October 2014 till January 2015, Zalora launched their first interactive pop-up store at ION Orchard. This was aimed to increase conversion of traditional shoppers into online shoppers.
.
But what makes this store ‘omnichannel’?
.
Computers and free Wi-Fi were provided on site so that customers were able to purchase their items online. At the same time, they were able to physically try out their outfits in the brick-and-mortar store before committing to a purchase. To purchase, all they had to do was scan their pre-selected good and it’ll be delivered to them with the click of a button! Easy.
.
.
How else did Zalora provide a holistic experience for their customers?
.
Zalora’s mobile app and website are able to save items that have been added into the cart and also preserve them across all devices. So you don’t have to worry about losing the items in your cart and having to start all over again! Also, products that have been wishlisted on a desktop will immediately be seen on your mobile device and vice versa. This also makes for easier re-order of items.
.
Customer data is also another important aspect in growing your brand towards this omnichannel approach. By listening to your consumers, you are engaging with them on an intimate level. Zalora does a good job in identifying their customer’s shopping preference and segments them accordingly. They target their products based on buying and surfing behaviours, online active time, buying history and affordable product price range. This is now becoming a consumer-centric world. Brands are now expected to know their customers shopping preference and refine the entire shopping experience.
.
Tip: Get a little smarter when utilising consumer data. For example, when the consumer consistently searches for a certain size of clothing or shoes, your website should have the ability to remember this data and return search results for those sizes the next time they search for those items. Your site could even prompt the nearest brick-and-mortar stores with those available sizes.
.
ADIDAS
Adidas has reimagined the future of retail shopping and sets standards for digital in-store. Back in 2011, the sportswear manufacturer launched their first virtual wall in Southeast Asia in Singapore. The giant touchscreen display aka the Virtual Footwear Wall was manufactured so as to enable shoppers to have an interactive virtual experience.
.
Instead of asking retail assistants for help, customers are able to retrieve the information themselves from the virtual wall. From shoe sizes, delivery options, prices, colourway options and product recommendations. It makes sense to have this virtual wall if you think about it since a physical store isn’t able to fit all 4000 shoes that Adidas designs each season. This creates a more rewarding experience for the consumers as they are not limited to the options in store, allowing them to leave the store only after finding the right shoe and the right fit.
.
.
With the virtual wall, users can also obtain product reviews and compare prices from social channels such as their live Twitter feed and product hashtagging. The Virtual Wall also further personalizes the user experience by identifying the gender of the user prior to recommending the products. Customers can also view video content of how the product looks like when it’s being worn as well as timely information such as the correct surface the products work best on. By blurring the lines between physical and virtual retail worlds, Adidas has left their mark early on in creating a new generation of omnichannel marketing.
.
That’s all folks, for now. So what’s your take on this omnichannel phenomenon? Have your brand embarked on this omnichannel journey yet? Is this the new future for retail? Let us know your opinions by leaving a comment in the section down below. ?
.
Need help on your brand’s marketing? Reach out to us at hello@alto.sg for a free consultation. We’ll be glad to help you out![/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]