Omnichannel Engagement: How Did We Get Here?
Omnichannel remains a hot topic—with good reason. But the omnichannel of a decade ago is nothing like it is today. The processes have evolved, the technologies have evolved, and most importantly, the expectations have evolved. But where does the idea of omnichannel stand today? Who does it affect? And what’s on the horizon? Just a few topics we’re looking at in the following blog.
Background: The Promise and Evolution of Omnichannel
When many think of the term omnichannel, their minds wander to one thing—retail. After all, this was considered the primary use case just a few short years ago.
But omnichannel can be, should be, and is so much more. In fact, when the definition of omnichannel can be as simple as “clear and consistent communications regardless of channel,” this is something that can be impactful for companies regardless of industry.
B2B or B2C, omnichannel marketing, communications, and engagement isn’t simply buy online, pickup in store (BOPIS) or endless aisle; it’s an integrated, seamless, and unified brand experience.
A Brief History of Omnichannel
For the past decade, omnichannel has been a big topic—even if it spent much of that time as little more than a buzzword. Why? For starters, many limited its scope to the sales process and buyer’s journey. Others limited its industry to retail. And most of the time, executives conflated the terms multichannel and omnichannel.
But today, it’s so much more. It’s acquisition and retention, customer service and investor relations. It’s everything and it’s everywhere. Here’s how we got to where we are today.
Limited Beginnings
Coined as early as 2003 by Best Buy, omnichannel didn’t start to gain traction until September 2010 when Leslie Hand of the consultancy IDC allegedly brought the term into the retail zeitgeist. By 2014, the term had truly begun to take off, with Marketing Land MarTech’s James Green discussed how lines were beginning to blur—and ecommerce would simply become commerce.
But 2014 was a different time. The MarTech article was built on the technological limitations of the day. The scope was still limited to retailers, acquisition, and commerce.
Omnichannel still had a dash between omni and channel.
This was still a time when retailers were simply trying to fight off Amazon.
The idea of DTC was limited to razors.
And everyone was still trying to navigate mobile commerce.
Technological Evolution (and a Black Swan Event)
Though the idea was there, it has since evolved. Channels converged. Processes streamlined. Pure-play ecommerce players joined the fray and caused pundits to predict the death of bricks-and-mortar businesses, only to cause an in-store renaissance.
Social media became a channel for product discovery, shopping, and customer support.
Oh, and 2020 happened.
Possibly the biggest of the drivers of omnichannel, the events of March 2020 put people in their homes, forced businesses to rethink the buyers journey, and ultimately brought about the omnichannel reality that exists today.
Businesses had no choice but to introduce contactless checkout, BOPIS, and other forms of touchpoint diversity.
Two-plus years of lockdowns forced a change in the way that post-sale customer service worked.
Customer Relationship Management evolved to give better insights before, during, and after a sale.
Purchase and browsing history fed recommendation engines.
When everything had to change, everything did. And since then, things have only gotten more complex.
The Big Broad World of Omnichannel Engagement in 2024
Today, everything is connected. Because it has to be. And a true omnichannel experience needs to represent that—a holistic, multi device, buyer agnostic, and full-cycle communications approach.
Omnichannel was never simply about doing one thing right. It’s not even about doing multiple things right individually (that’s called multichannel). It’s about doing it all.
And in 2024, it’s more important than ever.
Not Just a Marketing Thing
SEO best practice would tell me to use the phrase “omnichannel marketing” instead of my preferred term omnichannel engagement.
After all, that’s the big term. Omnichannel marketing. Omnichannel marketing. Omnichannel marketing. Well, I can guarantee this site is never going to compete for that term. We’re just a humble direct and secure mail provider who’s pretty amazing at being part of your omnichannel initiative.
But it’s not simply marketing. It’s not simply communication. Just as omnichannel differs from multichannel marketing in its focus, scope, and approach, omnichannel engagement differs from marketing. It goes beyond the buyer’s journey.
Instead of simply facilitating a purchase and providing support, omnichannel engagement encompasses the way a brand connects with stakeholders.
Unconfined by Industry
Just as omnichannel has evolved to include more than just marketing, it’s begun to affect a much broader spectrum of industries. Yes, it all started in marketing. And it all began with retailers. But it has escaped containment.
It might take a bit of time, but expectations set in one industry become the norm in others.
In 2024, customers and stakeholders expect the same level of digital sophistication from their insurance brokers, healthcare providers, or financial institutions as they do from retailers.
Meaningful Connection—Using the Medium an Individual Wants
2024 is an interesting time. Depending on the industry, businesses need to cater to four to six different generations—Silent, Boomer, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha.
Here lies the problem. Each generation has its own level of technological maturity, communications preference, and mode of interaction with your brand. Force the wrong approach upon a customer and that person won’t be a customer for long.
Take, for example, the world of banking. Many banks have launched their version of a physical bank location that doesn’t involve physical banking. Whether they’re called solution centers, branch 2.0 or banks of the future, they’re meant to provide an innovative solution using digital technology.
But not every customer wants to do banking that way. For many individuals who are uncomfortable with technology, skeptical of security, or stuck in their ways, these digital solutions aren’t solutions at all.
Today and for the foreseeable future, brands will need to ensure that they are ready to meet the needs of the stakeholder.
Some people want to get things done over the phone.
Some people are happy communicating with an AI chatbot.
Some people are fine with video calls.
Some people need to get things done in person.
Some people want messages sent in email form.
Some people want their communications sent physically.
And that’s fine—so long as you know how to cater to each.
Direct Mail As Part of the Omnichannel Experience
From banking to finance to healthcare and more, it’s important to communicate with your people the way they want. And studies show that consumers of all generations still prefer direct mail.
After all, it’s a logical way to break through the noise. Digital natives are facing digital fatigue. Their predecessors trust the post office more than your website. And studies show that your emails are likely to get lost in the shuffle.
At Sepire, we were born in the world of direct mail—both for marketing and for secure communications. Flexible, scalable, secure, and precise, our team has the subject matter expertise to help you. Learn more about the industries we serve and drop us a line to get started.