Omnichannel customer experience: 10 pillars of always-on marketing

An omnichannel customer experience is the relationship a customer has with a brand when every channel, from the website to the store, works as one continuous conversation. It is the core of always-on marketing: an approach that keeps communication and service active at all times, because the people it serves are always on themselves. They are connected all day, used to immediate answers and to moving between channels without noticing the switch.

For a brand this is both the battlefield and the largest opportunity. Being present is no longer enough; the goal is to be relevant every time the customer shows up, and to anticipate needs in real time instead of reacting to them.

This article sets out ten pillars to build that experience, starting from the obstacle most companies still face: their data is scattered.

The challenge: fragmented data in everywhere commerce

The direction of the market is clear, but daily operations lag behind. A study by the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano and Zenith Italia, presented in 2017 at the Everywhere Commerce conference, found that only 36% of companies collected data on all their touchpoints, and therefore only a minority could use that data in an integrated way. The figure is old, and it describes Italy; the problem it names, fragmentation, is still the first one I find when I work with a company.

Luca Centurioni, Chief Strategic Officer of Zenith Italia, put it this way at the time: “For twenty years we have studied customer centricity, and today we can say we have entered the era of everywhere commerce.” When every interaction is a chance to sell or to lose a customer, brands and retailers have to manage the always-on consumer in an integrated, intelligent way.

10 pillars for an omnichannel customer experience

To handle today’s market and build lasting relationships, a strategy needs solid foundations. These are the ten pillars of effective always-on marketing, each one a condition for a truly omnichannel experience.

1. Understand always-on consumers and what they expect

Every always-on strategy starts from a deep understanding of the people it serves. They are digitally fluent, and they expect personalisation, immediacy and consistency in every interaction. Study their customer journey, their preferences and the points where they get stuck, so that you offer value where it is actually missing.

2. Design a seamless, integrated experience

Having many channels is one thing; integrating them is another. From smart technologies to smart retail, and by extension to intelligent services in any sector, the target is a seamless customer experience: no break between the online and offline points where customers meet the brand, its products and its services. Digital marketing plays a key role in connecting those moments.

3. Use smart technologies for smart retail and intelligent services

Smart retail uses the IoT (the network of connected objects), artificial intelligence and data analysis to personalise the experience in store and online, streamline operations and create new service models. The same approach works in many other sectors, wherever interactions can become more efficient and more personal.

4. Treat data as the lifeblood of the operating cycle

In always-on marketing, data is the raw material of every new cycle. The task is to “read all the data coming from desktops, mobile devices and every other touchpoint to understand how to design a consumer experience built on their behaviour.”

In practice, invest in data management platforms and web analytics, and build the internal skills to turn data into decisions.

5. Reinvent the role of physical contact

Digital dominates, yet the new role of the physical store (or of any direct contact, such as events or B2B consulting) is to offer experiences that digital cannot.

It becomes a strategic touchpoint inside the omnichannel experience, focused on engagement, personal advice and deeper relationships, and always-on marketing has to value it and connect it to the rest.

6. Move digital marketing beyond the campaign, toward an ambient activity

Digital marketing has outgrown the logic of time-limited campaigns: it has become an “ambient activity”. Strategies must be persistent, adaptive and part of the daily environment of always-on consumers. Trade marketing changes too: it needs a strong digital component to support omnichannel strategies and keep sales channels consistent online and offline.

7. Balance art, science and technology

Success needs balance. The advice given to retailers, which applies to every company, is to “learn to harmonise art, science and technology”. Creativity (art) captures attention and makes a message memorable; data (science) guides decisions and personalisation; technology makes execution possible at scale.

8. Communicate on two levels: branding and contextual interaction

Communication must work on two planes: branding, to enter the consumer’s initial consideration, and contextual interaction. Branding builds trust and desirability over the long term. Contextual interaction, fed by data, gives the right answer at the right moment in the right channel. Geolocation, personalised email marketing, loyalty cards and apps together form an information network that supports whoever manages the customer experience.

9. Listen continuously and act before you are asked

Always-on digital marketing means building an “Internet of People able to listen so closely to each consumer that it can respond even faster and more precisely, despite the speed of change and trends.” Being proactive, and not only reactive, is what lets you anticipate the needs of always-on consumers.

10. Measure, analyse and optimise without pause

No always-on strategy lasts without a continuous cycle of measurement, analysis and optimisation. Define clear KPIs (key performance indicators), track performance on every channel and use what you learn to keep improving the omnichannel customer experience.

Putting these pillars together takes strategic vision and specific skills. As a consultant and trainer, I work alongside companies and their internal teams to define always-on strategies that fit them, adopt the technology an omnichannel experience requires, and build the skills to manage data and improve performance. The aim is to turn digitalisation from a challenge into a strategic business asset.

Always-on marketing for a competitive present

The digitalisation of retail, and of every other sector, is now a strategic business asset. Always-on consumers have rewritten the rules, and always-on marketing, with a well-run omnichannel customer experience at its centre, is the answer. Adopting these pillars means building a lasting competitive advantage, grounded in a deep understanding of the customer and in the ability to serve them well, anytime and anywhere.