Customer shopping behavior had been changing along with the advancement of the Internet and new technology.  Customers intend to use the available technology in their shopping journey. Mastering customer shopping behavior in an omnichannel environment can further enhance the business strategy of providing a quality experience at different customer touchpoints.

Omnichannel strategy is a retail approach that allows customers to shop across channels anywhere, at any time with a seamless and effortless shopping experience. The common channels available in the omnichannel environment are physical stores, online, social media and mobile applications.

More and more channels are offered to tackle those available touchpoints in the customer buying process than the traditional one which we usually use a TV or newspaper advertisement only in the problem recognition stage. And a salesperson in a physical store when the customer wanted to know more about the product.

Businesses should make sure they are ready at all those touchpoints in an omnichannel environment to reduce the number of potential customers who walked away halfway through their purchase journey. They will move across channels depending on their preference, situation, time of the day or the product category.

The consumer buying process

Are you familiar with the following process?

I wanted to buy a camera to record life moments. I checked the brand website that I am interested in. Then, I used a search engine to search for alternatives. I went through the review and images posted by other users on the website, forum and marketplace. As the product required a big budget, I would prefer to touch the real product so I went to the local store nearby. I decided to check on the credible influencers on their review on the camera on social media. When I was still in the consideration stage, the camera advertisement often appeared when I surf the internet. I made the purchase at the marketplace and left a good review as the brand gave me a consistent and complete experience throughout the journey.

Yes. This is the common process that omnishoppers go through to make a purchase. Digitalization in retailing has created an omnichannel environment and omnishoppers who use multiple channels. They use new technology to search for information, give opinions, explain experiences, make purchases, and talk to the brand. Markets are cluttered with alternatives. Businesses need to have a stand at those steps. 

Optimize your Brand at Every Buying Stage

Problem Recognition

Content marketing is an excellent way to help potential customers discover their needs. Center your content in offering helpful solutions and tools for the problem they faced. Publish it on your website and look for strategic partner sites where you can create backlinks to your content. It is vital to be somewhere your potential customers can see it. On top of that, you can advertise your content to attract new customers. 

Information Search

Make sure your brand shows up when the customer searches for more information on Google. The higher the SERP ranking of your brand, the higher chance the that potential customer interact with your brand. Optimize your website’s content for SEO and use Google Ads to launch a PPC campaign on keywords people might be searching for.

Evaluation of Alternatives

Customers start to evaluate different options based on the available product information such as features, availability, cost-effectiveness, description, etc. Ensure your product information is rich and complete to support the customers’ needs. This can simplify the product comparison process and stand out from the competitors.

Read more about PIM at https://clearomni.com/clearomni-product-information-management-pim

Establish connections with the influencers and experts in your field and have reviews and partnerships on your products. This is extremely helpful in influencing customer decision-making.

Purchase Phase

Are your offline and online channels ready to best serve the customers that are ready to purchase with you? You don’t want to disappoint them because of the long processing/loading time and limited available payment methods. Give them a seamless and smooth omnichannel shopping experience that will convert them into return customers in the future. Consider an OMS system like CLEARomni OMS that can enhance your fulfilment strategy in various ways that the customers would like to have such as BOPIS and endless aisles.

Post-Purchase Evaluation

Provide good customer service and follow-up emails that help the customer in using the products. Show your care for their experience and have a chance to improve your business based on customer reviews. For example, if the product ended up not being what the customer is looking for, besides offering a refund, we can understand which part of product information is insufficient/inaccurate, then make a change. Leaving a good impression and customer experience will lead to repeat purchases and word of mouth.