Omnichannel communication is one of the best ways to encourage repeat business. If you sell an ongoing service, subscription service, or anything that can and should be purchased repeatedly, an omnichannel messaging platform and omnichannel software might work best for you.
If you have a delighted client, there’s no reason to work so hard (or focus so much on ad spending) to make repeat sales. In fact, they already want to hear from you. It’s just a matter of figuring out how and when to ensure they see your message so they’re reminded to buy again.
You can reach customers through targeted email campaigns, retargeted social ads, and more. Amazon is a master of this — if you have an Alexa device in your home, you might have had her remind you to buy items you use repeatedly and regularly again. She might remind you to purchase paper towels, diapers, or toilet paper.
Let’s say you run a local flower shop. An omnichannel software solution, like the one Mitto can provide, can enhance your ability to sell repeatedly to the same customer. Here’s how.
Holiday and Seasonal Marketing With Omnichannel E-Commerce
Even if you don’t sell seasonal products, seasonal buying habits affect almost every business. From end-of-year budgeting to higher consumer sales around Christmas, holiday, and seasonal sales are crucial to every business — and it’s something omnichannel e-commerce solutions can help you with.
As a florist, for example, you have many opportunities to capitalize on this. You might note that a person is buying flowers for their spouse’s birthday. A week before that event occurs next year, a business can use omnichannel messaging to remind them about their spouse’s birthday and provide an incentive, such as a coupon, to order another bouquet this year.
When it’s spring, your customers might be interested in tulips and sunflowers. When it’s winter, they might want poinsettias. When you reach them on several communication channels with omnichannel messaging, they’ll be grateful for the reminders and more likely to click or respond to buy.
Remind Customers of Their Favorites With Omnichannel Communication
Do you have a particular comfort food from childhood that you still enjoy? What about a color that looks fabulous on you? With the right omnichannel software, a company can store and access customer data like this and decide when to market something to the client.
Let’s say someone regularly purchases sunflowers to place on their kitchen counter. You could provide sales messaging with new arrangements that include sunflowers and vases that work perfectly for that type of flower. An omnichannel software solution like Mitto can handle this for you, maximizing profits.
Omnichannel Communication, Current Events, and ‘Newsjacking’
When significant events happen, people become insecure and want to stay updated on the latest developments. Newsjacking is when a business creates a campaign centered on a notable news event — and while viewing every world event as a sales opportunity can be tacky, you can apply some of the lessons you’ve learned from how to market effectively for the holidays and seasons here.
Most Americans don’t spend much time thinking about Election Day until the week of the event. That’s why you might want to send your marketing messages about sales of red, white, and blue bouquets just days before that event to your Washington, D.C., customers — and why you should ensure they have a better chance of seeing it by distributing it to multiple channels via omnichannel communication.
You’ll need to be more sensitive when it comes to specific events. For example, selling a “Ukrainian bouquet” with no benefit to Ukrainians would be unwise — that’s just capitalizing on their suffering. However, if your proceeds benefited the people of Ukraine, it would be a tremendous opportunity to do something for the good of humankind while getting your business’s name out there. Omnichannel communication can help. And if your email about it falls into the correct mailbox, you could score some good press and help a good cause, too.
By showing sensitivity and timeliness, you’ll earn repeat customers and remind your existing customers of your presence.
Solicit Feedback Through Omnichannel Communication — and Use It
Have you ever asked your customers about their feelings on an issue, product, or service? Having multiple channels to communicate with your clients means you have several openings to get feedback from them. This can help improve your product, service, marketing, sales, and customer service processes, but it also lets you develop new products and services that are sure to sell.
Let’s say your flower shop sells small bridesmaid bouquets with baby’s breath and roses. A year after her wedding, one of your bridal customers gets a survey from you, asking her about her experience and what she’d like to see in the future. She might tell you she wished she had been able to order those bouquets in a larger size.
If she isn’t the only customer who feels that way, it could become a significant sales opportunity for you. Maybe you missed the memo that bigger bridal bouquets are in — but your customer did you the favor of letting you know. So, when her sister gets married, you get a larger sale, and her family gets exactly what they want this time.
Consider Ages and Stages With Omnichannel E-Commerce Opportunities
Think about that same bride again. Her life could take many paths. She might lose a loved one and need flowers for a memorial service, or she might get pets that can’t have toxic plants nearby. If she and her spouse buy a home, they might want outdoor plants for their garden. The point is this: Keep tabs on them, and continue the conversation through omnichannel messaging. You should aim to be there for the next stage of your customer’s life, whatever that may be.
Pets grow quickly and have limited life spans, and pet retailers like PetSmart and Chewy excel at considering every stage of a pet’s life. PetSmart offers a “puppy guide” for just $20. When you buy it, you get coupons for all sorts of products and services you’ll need as you raise your puppy in the first year. They ask about your puppy’s age and breed when you bring it home. In one year, PetSmart knows your pug might need shots, specialized training, or a small raincoat. The dog might have also outgrown its collar or crate. And they know this is an opportunity to reconnect with the client.
Chewy, a mail-order pet industry retailer, uses omnichannel communication, including snail mail, to communicate with customers. Has your pet ever received a birthday card? They will if they sign up with Chewy. If your pet unfortunately passes away, Chewy will send condolences. They are truly there with the customer, using multiple forms of omnichannel communication to connect throughout each stage of the pet’s life. This means the client buys from them throughout those stages.
Use Omnichannel Software To Uphold These Conversations and Produce Multiple Sales
To manage communication through different ages and stages, seasons, and life events, it’s vital to reach the customer how and when they prefer to be contacted. Omnichannel software makes this happen, and it’s convenient for the client if they call and your customer service professionals can easily access their account. Consider using an omnichannel software solution such as Mitto for your marketing needs.
