Through more and more channels, customers have contact with companies and their brand. You have e-commerce, social commerce, mobile commerce, the physical store, pop-up stores, print, and many more channels. You also increasingly hear, see, and read the terms single-, multi-, cross-, and omni-channel. In this article, we provide an overview of what these terms mean and what the differences are.
Single channel
In single channel, one channel is offered to the customer. An example is the traditional physical store or just an online webshop.
Multi-channel
In multi-channel, the customer is served through multiple sales channels. These channels can consist of tablet/desktop/mobile or physical store/app or other sales channels.
These channels are not connected to each other. Often, different departments are responsible and do not share data with each other. This can lead to differences in prices, customer experience, brand image, and customer service. Customers cannot order a product online and pick it up offline. And for sellers in the physical store, the online purchase history of customers is not available.
Cross-channel
In cross-channel, we go a step further than in multi-channel. Besides serving customers through multiple sales channels, customers can have their purchase journey through multiple channels. For example, they can browse in the mobile webshop and make the purchase through another channel.
Omni-channel
'Omni' comes from Latin and means 'all' or 'every'. 'Channel' refers to the way customers interact with an organization. Literally, it means "all channels".
Omni-channel is basically the same as the cross-channel strategy. The important difference is that there is a uniform and synchronized brand experience across all channels. All information comes from one source, and there is a consistent pricing and brand experience for all channels.
Customers research, orient, and compare more and more channels before purchase. You first sit on the couch with your tablet to orient yourself on a vacation. A day later, on the train to work, you compare several providers of a certain type of trip. Another week later, you visit the website of one of the travel organizations offering your trip or decide to go to a travel agency to book your trip.
Omni-channel allows all channels to reinforce each other. For example, a customer in a bookstore can ask if a certain book is in stock. If not, the seller can check if the book can be delivered to the customer's home the next day.
The customer thinks this is a good idea, decides to buy the book, and gives his name and address to the seller. The seller can then place the order on his registered account. The customer pays in the store, and the book is delivered to the customer's home the next day.
If the customer logs in via the app, desktop, or mobile, they find their complete order history, including the book they ordered in the store. With an omni-channel strategy, the customer can always access their information in real-time and on any device. Additionally, the omni-channel strategy ensures there is no gap between the online and offline brand experience.
In an omni-channel strategy, the customer and their journey to purchase are central. The brand experience, technology, and communication with the customer are optimally aligned. This leads to an optimal customer experience throughout the entire purchase journey. It also results in a positive impact on your brand and creates loyal customers and brand advocates.
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