The Ultimate List of Omnichannel Marketing Examples and Statistics

CM Commerce Team

As marketing continues to focus on digital channels rather than traditional channels, marketing teams are left wondering which channels are best suited for their specific needs.

Terms such as digital marketing, social media marketing, and email marketing are thrown around quite a bit, leaving some marketers a bit confused as to which is the best channel to use for reaching their audience members and seeing the greatest return on investment (ROI).

Here’s the good news: There’s a single solution, and that is to go omnichannel. Before we dive into omnichannel marketing examples and statistics, let’s cover some basics first.

Omnichannel vs. Multichannel: is there a difference?

In marketing, the terms multichannel and omnichannel are often used interchangeably. The problem here is that these terms refer to two very different ways of approaching commerce. It’s critical to understand that these two approaches to commerce aren’t one and the same.

What it means to be multichannel

To be multichannel means that your brand is utilizing multiple marketing channels to promote your brand and engage with your consumers. While you’re using multiple channels (i.e., social media, email, and in-store promotions) to interact with your audience, you aren’t necessarily tying each of these pieces together.

Think of it more as multiple ways to approach talking to people—some will prefer an in-store conversation, while others may prefer to communicate with your brand via email or your Facebook messenger app. Each channel may be part of the brand, but they don’t often intersect to help foster a consistent message or user experience.

For instance, here at Campaign Monitor, we have a variety of different channels that we use to interact with our audience, including:

  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Website
  • Email
Campaign Monitor’s Multiple Channels

Source: Campaign Monitor Social Media Sites

What it means to be omnichannel

To be omnichannel means you’re utilizing multiple marketing channels to create a single user experience. The entire point is to unite the strengths of each of your communication channels to deliver a consistent and compelling brand message.

A great example of an omnichannel approach is Starbucks’ loyalty rewards program. While the rewards program is primarily run through the rewards app on a participant’s mobile device, users can add money to their rewards account via multiple channels, including:

  • Their mobile device
  • Through the website
  • In store
an omnichannel approach

Source: Delishhably

This omnichannel approach brings together multiple marketing channels and creates an exceptional user experience.

Omnichannel marketing examples and statistics

Before we dive into some omnichannel marketing examples, it’s essential to understand why omnichannel marketing is relevant in our digital age. Now, remember that omnichannel marketing is an approach of uniting the various strengths of each of your communication channels. So why is adopting an omnichannel approach essential?

According to Aspect Software, businesses that adopt an omnichannel strategy achieve a 91% great year-over-year customer retention rate compared to those that don’t. Another study showed that those who have a strong omnichannel customer engagement retain an average of 89% of their customers, compared to 33% of those with weak or no omnichannel customer engagement.

When it comes to customer engagement, 90% of consumers jump between different deceives throughout their day. This means that, while they may have stumbled on your brand’s latest sale on their desktop while browsing their email at work, they may return to your online storefront via their smartphone in the afternoon during their commute home on the train. With more consumers moving across various devices, the demand for an omnichannel customer experience is expected by 2020, with nearly perfect execution.

It’s also worth noting that marketing teams that use three or more channels in their omnichannel marketing campaigns enjoy both a purchase and engagement rate that is 250% higher than those utilizing only a single channel.

Not only are brands who have an omnichannel strategy in place experiencing more user engagement and retention, but they’re also experiencing an increase in how often consumers make a purchase and an increase in how much they’re spending.
Still not convinced? Here are a few more stats worth mentioning:

  • Omnichannel shoppers have a nearly 30% higher lifetime value than those who shop using only a single channel. – Google
  • Seventy-one percent of shoppers stated that using their smartphone while shopping in store is an essential part of their product research and influence a purchase decision. – Google
  • Fifty percent of consumers expect that they’ll be able to buy online and pick up their item in store. – Forrester
  • Forty-five percent of consumers state that they expect in-store sales associates to know about online-only products. – Forrester

The numbers say quite a bit; however, if you still aren’t quite sure about omnichannel marketing, here are some great examples of omnichannel marketing in action.

Amazon

What began as an online-only venture has quickly turned into one of the greatest omnichannel examples in commerce. Not only do customers have access to their profile via the Amazon website, but they also have access to this same information via:

  • The mobile app
  • Alexa devices
  • Smartwatches
  • In-store

Customers can take their Amazon card with them virtually everywhere, thanks to the brand’s seamless omnichannel approach. Not only can they place and track orders, but they can now choose to pick those orders up in-store, at various “lockers,” or still have them delivered to their doorstep. Need a repeat purchase or something added to your shopping list? Easy—simply manually add it via your smartphone or instruct your Alexa device to add the item to your shopping list for you.

Amazon In-store, mobile app, and online omnichannel example

LiveOnNY

Omnichannel marketing examples aren’t limited to big-name stores. In fact, many nonprofits are taking advantage of the omnichannel approach to help spread awareness for various causes. Take the LiveOnNY campaign, for example.

This campaign was started by LiveOnNY and Blue Fountain Media to help not only spread awareness about organ donation, but to bring the topic to life through their website and social media campaign. The campaign shares first-hand experience of organ donation, while also encouraging others to contribute their own stores through user-generated memes via social media.

Nonprofit Omnichannel marketing example

Source: LiveOnNY Website and Instagram

Walgreens

Another excellent example of an omnichannel marketing approach is the Walgreens rewards balance program. Much like the Starbucks loyalty rewards program, consumers can earn rewards points in a variety of different ways, including:

  • In-store purchases
  • Online purchases
  • Activity tracking by connecting fitness apps to the Walgreens app
  • Filling out vital health information surveys
  • Getting in-store vaccinations and more

Once a consumer has collected enough points, they can turn them into cash by redeeming them during purchases in store or online.

Omnichannel rewards program example

Source: Walgreens

Chase Bank

Retail isn’t the only major industry that can benefit from an omnichannel marketing strategy. Many big financial institutions have started adopting an omnichannel marketing approach as well. Take Chase Bank, for example.

While Chase has thousands of locations in the United States alone, they also invite their customers to utilize both its website and use their mobile app to conduct their day to day banking. In fact, many smaller banks have done the same thing in an effort to ease the day-to-day processes for their consumers.

Being able to transfer money via mobile device is much easier than having to log in to your account on your desktop computer, as is being able to deposit a check through the app instead of having to talk with a teller face to face.

Chase Bank omnichannel example

Source: Chase Online/Chase App

Value City Furniture

Our final omnichannel marketing example comes from value city furniture. They recently implemented an “easy pass” to help shoppers online and in store.

When it comes to some merchandise, customers want to be able to see the product before they commit to purchasing it. The brand’s easy pass features help to keep a shopper’s data all in one place, so, if they’re given a quote in store, they can have that added to their online account in order to make a purchase from the comfort of their home, allowing them a chance to “think on it.”

It also works in reverse. If a consumer has a digital Wishlist, they can have a store employee bring up their account, so that they can finish their purchase in store after they’ve had a chance to look at the product in person.

In-store and online omnichannel example

Source: Shopify

Wrap up

New to omnichannel marketing and unsure of where to start? The brands that we’ve discussed have all approached omnichannel marketing in different ways, each of them uniquely brilliant. So, if you’re looking for some omnichannel examples, look toward:

  • Starbucks
  • Amazon
  • LiveOnNY
  • Walgreens
  • Chase Bank
  • Value City Furniture