Advantages Multichannel
Deploying more channels creates new opportunities for growth. Each connected channel offers opportunities for audiences, times and locations to reach them with various audiovisual opportunities. Both for more leads, new purchases, and intensified customer loyalty.
Disadvantages Multichannel
The tremendous growth and use of online channels presents marketers with difficult choices. They can't be left behind in social channels, web shops and email marketing. But meanwhile, these all need to be set up, grow, fit the branding and be kept up to date with relevant and timely content for the right target group.
"Meanwhile, multichannel channels can cannibalize each other or give opposite messages."
Tools for different channels are usually insufficiently integrated, so information (content and data) is not shared. Nor is that their strength. Channel software was created to make channel processes efficient. The store's checkout system charges quickly, provides a clear receipt and a signal to the product management system. Customer service software directs each customer to the right expert and retrieves detailed order and customer information. Sales uses a CRM in which they can track prospects with buying intent in a targeted way. Marketers use Web, social and e-mail software that allows them to optimize each of those customer channels. Meanwhile, multichannel channels can cannibalize each other or deliver a lesser customer experience because data and information are not exchanged between them.
Advantages Omnichannel
We use more and more communication channels. Often depending on where we are and the time of day: our cell phone on the go, the desktop in the office, the laptop on the couch in the evening and in the mall we speak to the salesperson. Everywhere we leave information. We search, view, inquire, listen and deliver information about intentions. In all those places and in every channel. As a (data) marketer, if you use all the information to understand customers better and faster, you can help them much better at the moment it is relevant. Helping better in this case also means more efficient with a greater chance of success. This is why an Omnichannel approach is usually the ideal strategy for both supplier and customer.
Disadvantages Omnichannel
To use all channels and be competitive in each one, you need people, knowledge and software. Also, not every channel yields the same margin. You face competition from multiple angles. Because you are busy enough with this in the delusion of the day, you often focus on the channel with the most value, or the channel you are responsible for. You think: "I don't have time for an Omnichannel strategy."
"You think: I don't have time for an Omnichannel strategy."
At the same time, you know there are opportunities and benefits here. You create new entry points, work on communication and margin optimization per channel. With the right software, you can quickly bring together information (data) from all channels (without impacting ongoing processes) and automate and personalize your marketing communications in each channel (without technical knowledge).
Conclusion
In the short term, a Multichannel strategy works cleanly, but an Omnichannel strategy delivers by far the best customer experiences and returns. To achieve that with the same capacity, two things need to be in place:
your information (data) from all channels needs to be brought together quickly, without time-consuming IT processes, without impacting ongoing business processes and flexibly available to business users
for marketing across all channels, you need a campaign management tool that matches your customer data, content and offers in all channels in an automated way.
Omnichannel marketing automation software brings you this efficiency. And to bring data together, you don't always need a CRM, Datawarehouse, Datalake, Customer Data Platform or Central Marketing Database first. Plus, you want to remain flexible in adding new data sources and data fields that are most successful in your industry. Determine your own business case here.
