E-commerce, along with the rapid increase of social media has had its own expansion. It has completely transformed the way brands gain a footing within their industry marketplace. In a world full of information that people see and engage with every day, it is important to make sure you are doing your best to reach an audience. That’s where multichannel selling strategies come into place.
In this blog post, we explore what and how multichannel selling can bring about a tangible increase in your brand’s reach.
What is multichannel selling?
Multichannel selling, essentially, is when you make your products available for purchase through more than one platform. In the past, prior to any sort of digitisation of business, the basic two options were brick and mortar stores and print catalogues. Now, the proliferation of the internet age and has brought with it a whole different idea of what selling channels look like for businesses. To the extent that if your brand does not have an online presence, you have a disadvantage.
It is not as easy as it seems; the e-commerce landscape has expanded significantly and continues to grow, especially with tools like Instagram Business. Along with this, the internet is a saturated place with many businesses competing for a strong presence. Therefore, it is critical to strategise your brand’s online presence.
Channel Options
• Physical stores – this also includes temporary pop-ups and promotional events
• Wholesale distribution
• Social media
• Third-party marketplaces e.g. Takealot
• eCommerce sites e.g. Shopify, BigCommerce
• Daily deals sites e.g. One Day Only
Why?
- It increases your opportunities for existing and potential customers to discover and engage with your brand
- Multichannel selling allows you to captivate your people’s and customers’ attention at multiple points in the consuming process
- It aids in establishing a digital trail, which in turn allows consumers to follow directly to you as a brand, hence increasing the chances of a sale
- With e-commerce multichannel selling, you are guaranteed to provide undeniable convenience for your customers, because you can shop anytime, anywhere – which opens up the potential for customers to engage with your brand.
- The more available channels, the better. As mentioned, this amplifies your brand’s presence
Ultimately, multichannel selling is a strategy for any brand, small or big – new or established. Creating an online base and presence is critical for the current time and the future. It is about figuring out what channels suit and are fitting for your brand, and making sure that you are offering a seamless experience between them. This allows for the establishment of a positive, consistent customer experience that can lead to people coming back for more.
Remember, bring your brand to people: be where your customers are.