Omnichannel marketing is on its way to being the new normal. While it may still be a new term to some, many coffee shops are already using it, and many customers expect it.

What is Omnichannel Marketing?

Omnichannel marketing is when your digital and in-store experiences are integrated across the board – your website, mobile site and app are working in tandem, so people can access any customer service conversation, real-time reloading of their membership card, or anything else from every touchpoint at any time.

Omnichannel is different from multichannel, which looks at each specific touchpoint individually rather than how they work as a whole throughout the customer journey.

If your coffee shop hasn’t created an omnichannel marketing strategy yet, you have every reason to start working on one. We’re going to tell you the top 5 reasons why you shouldn’t wait to create one.





5 reasons your coffee shop shouldn't wait to create an omnichannel marketing strategy

1. Reach customers where they are

Being where your customers are means you’re available to address questions and orders both in-store and online. This can look like pre-ordering via an app or making sure you’re available for Instagram chat.

When a customer buys their first cup of coffee from you, your goal is to at least 10X that value over the entire “customer lifecycle” or the time when that person continues to be a buying guest.

Where the customer buys from you is a factor, as well as if they’re local or not. You can encourage locals to visit in person as well as buying online. For non-local guests, conversion to online customers is the goal, as is a fantastic user experience.

2. Guest engagement strategy

Every customer, local or not, can be enticed to bring your coffee shop brand home with them! This can be done in many ways:

In-store merchandising includes seasonal and social media-friendly products and displays.

Coffee events such as charity, seasonal, open mic nights, movie nights and more.

In-store and online communication that is consistent with your brand across all channels, at all times.

Personalization through product recommendations, product mix guide for roasters and sourcing.

An eCommerce site that reflects the brand's promise in real life – it’s easier to sell coffee when your product is readily available from anywhere!

Omnichannel marketing makes it easy for brands to trigger the right messaging, in the right channel (email or SMS), depending on a customer's buying pattern.

3. Seamless data and analytics

Omnichannel creates seamless transitions across all customer touchpoints. In order to have a seamless customer experience, having real-time, holistic data is necessary to:
 

• Send real-time promotions via SMS
• Test what’s working and not
• Make sure the customer sees the same thing in every place
• Know what product mix is most effective

Since customers have a lot of options, giving them a top-tier customer experience can be the factor that puts you top of mind.

4. Increased customer loyalty

Customers who engage with omnichannel brands are more loyal – it’s been proven. Omnichannel customers shopped 23% more times than single channel customers within 6 months, and also were more likely to recommend the brand to others.

Omnichannel is essential to loyalty because it creates memories. Having consistent branding in multiple spaces, where people can experience it with multiple senses, makes it stick. Of course, this memory needs to be built up by positive associations – and making sure that customers get a seamless brand experience across all touchpoints does just that.

5. Increased revenue

Going back to the beginning, you’re looking to increase each customer’s purchase value by at least 10 times throughout their journey.

A study conducted for omnichannel marketing showed that these customers are the most valuable – they spend more both in-store and online, and they spend more with each added channel. Those who use more than 4 channels spend more time in-store as well.



Conclusion: 5 reasons your coffee shop shouldn't wait to create an omnichannel marketing strategy

The stats are in, and omnichannel marketing is already the next big thing. Not only does it have positive returns for both coffee shops and customers, but it’s expected because it’s possible, it makes life easier and it creates closer bonds between customers and brands.

Creating an omnichannel marketing experience may seem like a chore, but it’s easy when you work with a data platform that integrates on all fronts – your data gathered from your POS, WiFi and third-party platforms, and customer communication via email, SMS and loyalty programs. 

About GoGoGuest

GoGoGuest is a turn-key guest engagement and customer analytics platform dedicated specifically to coffee shops and the restaurant industry. We integrate with the systems you already have to give you usable data, and deep customer analytics for omnichannel marketing and increased revenue. Learn more about our solutions for single and multi-unit coffee shop brands, book a demo.