What is Omnichannel Marketing for Retail?

In our digital world, shoppers are increasingly connected to their devices and the lively, multimedia experiences they provide. To survive in a competitive landscape, brick-and-mortar stores aren’t just competing with other brands, they are competing with the whole of the internet. 

Stores can use retail digital signage to provide an omnichannel marketing experience. This empowers retail stores to bring the things shoppers love about e-commerce, such as engaging advertisements, detailed product information, and suggestions for related items, to the in-store shopping experience. 

A thoughtful omnichannel strategy helps to create brand consistency across channels, inform and engage customers, and create more opportunities for impulse purchases and cross-selling.

How Digital Signage Contributes to an Omnichannel Retail Experience

While digital signage used as window displays can certainly attract and bring new customers into your store, most likely your store visitors will have already learned about you online, whether it be from a targeted ad or a social media post. In-store digital signage can be used to entertain or inform them during their visit, and can help create a natural extension of your company’s online presence. 

Integrate Your Website and Social Media Into Your In-Store Marketing

People who spend a lot of time online are used to video, photos, animated text, and music as part of their shopping experience. Retail digital signage makes it easy to bring your website or social media experience in-store. 

Offer special products, or product variations such as more sizes or colors, exclusively in-store to drive shoppers offline and into your brick-and-mortar store, then use digital signs to help shoppers locate these items when they arrive.  

Digital signage allows you to display a curated feed of social media posts to keep customers informed of new products and customer feedback, and share customer social posts where they post about your store’s products or share their positive experience. Displaying positive reviews gives shoppers confidence that they will be satisfied with a purchase in your store and want to be part of the fun that other shoppers are sharing online. 

How Digital Signage Improves Customer Experiences

Digital signage for retail brings fresh energy to the customer experience. Whether you use your digital signs to entertain or inform, multimedia displays capture attention, leading to increased engagement and the opportunity for more sales. 

Not only that, but touchscreen displays provide an opportunity to be more inclusive to shoppers with visual or auditory impairments or neurodiversity. Providing touchscreen catalogs or wayfinding that are designed for accessibility helps embrace the needs of a diverse population. 

Stores can also use digital signage systems with integrated product scanners to allow customers to check prices and learn more about a product they are interested in purchasing. ComQi’s touchscreen displays combined with a product scanner can provide an incredibly engaging customer experience.

Learn more: Digital Signage Case Studies

Share Product Information

While there are plenty of shoppers who appreciate getting their product information and questions answered directly from a knowledgeable expert, there are many others — especially those used to shopping online — who dislike talking to salespeople. These customers, especially those used to doing their shopping without interacting with other people, appreciate the option to get their product information from digital signs. 

With digital signage for retail, you can install touchscreen catalogs throughout your store. Use them to share product details, provide virtual try-on, show where items are located in the store, display inventory and low-stock warnings, and if the item is out of stock in their size or preferred color, enable them to order at a discounted price or free shipping in just a few clicks.

Another valuable way to use digital signage is to implement QR codes to transfer the in-store experience onto a customer’s smartphone. In-store QR codes give retailers the opportunity to continue an interaction with a customer after they’ve left the store to extend the relationship and open up new marketing opportunities.

Virtual catalogs can also offer suggestions for complementary items, and show promotions that aren’t offered online. This makes for a special shopping experience that will not only increase sales, but encourage customers to think of your store first when it’s time to shop again. 

Upsell With Digital Signage

Digital signage software makes it easy to create and deploy targeted promotions to influence purchasing decisions. Impulse purchases don’t have to take place at just the register — by providing a multimedia experience across the store, you’ll inform shoppers about promotions and products that will excite and inspire them throughout their shopping journey. 

Retail Digital signage solutions powered by a cloud-based CMS makes it easy to update and change your retail displays quickly to always offer engaging promotions or information. This means you could quickly take advantage of an unusual local weather event by offering a discount on a related item, such as swimwear or gloves. ComQi’s cloud-based CMS allows you to integrate data from APIs and other sources to trigger automated changes to your signage content.

Retail stores can also create targeted promotions for local events. If there is a big conference, sporting event, or concert near one of your locations, you can offer a discount on a specific item to ticket holders. This will drive them into your stores to redeem the promotion — and most likely be inspired to buy other things while they are there. 

Digital signs can be used to cross-sell items as well. For example, feature a promotion on hats near the hair-care aisle with clever copy encouraging shoppers to buy a solution for “bad hair” days. Or, run a sale on belts next to the pants display — engaging visual cues will remind shoppers that they need items they hadn’t thought of yet. 

Don’t forget about your dressing rooms — use digital signage to let shoppers ask for assistance with other sizes or product information without having to go back to the sales floor. 

Grocery stores can also use digital displays to encourage impulse shopping. The candy at the register is always going to sell itself, but thoughtful promotions can be used to offload low-inventory or overstocked items throughout the store. For example, if you have a surplus of canned black beans, display an offer to give a discount along with a recipe that a customer can access via QR code, email or text message. Merchandise other ingredients in the recipe on the same display to make it easy for a customer to get everything they need. When they sit down to the home-cooked meal they hadn’t planned on before entering your store, they’ll be pleased by the unexpected shopping experience.

Learn more about how ComQi’s EnGage CMS makes it easy to create and deploy eye-catching digital displays.

Retail Digital Signage for an Omnichannel Shopping Experience

A dynamic and engaging content strategy is no longer just a task for your e-commerce team — use retail digital signage to combine the excitement of online shopping with the immediate satisfaction that comes with in-person purchases to increase both sales and customer loyalty. 

Learn More About ComQi’s Retail Digital Signage Solutions.