Omnichannel marketing: Definition, examples, and how to implement for your store

Omnichannel marketing is a strategy that helps businesses promote through a consistent and connected customer experience across every marketing channel.

In omnichannel marketing, whether a customer discovers your brand through social media, visits your website, opens an email, uses your mobile app, or walks into your physical store, each interaction is personalized and builds on the previous one.

This allows businesses to deliver relevant messages, product recommendations, and offers based on a customer's behavior and preferences.

Omnichannel marketing increases purchase frequency by 250% and average order value by 13%.

Omnichannel marketing vs. Multichannel marketing 

Here is a detailed comparison of the strategies:

Why does omnichannel marketing matter for your store? 

An HBR study found that omnichannel shoppers made 23% more repeat purchases than single-channel customers, spent 4% more per in-store visit, and 10% more per online visit.

Omnisend's research found that marketers running campaigns across three or more channels saw a 494% higher order rate compared to single-channel campaigns.

Here is what the profits of omnichannel marketing could look like:

Consider an ecommerce store that generates $100,000 in annual revenue from 2,000 customers, with an average order value of $50.

Most customers discover the brand through a search engine, make a purchase, and do not interact with it again.

By connecting email, SMS, social media ads, and their ecommerce platform, the business can send personalized cart reminders, product recommendations, and post-purchase campaigns based on each customer's behavior to that new customer.

In response to any of those touchpoints, the customer has an easier way to return to the same brand to make another purchase.

If just 10% of customers make one additional $50 purchase, that's $10,000 in additional revenue, without even acquiring a new customer.

What does omnichannel marketing look like in practice? 

Here's how the most common ecommerce marketing channels work together:

Unlike what most businesses perceive, omnichannel marketing does not mean doing promotions on all the channels available. It simply refers to the smooth flow of information between whatever channels you use.

Common omnichannel marketing campaigns for ecommerce businesses

Omnichannel marketing is most effective when every campaign has a clear objective.

Rather than sending the same message across every platform, use each channel in the way it adds the most value.

Here are five campaigns that consistently deliver results for ecommerce businesses.

1. Welcome and first-purchase campaign 

Channels: Website, email, SMS, social retargeting

Goal: Convert new subscribers into first-time customers.  

The first interaction after someone signs up can determine whether they become a customer or lose interest.

For example, someone who subscribes to your newsletter can receive a welcome email with your brand story and best-selling products. In fact, 74% of subscribers expect immediate welcome emails, and they generate 9 times more conversions and 320% more revenue.

If they visit your website again without purchasing, they can see personalized product recommendations or a limited-time first-order offer.

If they have opted in, an SMS reminder can reinforce the offer before it expires.

2. Cart abandonment campaign 

Channels: eCommerce store, email, SMS, social media ads

Goal: Recover abandoned carts and increase conversion rates.

According to Statista, 70.22% of online shoppers abandon their carts. An omnichannel cart recovery campaign reminds them to return without relying on a single email.

The first reminder can be sent by email within a few hours. If there is no response, a retargeting ad can display the same products while the customer browses social media.

For customers who have opted into SMS, a final reminder with an expiration date or free shipping offer can encourage them to complete the purchase.

3. Product launch campaign 

Channels: Social media, email, website, paid targeted ads

Goal: Increase awareness, product discovery, and launch-week sales.

Launching a new product requires more than announcing it once. Different customers pay attention to different channels, so the campaign should unfold consistently across each one.

Start by releasing the launch on social media, announce it to your email subscribers, feature it prominently on your website, and retarget visitors who viewed the product but did not buy it.

Existing customers can also receive recommendations based on previous purchases if the new product is relevant to them.

4. Re-engagement campaign 

Channels: CRM, email, SMS, retargeting ads

Goal: Reactivate dormant customers and reduce churn.

Not every customer needs the same incentive to return. Someone who purchased a month ago should receive different messaging from someone who has not ordered in a year.

Using your CRM and purchase history, you can identify inactive customers and create targeted campaigns.

Customers who previously bought items from a particular category can receive recommendations for similar products, while long-term inactive customers may respond better to an exclusive offer.

5. Post-purchase and repeat purchase campaign 

Channels: Email, SMS, loyalty program, website, mobile app

Goal: Increase repeat purchases and customer lifetime value.

The customer journey does not end after checkout. The period immediately after a purchase is one of the best opportunities to build loyalty and increase customer lifetime value.

After delivery, ask for a review, recommend complementary products, or send replenishment reminders for consumable items.

If you have a loyalty program, invite customers to earn or redeem rewards on their next purchase.

How to build an omnichannel marketing strategy 

Step 1: Map your marketing touchpoints 

Start by identifying every marketing channel your customers use before making a purchase. This could include search engines, social media, email, SMS, paid ads, and your website.

Next, analyze how customers move between these channels. For example, do they discover your brand through Instagram, browse products on your website and return later through an email campaign, or do they click a Google ad but abandon their cart before purchasing?

Understanding these paths helps you identify where marketing can guide customers to the next stage instead of treating every interaction as an isolated event.

2. Build a unified customer profile 

Omnichannel marketing depends on having a single view of your customer. If your ecommerce platform, email marketing software, CRM, and advertising platforms all store customer data separately, it is difficult to deliver relevant campaigns.

Connect these systems so marketing can use information such as:

• Products viewed

• Purchase history

• Cart abandonment

• Email engagement

• Website behavior

• Loyalty status

A unified customer profile allows every campaign to reflect the customer's interests instead of sending the same message to everyone.

3. Create campaigns that span multiple channels 

Do not think in terms of email campaigns or social media campaigns. Instead, think in terms of customer goals.

Each channel can play a different role, but in the end, they should collectively support one campaign rather than competing for attention.

4. Personalize every interaction 

Instead of sending every subscriber the same promotional email, segment your audience based on factors such as:

• Previous purchases

• Browsing history

• Customer lifecycle stage

• Average order value

• Engagement level

This allows you to engage shoppers with messaging that is relevant to them.

Personalization does not have to be complex. Even basic audience segmentation can significantly improve engagement compared to generic campaigns.

5. Measure customer journeys, not just channels 

Traditional marketing reports measure each channel separately, through metrics like email open rates, social engagement, or paid ad clicks.

Omnichannel marketing looks at how channels work together to influence conversions and long-term customer value.

Track metrics that show the impact of connected campaigns.

By measuring customer journeys instead of individual channels, you can identify which combinations of touchpoints contribute most to conversions and optimize future campaigns accordingly.

Conclusion

Omnichannel marketing is an ongoing strategy for creating more relevant customer experiences. By connecting your marketing channels, you can reach shoppers with the right message at the right time instead of relying on disconnected campaigns.

Begin with the channels that drive the most engagement, connect them, and build from there. Even small improvements in personalization and cross-channel coordination can lead to higher conversions, better retention, and increased customer lifetime value.