When you enter the eCommerce industry, you usually begin by selling from one platform. This could either be a website, a marketplace, or even a social media platform like Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, etc. However, as your business grows, you need to reach out to the audience at multiple places. With evolving technology and customer shopping habits, merchants are increasingly turning towards multichannel selling.
Creating a successful multi-channel experience can be a little intimidating for eCommerce businesses, especially if you are new to running a business. But, with the right tools, technology, and shipping partners by your side, you can excel.
Why is Multichannel Selling Appealing to eCommerce Retailers?
Today, most merchants are aware that increased marketplace exposure can offer them an opportunity for better brand recognition and higher revenue. Though the majority of retail sellers know the concept of brick-and-mortar stores and eCommerce selling, they are not aware of other options. For example, you can opt for trade shows, local markets, print and radio ads, and other offline selling opportunities. On the other hand, there are many platforms for online selling like WhatsApp, Pinterest, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, eBay, Flipkart, Shopify, and other eCommerce channels.
Major Benefits of Multichannel Selling
If we talk about selling on marketplaces, you don’t get to do the branding of your store or capture customers’ attention much. However, marketplaces handle the sales processing to delivery and everything in between for you without charging any extra amount. There are many other benefits that multichannel selling offers you, some of which are cited below.
Create A Unified Experience
By combining brick-and-mortar and online channels, you can provide a consistent shopping experience for your customers across all platforms. Providing a unified experience to your customers lets you respond to their needs and increase engagement more efficiently.
Increase Your Customer Base
Some customers prefer shopping online while others like visiting brick-and-mortar stores or Amazon and other marketplaces. You can strategically put your products in specific places for the targeted audience to increase customer reach and sales. While selling on multiple channels, you should simply focus on target markets while offering customized offers like inbound links and coupons.
Diversify Risk
By selling in multiple places, your risk is diversified as you don’t need to rely on a single sales platform. You can avoid revenue loss in case an online account is suspended or an offline store loses drive due to unforeseen reasons. The bottom line is that your earning won’t suffer irrespective of your business conditions.
Test New Markets
If you’ve been considering going international, selling on platforms like eBay would be a great option. Therefore, selling on multiple channels can help you expand your market presence.
Improve Customer Perception
Being available on multiple platforms, especially renowned marketplaces, improve your customers’ perception of your brand. You can come across as a responsive and forward-thinking brand to customers’ needs.
How Multichannel eCommerce Can Help Boost Sales
Increased Sales
Increasing sales is every seller’s dream and selling through multiple channels can help you realize this desire. According to research, retailers selling on at least two marketplaces attain 190% more revenue than the sellers selling products on a single platform.
Though there can be several complexities while selling from multiple channels, but expanded reach, wider market presence, mass distribution, etc. make it a preferred choice of sellers. For example, you can easily make use of Amazon’s worldwide presence and WhatsApp’s popularity to earn extra revenue.
Better Convenience
Customers always look for the best price. They’re also willing to pay a little more when it comes to convenience. So, if you have products available on different platforms, your customers get options to compare prices or return orders for better convenience. And, enhanced customer experience ultimately leads to increased profits.
Increased Number of Engagement Points
With multiple shopping points, you can offer better customer engagement. For example, a customer who tries on a shirt in a physical store can later order it online in a different color.
Improved Customer Understanding
Selling products through different sales channels gives you more insights into customers’ purchase behavior. You can leverage this information to increase sales. Plus, keeping a track of customer purchases also allows you to practice targeted marketing and raise brand awareness.
Conclusion
There are hundreds of platforms you can pick to expand your customer base and market presence. Pick the platforms that have more business growth opportunities for your category of products. Whichever medium or platform you use for multichannel selling, your products will reach the customers only once they’re shipped through secure channels. So, make sure you choose an advanced and secure shipping platform to ensure maximum customer satisfaction.
