Until a dozen years ago, customers had the opportunity to get to know a given brand only through mail or telephone. They usually used only one channel of communication to take advantage of the offer. Today, however, users have a plethora of options to make a purchase, on a variety of devices.
So the question arises — how to create an environment that gives the ability to perform tasks at any time and place? The answer is omnichannel, which allows users to connect with brands through a variety of channels making interactions are intuitive and virtually seamless.
Omnichannel UX — what is it?
Omnichannel UX is an approach to providing users with the best possible experience in many channels of contact with a given brand. At first, this concept seems a bit difficult to understand - it goes beyond the world of design, combining it with marketing. The idea of omnichannel is quickly switch to another channel, e.g. to make a purchase. This possibility can be taken advantage of by many users who browse items in the mobile app and then move to the website to purchase the product.
The use of the website provides users with a different feeling than the mobile application. However, what is important, Both sources must meet the same standards. In addition, they are intended to allow users to move between them without the slightest problem. The goal of omnichannel is to be able to adapt to differences while maintaining design consistency.
Omnichannel design, due to the idea that comes from marketing, is related to the business objectives of each UX project. When considering this approach, it is important to keep in mind aspects such as:
- customer journey: both UX designers and marketers, analyze all the steps that a user takes to acquire a product. So you have to make sure that he can easily change the channels in which he wants to be at a given moment,
- sales funnel: In order to get the optimal for omnichannel UX, the difficulties that the customer may experience must be taken into account. The more there are, the more sales fall,
- sales channel: UX design also means taking care of devices and corresponding versions of the system, however in business there are more sales channels, such as stationary stores, catalogs in paper form, emails, social media, etc.
Changes in Multichannel UX
Before omnichannel became popular, all attention was focused on the concept of multichannel marketing. This began to be problematic at the moment when users of individual channels saw that they could use not only the information obtained from television and phones, but also other devices with separate operating systems.
It was then that marketing departments understood that they had to adapt to the needs of users. Multichannel approach is about being present wherever customers are and delivering a consistent message. In turn omnichannel approach is distinguished by one factor.
The multi-channel method caused an aversion to rapid changes between channels — teams of marketers saw no purpose in this. However, it arose cross-channel approach, that is, combining different channels in a limited range. Over time, individual companies have bet on blurring the boundaries between communication channels and devices. The main idea became creating a shopping experience loop. This is how the omnichannel approach came about.
Top 5 Omnichannel UX Practices:
Omnichannel UX to placing the user in the middle of a unified ecosystem, in order to maintain a smooth experience in every available channel. So what are the elements of omnichannel UX?
Consistency
One of the most important factors in the design is consistency, related to the ease of learning of the product. It's not just about using the same icons and navigation, but keeping the whole experience at the same level, from interface design to interactions and information architecture. Consistency is therefore a tool that ensures product recognition, no matter what channel the user uses.
Accessibility
The expectation of users is availability on the channel on which they want to perform the action at any given time. So you need to provide them with the ability to choose from a variety of sources, without restrictions. It is impossible to clearly indicate which of the channels is the most important for users. For most companies that run, for example, stationary stores, it is equally important to have a website.
So it is necessary to carry out UX research that can give an answer to the question “What is worth investing in”. Through the analysis of user needs, business owners will find out what devices customers prefer, how they shop, where they most often look for products.
Continuity
This is the removal of borders between individual channels, ensuring that users who pause activity will be able to resume it in another channel at any time. An example is saving user activity (e.g. shopping cart) on e-commerce platforms.
Neutrality
Eliminating the boundaries between individual channels from a user's point of view is not everything. It is also important to create a new approach in the enterprise. It is therefore necessary to unify the teams that oversee the website and other communication channels. One product is essential, to which all roads lead.
Omnichannel audit — stages of action
The effectiveness of the omnichannel approach depends on knowing the customers, as well as the strengths and weaknesses in the activities so far. All these factors can be identified by conducting an audit. What exactly does it consist of?
The basis of IDEACTO's omnichannel audit is analysis of multiple devices and all channelswhich the customer may encounter when interacting with a given brand. It is focused on:
- to examine the current situation of the company,
- competition research and benchmarking,
- creation of relevant people, Customer Journey Mapping, as well as OmniLand, i.e. on the audit of contact channels.
The omnichannel audit consists of 3 stages:
Stage 1. Analysis, i.e. defining the main business objectives, process and technological constraints, defining key products, stakeholders and channels of contact.
Stage 2. Exploration, i.e. competitive analysis (benchmarking, trend analysis, industry reports), analytics audit (Google Analytics), audit of contact channels (Omniland), definition of user profiles (personas), usage scenarios and Customer Journey Buying Map.
Stage 3. Workshop and report, that is, a summary of the project and the final report with a list of recommendations for changes.
Omnichannel strategy
It is designed to help Creating a customer-friendly shopping experience. Its main idea is the interpenetration of many sales channels that will reach the customer and the fulfillment of his order in the shortest possible time. The company has the opportunity to gain additional marketing solutions that will allow to establish a close relationship with the client. This, in turn, can result in his return and making more purchases. What is the process of creating an omnichannel strategy?
The initial action is detailed Audit of contact and sales channels. The next step is verification of processes, tools, update of KPI for the project and proposal of a method for their verification.
Creating a strategy consists of four stages of action. Stage one is an analysis, second Instead, exploration. Both are similar to those used in omnichannel auditing. Then it appears The third stage is strategy. At this point, the technological architecture, e-marketing recommendations along with key KPIs (e.g. ROI, CLV, CAC), recommendations for omnichannel functionality solutions and tools and channels are created. The fourth stage is again the workshop and the report, that is, a summary of the project, creation of a report with a list of recommendations for changes, notes from teleconferences, creative sessions, generation of ideas.
Omnichannel UX is the idea of meeting the user's needs and focusing on them. It allows you to create the best possible experience. If you want to learn a bit more about UX or need help - Contact us. We will do our best to tell you how to do business online.
