7 Strategies For Omni-Channel Loyalty in E-commerce To Drive Customer Retention

Omni-channel loyalty in e-commerce lets brands give their customers a smooth shopping experience across many channels. It such as websites, mobile apps, SMS, email, social media apps, and physical stores.

Unlike in the past, when consumers would know what they wanted to buy from. Today’s consumers like to try a variety of channels before deciding to buy. Companies have to adapt quickly to changes in how their customers act.

In this blog, we will recommend seven tried-and-true tips for you to make a great omnichannel loyalty program.

Why is omni-channel loyalty in e-commerce essential for success?

Customers are 250% more likely to buy and spend 13% more when they can shop on more than one channel, according to data from Omnisend. That’s because buyers today want a smooth, connected experience whether they’re in a store or online. 

Omni-channel loyalty in e-commerce makes connections with customers better by personalized experience. This leads to higher customer engagement, better retention, and a bigger impact on your bottom line.

We have an article that talks about Omni-Channel Loyalty vs. Traditional Loyalty Programs.

7 proven strategies for omni-channel loyalty in e-commerce

These parts will go over seven tried-and-true methods that will help you make an omnichannel reward program that works for e-commerce business owners.

1. Integrate customer data across channels

Putting together data is like putting together a puzzle. Details from different sources are put together to make a full picture with a unified customer journey. This picture tells online shops more about the people who buy things from them. By connecting their real and online contacts, businesses can give each customer a more unique and smooth experience.

You don’t have to be a well-known brand, though, to do this. Even smaller businesses can benefit from unifying customer data. Here are some easy steps you can take to get started: 

Give your customers a unique ID:

• Create a central database to store customer information.
• Assign a unique identifier to each customer, no matter how they shop.

Connect the dots:

• Use tools to link data from different sources, such as your website, store, and loyalty program.
• Leverage APIs to pull information from various systems.

Reward your loyal customers:

• Integrate your loyalty program with online and offline channels.
• Offer consistent rewards and incentives across all channels.
• Encourage customers to share their data with exclusive perks.

By following our tips, you can create a seamless shopping experience that keeps customers coming back for more.

2. Personalize the omnichannel customer experience across platforms

These days, people don’t buy things; they buy experiences. And the key to nailing personalization? Unified customer data, which we talked about earlier.

Here are a few ways to personalize your customer’s experience:

• Personalized product suggestions using algorithms driven by AI. You can offer goods based on what people have looked at and bought, as well as their tastes.
• Dynamic content and layout based on user behavior and demographics.
• Send targeted promotions and discounts to specific customer segments.
• Greet returning customers with personalized messages. Such as “Welcome back, [Customer Name]!”

For example, ergoPouch is a baby and child sleepwear store. They send personalized follow-up emails. For first-time customers, they suggest a wider range of products. For repeat customers, they offer more tailored recommendations based on past purchases.

3. Offer consistent rewards across all touchpoints

A Harvard Business Review study in 2017 shows that shoppers today are smart. They go back and forth between online and real stores to read reviews, compare prices, and try on products. Because of this, it’s essential to offer the same benefits at all touchpoints.

To create a successful omnichannel rewards program, we recommend for you some tips:

• One currency to rule them all, like points or miles, can be earned and redeemed across all channels.
• Create different loyalty program tiers with increasing benefits to motivate customers to engage more.
• Offer a set of standard rewards. Such as discounts or free products that can be redeemed anywhere.
• Add some extra excitement with channel-specific rewards, like exclusive online deals or in-store experiences.
• Use consistent messaging and branding across all channels to reinforce the value of the rewards program.

Take Walmart as an example. There are many perks to being a part of this program, such as free shipping and special deals both online and in-store.

4. Create seamless online-to-offline (O2O) loyalty experiences

Companies that want to connect online and real events need an omnichannel engagement plan that works. Businesses can create a unified customer journey that connects by combining these platforms in a way that doesn’t stand out.

To encourage customers to redeem or earn loyalty rewards both in-store and online, consider these tactics:

• Personalized O2O offers. For example, a customer who looks at a product online might get a message on their phone with a special discount code that they can use in-store.
• O2O loyalty challenges. For example, customers could earn bonus points for making an online buy, followed by a specific in-store action.
• Seamless redemption process by allowing customers to redeem rewards both online and in-store. Customers can quickly earn points or offers by scanning QR codes with their phones in-store.

5. Utilize in-store touchpoints for digital engagement

Experiences in stores can be a great way to get people to interact with and stay loyal to your brand online. Retailers can join the real and digital worlds without any problems by using technology.

For in-store digital tools:

QR codes can be used to:

• Link to places on the store’s website that have details about the products.
• Offer special deals or savings to people who use mobile devices.
• Tell people that they should join the reward program.

Interactive kiosks:

• Provide product information, reviews, and comparisons.
• Allow customers to check stock levels and order items online.
• Enable customers to sign up for the loyalty program and view their points balance.
• Offer personalized recommendations based on past purchases and browsing history.

If you have a Shopify store, creating a loyalty program online is easy. You can simply download an omnichannel loyalty program app like BON Loyalty from the Shopify App Store.

6. Build social media into your omni-channel loyalty in e-commerce

Social media integration is a great way to connect with people and get them involved in the digital world we live in now. That is why adding social media to your omnichannel loyalty in e-commerce can improve the experience of your customers and make them more loyal to your brand.

We will recommend some practical ideas to get you started:

Social media shares:

• Reward customers with points for sharing your brand’s social media posts.
• Create shareable content, such as quizzes, polls, or contests, and offer rewards for participation.

Social media reviews:

• Encourage customers to leave reviews on social media platforms and reward them with points or discounts.
• Partner with social media influencers to generate authentic reviews and testimonials.

In another blog, we’ve guided 14 ways to get more customer reviews.

Social media referrals:

• Install a referral program that rewards customers for referring friends and family.
• Use social media to promote the referral program and track referrals.

With the BON app we mentioned above, you can set up a lot of ways for customers to win points that have to do with social media. This will give customers a reason to interact with their brand on these platforms.

7. Use loyalty analytics to refine strategies for your loyalty program

Finally, to truly optimize your customer loyalty program, you need to harness the power of data. Omni-channel analytics is all about collecting and analyzing information from every touchpoint.

So, what data should you track?

• Engagement metrics like website visits, app usage, and social media interactions.
• Redemption rates track how often customers are redeeming rewards and the average value of redemptions.
• Analyze customer journeys across different channels to identify pain points and opportunities for improvement.

Check out our blog post on key KPIs for measuring omnichannel loyalty for e-commerce success.

Conclusion

Remember, the key to success lies in creating a seamless and personalized experience across all touchpoints. By leveraging data-driven insights, you can tailor your loyalty program to the specific needs and preferences of your customers.

Are you ready for the next level of your reward program? If you use our seven tips, you can get the most out of omnichannel trust and help your e-commerce business grow over the long term.