How to Develop an Omnichannel Strategy

What is the omnichannel approach?

First of all, what does the word “omnichannel” mean? This term refers to using multiple business-customer communication channels — like websites, apps, social media, emails, and even brick-and-mortar stores — in an interlinked and consistent way. This approach aims to make everything feel seamless for the customer, as opposed to treating each channel as a separate experience.

So, an omnichannel strategy is the plan a business uses to create that smooth, connected experience across all channels. For the customer, this means going from one channel to another — for example, from your Instagram account to your physical store, without interruption or confusion.

There are different ways to apply the omnichannel approach. For example, omnichannel marketing focuses on delivering the same message across all platforms, while omnichannel chatbots allow users to contact the business and get help regardless of which app or device they’re using. The main goal here is the same — to give the customer a joined, clear experience.

Omnichannel vs multichannel

You may have also heard the term multichannel and are now wondering what the difference is between omnichannel vs multichannel. These words may sound similar, but the concepts are quite different. 

The multichannel approach also entails using different platforms to reach customers, but each one works on its own. With an omnichannel approach, though, these multiple channels are connected.

Why omnichannel matters in 2025

These days, customers don’t just want a good product — they also expect convenience and flexibility. People move between devices and platforms all day long, and they appreciate their experience with a brand that follows them smoothly.

According to research by Focus Digital, it now takes almost 30 touchpoints for a customer to make a purchase. This figure may be even higher in industries with complex buying cycles. With so many interactions across different channels, offering a consistent omnichannel customer experience becomes crucial.

This is what omnichannel customer experience is all about, as it allows your audience to start a conversation on one channel (like a website) and continue it on another (like a messaging app) without having to repeat themselves. It also means seeing the same message, tone, and level of service wherever they go.

Businesses that offer this kind of connection to their customers are more likely to earn trust, build loyalty, and stay competitive.

Benefits of omnichannel strategies

Let’s have a look at some of the upsides of using omnichannel strategies:

• A smooth, consistent customer experience for your audience
• Better engagement for your business across all channels
• Ability to personalize the user experience
• Higher customer loyalty and satisfaction
• More useful data about customer behavior, as you can track how people interact across different channels
• Higher chances of turning interest into sales

Steps to create a seamless omnichannel strategy

Are you curious about getting started with your own omnichannel strategy? Building it takes more than just being present on different platforms — you need a clear plan to connect all your channels and create a smooth experience for your audience. If this sounds overwhelming, don’t worry — we’ve got you covered. Below are the key steps to help you get started.

Analyze customer behavior and preferred channels

Before you start building your strategy, you need to understand your audience. Examine how your customers interact with your brand right now — keep track of what platforms they use (for example, Instagram, TikTok, or your website), when they’re most active, and what kind of content they respond to the most. This data helps you spot patterns and choose the most effective channels to focus on.

You can take this approach a step further by creating customer personas. These are basic profiles that represent members of your audience and include characteristics like age, goals, preferred communication styles, and common pain points. This strategy will allow you to tailor your messages and choose the right tools for each stage of the customer journey.

Map the customer journey

Once you know who your customers are, the next step is understanding how they interact with your brand, from first contact to final purchase (and even beyond). This is what we call mapping the customer journey. It helps you see what touchpoints matter most and where people might drop off or get confused.

Start by listing out all the ways someone can discover and engage with your brand. Bear in mind that your customer journey map will look different depending on what your business offers and how your users behave. Let’s have a look at a few visual examples. 

This is an example of a customer journey map for an e-commerce business, starting with an ad on social media and ending with that customer becoming a loyal advocate for the brand. The key steps here include browsing, buying, getting delivery updates, and receiving personalized offers to keep them coming back. In this particular case, your social media ads, your brand’s website, your email marketing strategy, your customer support system, and your rewards program should all be a part of the omnichannel approach.

Now, imagine you’re running a B2B business instead of selling directly to consumers. What would your customer journey map look like then?

This B2B customer journey map shows a more structured, long-term process compared to the fast-paced e-commerce one we’ve just seen. The journey starts when the customer finds they need a business solution and continues with onboarding, usage, support, and renewal. Here, the channels include the website, onboarding materials, customer support channels, account management tools, and CRM system.

Here’s another example demonstrating just how complex omnichannel journeys can be:

Unlike the cases we’ve seen just now, this B2C map includes multiple starting points (like web, mobile, and social media) and different possible journeys. It reflects how real customer experiences often branch out and shows how they may use different tools to achieve the same goal. For example, one customer learns about the product via social media and researches it online, while the other does so on the web and then on the app, respectively. Maps like this are especially useful for businesses with multiple customer entry points and long-term engagement strategies.

Connect online and offline touchpoints

Omnichannel strategies entail bringing together your online and offline presence. This means that the customer’s experience should feel connected, no matter how or where they interact with your brand. 

For example, a customer could be browsing your website, find a product they like, and add it to their wishlist. Later on, when they’re visiting a physical store, members of staff can access their profile if they have the customer’s account details or phone number. This allows your staff to see what the customer is interested in online and provide personalized help — for example, showing that product in person or suggesting similar items. Staff can also see past purchases and can assist with any follow-up questions if needed.

Connecting your online and offline touchpoints can go beyond customer service. Your brand’s visuals and tone of voice should also stay consistent online and offline. That way, if someone gets your ad on Instagram and later sees your physical store, they’ll immediately recognize it.

Here’s an example of an omnichannel loyalty program uniting offline and online touchpoints, from Yaniv Masjedi, Chief Marketing Officer at Nextiva:

Personalize the customer experience

One of the biggest advantages of an omnichannel approach is being able to personalize and tailor messages and offers for each individual. Instead of sending the same things to every subscriber that you have, you can adjust your messaging based on their behavior, preferences, or past activity.

For example, if a customer is browsing bottles of wine on your website, they might later receive an email featuring their top picks and maybe even a special discount. In the email below, the customer is told that the products they looked at are about to run out — this is an example of FOMO marketing:

So, imagine the customer clicks on the Shop Now call-to-action button in this email after receiving it. Your chatbot can greet them by name on your website and help them with delivery or whatever else they may need. The aim here is to make every interaction feel relevant and personal. 

Implement the right technology and tools

To make your omnichannel strategy run smoothly, you need the right tech behind the scenes. 

Start with a marketing automation platform to bring channels like email, SMS, social media, and web tracking together. This helps you follow the customer journey across different platforms without losing important data. Have you heard about Selzy’s own omnichannel marketing automation system? The platform allows you to access multiple communication channels from one place, personalize messages, track performance, and respond faster — all from a single dashboard.

You should also consider chatbots for simple questions, sending instant replies, or guiding users through purchases. Bots can make a big difference for your customer service, especially when it comes to helping users outside working hours. Selzy even has a built-in chatbot builder for Telegram, so you can create automated flows for one of the most popular messaging apps.

Next, use a customer data platform (CDP) or CRM system to keep track of customer data. A CDP gives you a full view of every interaction, online and offline, while a CRM focuses more on managing direct relationships like sales and support. 

Analytical tools are also a must — use them to see what’s working across channels. This includes platforms like Google Analytics for web and Hotjar for behaviour tracking. Selling both online and offline? Connect your e-commerce platform with your point of sale (POS) system. This way, inventory and purchase history stay in sync.

The most important part is to ensure that all the tools you’re using are integrated, so that they share data automatically and seamlessly.

Ensure consistency in brand messaging

We’ve touched upon the issue of consistency earlier in this article when mentioning that your online presence should be cohesive with your offline stores. And it goes beyond that — from social media to packaging, customers should recognise you instantly.

This entails keeping the same tone of voice, design elements like colors and fonts, as well as messaging — whether you’re sending a newsletter, putting up an in-store sign, or using chatbots. You know you probably have a problem when your Instagram feels fun and casual, but your website reads like a legal contract!

Many tools can help you stay consistent. For example, some chatbot builders allow you to customize the tone of voice, allowing your bot to sound like your brand. Another example of this would be email templates. Many email service providers (ESPs) offer professionally designed templates that you can customize with your brand colors, fonts, and logo. Or, if you prefer, you can build your own template from scratch to match your brand’s exact look and feel. 

Monitor, measure, and optimize

Omnichannel strategies are not one-and-done. Once you’ve set one up, you’ll have to keep coming back to it and check in regularly to see how everything is performing.

Start by looking at the basics. For emails, for example, this would be open rates, click-through rates, conversions, and bounce rates. Track your cart abandonment rates and compare the performance of different audience segments (new vs returning customers, for example). Make sure, however, that you’re looking at the whole strategy together — are your emails driving people to your website? Are chatbot interactions leading to sales?

Over time, monitoring data will give you an understanding of what’s working and what needs tweaking. 

Tips on creating an effective omnichannel strategy

If you want an even deeper understanding of what makes omnichannel strategies work, you’ve come to the right place. We have even more ideas:

• Start simple. When you’re getting started with your omnichannel strategy, it may be tempting to use every single social media platform and every business tool possible. But you may end up with loads of platforms that don’t talk to each other — doesn’t it sound messy? Instead, try to choose tools that can actually sync and focus on integration early on.
• Train your team. When we say omnichannel, we really do mean all channels you’re using — and that includes your staff. Depending on your business, this can mean sales reps in your brick-and-mortar store, customer support, account managers, and marketers. They should all know what campaigns you’re running and what your brand voice is.
• Perform A/B testing. Don’t guess what works and what doesn’t — test it. A/B testing, also known as split testing, involves creating two versions of something — for example, an email subject line, a chatbot greeting, or a call-to-action button. Then, you send each version to different segments of your audience and see which performs better.
• Watch for drop-off points. Try to monitor where people are disappearing from your funnel. Are they clicking on a link in your email but bouncing on the landing page? Or maybe they start a conversation with your chatbot but don’t finish it? Make sure you pay extra attention to these moments and fix them.

Real-world examples of effective omnichannel strategies

All this sounds good in theory, but how does it work in real life? Let’s take a look at a few industry leaders who nailed the balance between online and offline, automation and human touch in their omnichannel strategies.

Starbucks

Starbucks is a global coffee chain known for its personalized drinks. The company is a classic example of doing omnichannel right. Starbucks’ mobile app seamlessly connects with its loyalty program, letting customers order and pay ahead without waiting, collect rewards, and receive personalized offers. It’s not just about digital interactions — this approach also extends to Starbucks cafes. Baristas are trained to provide personalized service, like suggesting drinks or offering tailored recommendations.

The coffee chain also maintains a strong social media presence on platforms like Instagram, X, and Facebook by sharing seasonal updates, responding to customers’ messages, and featuring user-generated content.

The reason why Starbucks’ approach to omnichannel works is that it doesn’t treat digital and in-store as separate experiences. It strengthens customer loyalty by using data to inform both app content and human interactions, and by staying active on social media.

Nike

Nike is a global sportswear brand known for their athletic apparel and footwear. Nike’s omnichannel strategy is all about blending tech and the real-life experience of shopping. Nike’s concept stores, called Nike Rise, offer customers personalized recommendations and allow them to check stock in real time through the Nike app. You can even get suggestions for products based on local trends or your workout habits!

In-store, RFID (radio-frequency identification) enabled tables let shoppers compare products instantly. The brand also promotes real-life events like guided runs and has a workout app, Nike Training Club, which offers wellness tips and personal training. All of this further connects the offline and online experience for the brand’s audience.

Nike is also active on social media — its Instagram or YouTube content often links back to app-exclusive product drops or in-store campaigns.

Sephora

Sephora is a beauty retailer known for its wide range of makeup, skincare, and fragrance. Sephora’s Beauty Insider loyalty program is at the heart of its omnichannel strategy, as it connects the app, website, and physical stores to create a seamless experience for customers.

Through Sephora’s app, you can try on products virtually, get personalized recommendations, and book in-store services. Since all the channels are connected, in-store beauty advisors can see your preferences and purchase history via tablets, so your experience feels personal even if it’s your first time in that particular store.

Sephora is also active on social media, regularly sharing user-generated content, trends, and beauty tutorials. Its social media campaigns often tie into app-based rewards or product launches.

Conclusion

And that’s all you need to know to begin crafting your own omnichannel strategy. It’s not about being everywhere all at once, but about unifying everything you do use and making sure it all works together smoothly. Focus on your customer, map their journey, use the right tools, and continue to optimize your strategy for the best results possible!