The most profitable customer is a multichannel customer. A customer who engages a your various touchpoints, has a higher degree of loyalty, purchases more regularly, and is more likely to engage with you socially.
Multichannel customers turn into "brand advocates" and are the vocal fans who sing your praises.
eCommerce does not cannibalise physical retail sales. In fact it enhances and grows sales in store.
Studies have proven, consumers who do not purchase online, research online before they go into a store to purchase.
Omnichannel retailing builds customer loyalty. Studies have proven customers are less likely to leave a retailer if he/she is engaged with 2 or more touchpoints.
Why?
If a consumer has a bad experience and only interacts with a single touchpoint, the consumer assumes this one bad experience will most likely occur across the other touchpoints.
However, if a customer purchases and/or engages with multiple touchpoints (for example, in store and online), they are far less likely to leave. They have more to lose and feel their bad experience through the one channel was a one-off because their other experiences are great.
The proof in the power of a omnichannel strategy can also be seen with global pure play retailers ("pure play" means a retailer who has no physical bricks and mortar presence and is only online). These retailers are now opening physical locations.
