Unlike a multi-channel strategy, which is essentially based on the use of a website and a network of stores, the cross-channel strategy goes much further and exploits numerous marketing levers to develop a company’s sales.
In particular, it relies on the synergy of all communication channels.
In other words, it makes it possible for a company's different distribution channels to be totally complementary and to work together rather than competing with each other.
The evolution of a cross-channel strategy aims to optimize the synergy between the different channels in order to reach an omnichannel presence.
In cross-channel marketing, online and offline exchanges are complementary.
For example, cross-channel marketing allows the customer to discover a product in a catalog, order it online, and finally, pick it up in store.
This strategy offers many advantages, both for the customer and for the B2B or B2C merchant.
It makes it possible to do the following:
- improve the interaction between all distribution channels,
- improve the customer experience,
- reduce costs by transferring products sold on the internet directly to physical points of sale,
- improve inventory and staff management,
- acquire more leads and helpful customer data,
- improve brand image,
- increase your visibility and your notoriety with positive word of mouth,
- offer better support to customers, and
- manage your business in a transversal way.
It’s precisely in this context that the concept of “click and collect” was established.
Very widespread today, it consists of buying a product on the internet before picking it up at a physical point of sale.
Moreover, this visit to the store very often generates additional sales, a significant plus for the retailer and a perfect demonstration of the complementarity between the different distribution channels of a commercial enterprise.
In the same way, it should be noted that cross-channel marketing also involves the combination of outbound and inbound marketing, i.e., the combination of traditional marketing with other more innovative techniques like ambient marketing.
