How omnichannel marketing is integrating online and offline spaces

One sees an ad for a dress from a homegrown brand on social media. She visits the website but isn’t sure about the size. Then, over the weekend, she spots the same dress in a store at the mall, tries it on, and it fits perfectly—but she hesitates because of the price. The ad keeps following her online, appearing on different shopping apps. Finally, one of those apps offers the dress at a 20% discount, and she buys it. This is how brands are using omnichannel marketing to attract customers. 

According to a McKinsey research, more than half of B2C customers engage with three to five channels when making a purchase. During the recent Challenger Brands, I moderated a panel discussion on ‘Omnichannel Marketing: Bridging Online and Offline Worlds.’ Anchit Chandra, vice president and head of digital marketing, Muthoot FinCorp ONE; Arjun Singh Chauhan, AVP and head of marketing, Apollo 24|7; Devanshi Shah, AVP-Marketing, epigamia; and L Muralikrishnan, co-founder and CMO, Wow! Momo, shared their perspectives on the critical role omnichannel marketing plays for their brands.

Chandra said that at Muthoot Fincorp, the strategy is to engage customers through both traditional and digital media, direct them to its app or web platform, and then guide them to its nearly 4,000 branches. By the time customers visit the stores, they're well-informed, make quicker decisions, and leave with a loan much faster. 

“When it comes to omnichannel marketing, it's essential for a phygital brand like ours. We've built a platform that has gained significant traction over the past few years. We continuously invest in various media channels, backed by data intelligence. Different interactions are captured, allowing us to make informed decisions and refine our strategy,” he said.

Chauhan said that customers aren't strictly online or offline; their choices depend on their needs at the moment. So, when analysing customer behaviour, it’s crucial to view it holistically, whether they're engaging online or offline.

"Marketing programmes, personalisation, and offers should be unified across channels. Our key takeaway is to avoid viewing customers in silos. In India, customers are omnichannel by nature. It's essential to build a central customer view, analyse behaviour collectively, and design the customer experience, marketing, and loyalty programmes around that,” he said.

Muralikrishnan said that true omnichannel is about tracking customer touchpoints and ensuring a consistent, memorable experience across all of them. While achieving this consistently is challenging, what truly matters is on-ground execution and success comes from well-trained staff. 

"For me, omnichannel isn’t just about multiple distribution points. It’s about refining our SOPs—from operating out of a small space to delivering to the end consumer—so they always feel it’s coming from WOW!,” he said. 

Shah said the key is in understanding who the customer is. Gen Z, Millennials, and Boomers all consume products differently, and their online and offline behaviours vary. Gen Z, for example, socialises, entertains, and researches brands online, while offline interactions serve different purposes for each generation. 

“It’s critical to understand who you're talking to, what you want to say, and then choose the right channel. Ultimately, people don’t remember the design of an ad but how it made them feel. So, across all touchpoints, ensure your communication evokes the same emotion, whether in-store or on Instagram, to increase the chances of being remembered,” she said.