How to build a multichannel strategy with Shopify

Multichannel sales goes far beyond advertising and enables you to sell your products via multiple channels. All beginnings are difficult - and so is getting started with multichannel sales. In the long run, however, it will definitely pay off to have a strong presence in your market. The key is to find out where your target group is and pick them up right there.

A suitable platform for turning your multichannel strategy into reality is Shopify. With this store system, you can set up and manage your store. In addition, you have access to more than 20 integration channels (e.g. Amazon, ebay, Facebook, Instagram and many more) that allow you to expand your business and optimize your processes at the same time.

Multichannel sales: What does it mean?

If a company offers several sales channels for a product or service, this is referred to as multichannel sales. A typical example is sales in brick-and-mortar stores and in an online store. In the course of digitization, more and more new sales channels are being opened up, including, among others, various platforms for online trade or social commerce in social networks. Whether online, mobile or stationary - each sales channel has its strengths and weaknesses, which can be offset or supplemented by other channels. This creates a strong sales network in which customers can choose the channel that suits their shopping habits. This in turn increases customer satisfaction and ensures stronger customer loyalty.

10 Advantages of multichannel distribution

When you use a multichannel strategy, you increase your reach and therefore your chances of attracting potential new customers for your product or service. All the benefits at a glance:

1. Increased reach

By using multiple sales channels, you can reach potential customers exactly where they are - be it on online marketplaces, in social networks or in bricks-and-mortar stores. This significantly increases your visibility and helps you to tap into new markets and target groups that you would never have reached via a single channel.

2. New customer acquisition

Every additional channel is a new opportunity to get in touch with interested parties. This increases the number of touchpoints along the customer journey and at the same time increases the likelihood of potential buyers becoming aware of your brand - and ultimately converting.

3. Increase sales

More channels mean more sales opportunities. By presenting your products or services on different platforms, you increase conversion potential and create additional sources of revenue. Cross-selling and upselling can also be used across channels in a targeted manner.

4. Target group differentiation

Not every target group uses the same channels. While younger consumers tend to shop via Instagram or TikTok, others prefer the classic online store or platforms such as Amazon. With a multichannel strategy, you can address your target groups exactly where they are most active.

5. Less dependence on a single channel

A technical failure, changed guidelines or declining reach on one channel can quickly become a brake on sales. Multichannel sales mitigate such risks, as you are not dependent on a single sales channel and can react flexibly to changes.

6. Stronger customer loyalty

When your customers can choose how and where they shop, satisfaction automatically increases. Whether in your local store, via social media or in your own online store - multichannel sales offer convenience, flexibility and a personalized shopping experience that binds your customers to your brand in the long term.

7. Better brand awareness through the repetition effect

The more often consumers see your brand - on Instagram, Google Shopping or in the newsletter - the more present you remain in their memory. The cross-channel repetition of your brand message creates trust and increases the likelihood of a purchase.

8. Flexibility in pricing and offers

With multiple sales channels, you can place individual offers and promotions where they are most effective. For example, you can offer exclusive discounts on marketplaces or special bundles in the online store - depending on which channel reaches your target group particularly well.

9. Cross-channel data analysis for optimization

A major advantage of multichannel sales is the depth of data. You gain valuable insights into purchasing behavior on different platforms and can deduce which channel is particularly effective. This allows you to make well-founded decisions and continuously optimize your strategy.

10. More opportunities for storytelling and content strategies

Each channel offers its own formats - whether short reels on Instagram, product descriptions in the online store or tutorials on YouTube. With a multichannel strategy, you can tell your brand message across different media formats and thus intensify the emotional connection to your brand.

Challenges in multichannel sales

Multichannel sales not only bring advantages, but also challenges that you should consider as a retailer.

• Technical complexity: Different platforms, some with very different technical requirements, need to be operated.

• Data and system integration: Product data, stock levels, orders and customer data should be synchronized across all channels.

• Logistics & fulfillment: You face the challenge of efficiently coordinating different shipping requirements for each channel.

• Maintaining sales channels: You need to manage each channel individually (e.g. content, price promotions, customer service).

• Consistent customer experience: You should ensure that pricing, tone of voice and service quality are consistent across channels. Inconsistencies have a negative impact on trust and customer loyalty.

• Complicated performance measurement: You have to deal with different tracking systems and data sources. A cross-channel analysis of the customer journey is much more complex.

• Data protection & legal requirements: You need to ensure that legal requirements (e.g. GDPR) are complied with for each channel. Different countries or platforms have different regulations.

Multichannel marketing: What to look out for

In multichannel sales, marketing is a key success factor for reaching and retaining customers across different channels. It's not just about being present on multiple platforms, but also about offering a seamless and personalized customer experience.

1. Consistent brand message: Uniform brand communication across all channels strengthens customer trust and ensures a consistent brand experience.

2. Personalization: Targeted targeting based on customer preferences and behavior increases conversion rates and loyalty.

3. Cross-channel marketing: Customers are guided through different channels, e.g. through “click-and-collect” models or the option to discover products online and purchase them in-store.

4. Cross-channel advertising: Use all channels (email, social media, Google Ads) to achieve greater reach and visibility and target customers.

5. Data analysis and tracking: By analyzing sales figures and customer behaviour, you can continuously optimize your marketing strategy.

6. Optimizing the customer journey: A smooth transition between channels ensures a positive and seamless customer experience, which increases customer satisfaction.

7. Customer service and support: Customers should receive fast and effective support across all channels, which promotes customer satisfaction.

The first steps of a multichannel strategy with Shopify

Are you now convinced and want to build a multichannel strategy for your business yourself? Then there are a few things you should think through first:

• Clearly define the goals you want to achieve with your new multichannel strategy.

  Know your target group as precisely as possible: define people, target groups and the customer journey.

• Also, do research on the buying behavior and usage of the platforms you have chosen.

• Set up the channels according to your wants and needs.

Once you have completed all these steps, you can be happy - but unfortunately you can't sit back and relax, because implementing a multichannel strategy is not a one-off task, but an ongoing process. You should always monitor your results and evaluate whether you are meeting the goals you have set. In addition, it is important for your success to always keep an eye on what is happening in the market and the needs of the target group.

Multichannel on Shopify: The technical steps

It all starts with having your business at the center. If you have a product feed as a base, you can create feeds for multiple sales channels. Your product feed is a document that contains all the information about the items you carry. It contains unique identifiers, titles, prices, images, and more. Usually, everything is stored in a text or tables. If your products are already stored in Shopify, you can export your product feed. To do that, follow these steps:

1. Open your administration page

2. Click on "Products" and "All Products

3. Select "Export"

4. Decide on the products you want to include.

5. Choose the file you want to use

However, this method is not recommended for long-term solutions because there is no way to update files automatically. To ensure that your product is up-to-date, you need to manually reload files on a regular basis, which can be time-consuming. To ensure that your products are always updated, you can connect them to third-party applications. For example, you can use DataFeedWatch for this purpose. The connection with this software is established by adding your store and inserting the Shopify URL. This way you can be sure that sold-out products and other changes will be automatically updated in your store, and the data will be downloaded and sent to your sales channels on a daily basis, so they will always be up-to-date as well.

Besides this option to create a Shopify feed, there is another one: you can also use a direct API connection. This also sends current product data to all sales channels used on a regular basis. However, there is the disadvantage here that you can no longer optimize your feeds in advance. Instead, they are transmitted exactly as they are in the Shopify store.

Conclusion

Let's summarize: If you want to build a multichannel strategy with Shopify, there are some crucial factors to consider, and the extra work that this entails should not be underestimated. If you decide to offer your products or services on multiple channels, then you should always carefully consider whether you and your customers will gain any added value from it - and what kind. Because on the whole, a multi-channel strategy can bring a whole host of benefits and opportunities. Increased reach and happier customers are just two of them. So what are you waiting for? On to new (sales) paths!