Has this happened to you?
You clicked on a Facebook ad because it seemed like a fun advert that just “spoke to you.” You were then redirected to a product page where you saw something you liked, but you left because your lunch break was over.
Sadly, the next time you revisit the product page, you’re back to the whole menu and not the product you clicked on — as though it’s your first time visiting the store. This is the kind of disjointed customer experience most of your prospects go through. And you’re not making life easier for them when you lack an omnichannel marketing strategy that gives your users a seamless experience. Fortunately, AI is here to help.
With AI omnichannel marketing, you can create a unified customer journey. AI enables you to intelligently (and easily) connect online and offline touchpoints, so that customer interactions don’t feel repetitive and fragmented.
The Challenge of Siloed Customer Data
It’s a tale as old as time:
For many businesses, there are analytics that tell one story, an email platform that tells another, and a POS system that’s as isolated as the uncool kid in class.
This level of data fragmentation is a deal-breaker for customers who need to repeat their preferences and essentially start from scratch at every touchpoint, but this problem affects you, too.
Without integrating user data intelligently, you’re missing out on opportunities to convert interested leads into clicking customers.
What Disconnected Data Really Costs You
If you’re struggling with conversion rates, there’s a chance that siloed data is to blame. When a customer receives irrelevant email promotions after making a purchase in-store, or when your website doesn’t reflect their loyalty status, a customer’s trust is damaged — and the numbers show it.
According to industry studies, 80% of customers buy from brands that are aware of and cater to their preferences. So, if you’re looking to see more users at the bottom of your sales funnel, you need to store user data to lock in preferences and position products and services that provide value.
The Competitive Reality
You’re essentially flying blind while competitors who’ve solved this puzzle pull ahead. Every fragmented interaction is a missed opportunity to build stronger relationships and drive more revenue from your existing customer base.
AI Solutions for Omnichannel Integration
We know that fragmented and siloed data create disconnected interactions with your brand, but how can you, as a business owner, address this issue?
AI has the answer.
Leveraging advanced data analysis, machine learning, and NLP capabilities, AI-powered customer data platforms are capable of making sense of scattered information. Think of these platforms as digital librarians.
You own the shelves, the customer data makes up the books, and AI knows which categories they belong to.
When someone interacts with your brand through any channel, the system instantly recognizes them and updates their comprehensive profile in real-time. All of this is automatic, meaning your team no longer has to connect the dots manually.
Numerous solutions are available on the market. When in doubt, you can try the following:
- Convertlab
- Adobe Real-Time CDP
- Twilio Segment
Use Case: AI-Powered Personalization Across Channels
As experts in AI-powered marketing, we at Connection Model have used AI-powered CDPs in different ways to streamline online and offline customer experiences.
Here are some of the ways business owners have utilized CDPs in their omnichannel marketing strategies.
Turning Online Browsers Into In-Store Buyers
Picture this scenario:
You’re a clothing store owner. One day, a customer visits your site and browses winter coats, but doesn’t place an order.
Traditional marketing might tell you to send generic follow-up emails, but with AI omnichannel marketing, you get a system that:
- Recognizes buyer interest
- Notes preferred styles and sizes
- Kicks off personalized touchpoints (like emails or sms notifications of availability)
The result is an in-store experience that becomes a natural continuation of an online journey (and not a separate interaction).
Smart Abandoned Cart Recovery
Have you ever encountered customers who add items to their carts but fail to complete their purchases? With AI-powered abandoned smart cart recovery, instances like these become opportunities for data gathering and not “blown sales.”
AI CDPs can orchestrate personalized touchpoints for customers. These touchpoints can be:
- Dynamic social media ads featuring their abandoned items
- Targeted mobile push notifications with limited-time offers
- Personalized website banners highlighting similar products
- In-store recommendations when they visit physically
Intelligent Inventory Tracking
This is especially beneficial if you’re in retail.
AI-powered CDPs can integrate with your inventory tracking system to give you real-time updates on available products. With more accurate data, you can allocate and manage inventory effectively, ensuring you deliver the right products to customers.
Implementing AI Tools for Unified Journeys
There’s no need for a total tech overhaul when you’re kickstarting your AI omnichannel marketing, but we do recommend taking stock of customer touchpoints and data sources.
Once you’ve done that, follow these steps.
- Setting Your Foundation
The first step when creating a unified customer journey with AI is to select platforms that can integrate with your existing systems. Whether it’s Oracle or Adobe CDP, make sure your platforms integrate with:
- Your CRM and customer service platforms
- Email marketing and automation systems
- E-commerce and point-of-sale software
- Social media management tools
- Privacy-First Implementation
Privacy and compliance must be integral to your AI omnichannel marketing strategy from the outset. When customers see that you’re using their data thoughtfully to improve their experiences, they become more willing to share information.
- Train Your Team
Besides coaching your team up on tools, you’ll need to provide training on:
- Your data privacy policies
- How to interpret AI insights
- Reporting
Measuring Impact on Customer Loyalty and Sales
There are numerous metrics to determine if your strategy is indeed unifying the online and offline customer experience, but if we had to pick a handful of them, they’d be:
- Attribution: In simple terms, identify which touchpoints are yielding the desired results (whether those results are high conversions, increased consultations, or increased product page visits).
- Buyer Journey Duration: The longer you can keep customers in the buyer journey, the more likely you are to convert them. To determine how long leads stay onboard, identify the number of touchpoints they’ve interacted with (the more, the better).
- Conversion Rates: Of course, the end game is conversion. Measure rates and determine which touchpoints had the most significant effect on sales or calls.
The Future Is Connected
Always remember:
No matter how many channels or customer touchpoints you have, your customers will only be dealing with one brand — yours. Your marketing should reflect this.
If you’re interested in creating connected online and offline customer experiences that solidify your brand presence, we can help. Let Connection Model help implement AI-driven omnichannel strategies that delight your customers. Contact us today!
Written By: David Carpenter
