Let’s talk about the day of an average American consumer. This morning I drove my German car to a British gas station for a weekend top-up. I got home and created a presentation using Australian software while listening to music on a Swedish platform. I purchased some French clothing online in the afternoon before riding my Italian bicycle around for a sunset cruise. This evening, I’ll catalog my latest cooking exploits on a Chinese social media platform.
Clearly, we live in a global society.
The point is, I currently reside in none of the above countries. Still, I interacted with all of them because they have a presence in the American market, and many of them delivered the same experience that I would have received if I was in their backyard. With the world more connected than ever, your next customer could be next door or halfway around the world. For a global or expanding company, it is in their best interest to find a way to deliver a similar customer experience to all of them.
The importance of an omnichannel strategy
The simplest definition of omnichannel calls it a multichannel approach to communication that focuses on providing a seamless customer experience wherever the customer is. To consumers like you or me, this means we should expect a similarly simple brand experience on whatever channel we communicate with that brand.
But what are the specific channels we refer to when we think of omnichannel communication? For starters, the classic customer communication channels, such as SMS, email, live chat, and even voice. Then things get a little tricky. We’re all familiar with the growing space of chat apps that we use in our personal lives. It’s a richer experience. These platforms support emojis, photos, and video. Increasingly brands are taking notice and getting in on the action. Why not meet their users on the channels they already spend the majority of their time on?
Americans are probably familiar with Facebook Messenger, Snap, and the global powerhouse WhatsApp. But what most folks don’t understand is the regionality of some of these OTT platforms. In LatAm, for example, hardly anyone uses Apple Messages; they’re all on WhatsApp. In Brazil, 93% of mobile device owners use it. In fact, Mexico and Brazil combine for nearly 40% of WhatsApp’s worldwide users. In the Commonwealth of Independent States (Eastern Europe/Central Asia), everyone uses the platform Viber. In the APAC region, WeChat has reached widespread adoption. Moving to different markets across the globe changes the channels that businesses need to be targeting.
Why linking your omnichannel strategy to a global provider makes sense
A business that wants to leverage a global omnichannel strategy has essentially two choices. They can pick and choose regional shops with knowledge in a few specific areas or wrap their entire strategy up in a global provider with expertise and presence in all of the regions they support.
The smarter choice for a growing company is to choose the latter. Let’s think like a consumer (and hopefully most brands do!). It will make sense that a global partner could deliver a better user experience than a collection of localized vendors.
I mentioned that part of a successful omnichannel strategy relies on delivering the same great, seamless experience, regardless of the channel. Mitto is the world’s leading A2P communication platform and gives brands the power to provide the same elevated experience on all channels helping brands increase their reach. Tools like Mitto’s Conversations or Campaigns allow you to communicate and engage with global customers. Additionally, with a presence throughout the globe, Mitto’s experts can use their institutional knowledge to develop an impactful omnichannel strategy for a growing company.
Whether a customer is down the street or on the other side of the globe, Mitto can help brands connect and engage with all users, both old and new.
