The Omnichannel Advantage
Key Takeaways from the MasterConnect Knowledge Series Event.
Tina Portillo - President, American Marketing Association(AMA) Toronto Paul Nowosad - Director, Omnichannel Strategy & Business Development
Master Connect - Impactful Thought Leadership
Hosted by AMA Toronto, Walmart Connect presents the MasterConnect Knowledge Series, designed to empower the minds behind the brands with knowledge and insights on the booming retail media landscape.
A linear customer journey no longer exists. Today’s path to purchase is omnichannel, with lots of opportunity for brands.

Today’s consumer is an omnichannel shopper, blurring the lines between online activity and in-store interaction. Consumers still love to shop in store, but their adoption of online shopping during the pandemic revealed its speed, convenience and flexibility. In fact, 77% of product searches still begin on retail sites, not search engines,1 which makes a strong case for brands to pursue partnerships with retail media networks with omnichannel expertise. Retailers understand their customers. Their rich first-party data provides unique, actionable insights on behaviours, preferences and trends that can inform and elevate a brand’s marketing strategy.

It’s important that brands connect with shoppers in all the ways they shop:

Online and in-store, customers expect a unified experience.

As customers move across physical and online channels, they expect their shopping experience to be consistent, curated and seamless.

Online, brands can leverage performance tactics. Actionable ads drive conversion, such as Sponsored Product listings — a first-page presence that drives awareness and consideration — or targeting solutions to reach intended audiences looking for similar products.

Marketers are comfortable and effective serving customers online, but success in today’s omnichannel landscape means capitalizing on the rich opportunities to reach in-store audiences who are actively shopping. Media assets like customized audio ads, QR codes, digital displays, experiential marketing and flyer programs, can create more brand-focused experiences that drive incrementality. Many of the brands achieving success in the omnichannel environment are those leaning into the expertise of a retail media partner.

Leveraging the power of a retail media partnership can help brands thrive in an omnichannel world.

Success in the omnichannel environment means creating an over-arching brand marketing strategy that considers customer behaviour in individual channel environments, yet delivers a consistent, unified message across channels. A customer might buy in store but does not plan or search in store, or vice versa. So, marketing tactics must be channel appropriate. This is where working with a retail media partner makes sense. Brand marketers will be led to better understand customer behaviour and engage with them effectively on every channel, maximizing the numerous opportunities inherent in the omnichannel advantage.

“The retail media partner’s job is to provide deep data, insights and expertise, then brand marketers tell us what’s working and what’s not, so together we can tailor the mix to ensure we have happy customers. That’s the end goal for all of us – it’s the way we all win!”
— Paul Nowosad, Director, Omnichannel Strategy & Business Development

If you would like to learn more about leveraging omnichannel for your brand, ask your Walmart Connect representative for a link to the full recording of this MasterConnect Knowledge event “The Omnichannel Advantage” or email us.

1 eMarketer, May 2021
2 The Future of Retail Report: Trends for 2022
3 Relevance Report 2022: Ecommerce – US & UK