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:

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.

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.

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.