Are you considering implementing a solid multichannel marketing strategy but not sure if it’s worth it?
Then here’s a compilation of the latest multichannel marketing statistics to give you a view of the state of multichannel marketing in 2023.
Just as technology keeps advancing, customers’ definition of a good customer experience keeps increasing.
Thanks to the advancement, customers now have lots of options available to them including the social media channel they choose to engage better on.
It was Yahoo in the early stages of search engines before Google became the new lead. MySpace was once the most popular social media before the development of the new social media channels; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
The newly created social media channel in 2020, TikTok, is as good as old now as Clubhouse wears the hat as the latest channel in town.
What’s the point?
With the increasing number of social media channels, people now have lots of options and choices for them. This means potential customers are spread across all channels and you have to put your business in front of them.
Here is where multichannel marketing comes into play.
As marketers, we must find potential customers spread across all possible channels which means utilizing multiple channels where prospects are, for marketing.
While customers have choices and favorite social media channels they love to use. Marketers have to get used to many social media channels and other possible channels to generate sales for their business.
The process of using multiple channels like social media, retail shops, search engines, and many more for marketing and engaging with prospects is known as multichannel marketing
There’s no specific number of channels required to leverage this strategy. Some businesses rely on two channels; some rely on as many as possible. Statistics show that 52% of marketers use 3 to 4 marketing channels compared to the 44% remaining.
However, with every marketing channel you add to your strategy, comes the need to learn and master how the channel works.
For instance, the Facebook algorithm is different from the Twitter algorithm. The newly created social app, Clubhouse, also requires taking your time to learn and understand how it works.
This is why marketers have the hard task of consistently educating themselves to stay updated with the new marketing channels that could increase sales for their businesses.
Does this sound interesting?
Let’s take a look at the recent multichannel statistics to understand better what is working for others.
Ready? Let’s dive in.
Multichanel Marketing Statistics 2021 (Key Trends)
- 91% of retail brands use two or more social media channels.
- 51% of companies today use at least eight channels to interact with their customers.
- Only 9% of marketers can currently engage with customers across multiple channels consistently.
- 11% of marketers agree that it’s a daunting task to implement a multichannel marketing strategy
- Lack of time and resources makes it difficult for 23% of marketers to run multichannel marketing campaigns
- 72% of consumers say they would rather connect with brands and businesses with multichannel marketing
- 90% of consumers expect consistent interactions across multiple channels.
- Internet users have an average of 5.54 social media accounts
- Consumers shopping across multiple channels are observed to have a 30% higher lifetime value
- Companies that use multichannel marketing experience 3X higher effectiveness rate than those that do not.
The State of MultiChannel Marketing Statistics
1. 95% of marketers know how vital multichannel marketing is for targeting. However, only 73% say they have a multichannel strategy in place (source).
Multichannel marketing strategy isn’t new. It has been in existence for a long time and in terms of adoption, nearly all marketers (97%) have adopted multichannel marketing.
If you use Facebook and Twitter, then you are also adopting the multichannel strategy. If you run a blog and also run a Facebook group, then that is multichannel.
Although nearly all marketers leverage multichannel marketing, only 73% have a strategy in place.
Having a strategy in place increases the effectiveness of the multichannel strategy and also provides better ROI.
2. 91% of retail brands use two or more social media channels (source).
Here’s another statistic from Adweek that states 91% of retail brands use two or more social media channels.
This indirectly means, 91 retail brands embrace multichannel marketing. And if you are not using it, then you are leaving a lot of money on the table.
3. 51% of companies today use at least eight channels to interact with customers (source).
As said earlier, if you use just two channels, you are also a beneficiary of the multichannel marketing strategy.
However according to statistics, 51% of companies use at least eight channels to interact with customers.
In other words, if you are using too few channels (2,3, etc) then you might be leaving a lot of money on the table.
At the same time, using more marketing channels can be quite expensive for small businesses. So I only advise you to use this many channels if you have the budget for it.
You can leverage marketing automation tools to help you manage your presence on several marketing channels.
If you take many channels more than you can chew, you might struggle with consistency like 91% of marketers do:
4. 9% of marketers can currently engage customers across channels consistently (source).
Here’s what happens if you bite more than you can chew. There are more than 20 channels you can use to get your customers.
It’s like there’s always a new big thing every year in the social media world. Instead of trying to be on more channels, focus on being consistent on a few channels.
According to statistics, only 9% of marketers are consistent on their marketing channels.
This means that a lot of marketers have prioritized being on many channels over being consistent on a few channels. This doesn’t help in any way.
5. A whopping 84% of participants reported that direct mail improves multi-channel campaign performance. (pfl.com)
Recent research by PFL uncovered the role direct mail still plays in marketing. According to 84% o the participants, direct mail is still a core part of their multichannel marketing strategy.
Interestingly, direct mail also improves the performance of your multichannel marketing strategy.
6. According to Nielsen, Americans now spend over 11 hours per day on electronic media. (blueshift.com)
Americans spend more time on electronic media than they do on traditional media. So if you don’t get used to marketing on social media, you will have a hard time competing with other businesses.
With a large percentage of the world spending more time on social media, the best decision you can take is to incorporate social media marketing into your overall marketing strategy.
Create social media content that engages your prospects and also get them to take the required action; buy from you.
7. Nearly 60% of agencies and brands consider content marketing to be “very significant” to their marketing strategies (source).
Behind all channels used in marketing is content marketing. Content marketing is the vehicle for spreading your brand’s name to your prospects.
More than 60% of brands consider content marketing as an important part of multichannel marketing strategy. Just so you know, content marketing has a $480 billion valuation.
Statistics on Multichannel Marketing Challenges
While multichannel is known to be a very popular marketing strategy, it also comes with some challenges.
Here are some of the challenges marketers face when trying to implement a multichannel marketing strategy.
8. 11% of marketers agree that it’s a daunting task to run multi-channel marketing campaigns.
As expected, running a multichannel marketing strategy is very tasking and challenging.
Just having to manage multiple social media accounts comes with stress not to mention, running a multichannel marketing campaign. So it’s daunting, to say the least.
9. Lack of time and resources makes it difficult for 23% of marketers to run multi-channel marketing campaigns.
If you are a one-man team, then the major challenge will be time and resources to run the campaign.
While marketing automation tools can give you an edge and help you automate some tasks, you still need resources to outsource some of the tasks.
If you choose to outsource to an agency, you will need a big budget. And if you choose to hire freelancers, then you need to commit more time to ensure everything runs smoothly.
So either way, time and resources are important to run a multichannel marketing campaign.
10. The absence of investment in marketing tools is seen as a major barrier by 21% of marketers.
As said earlier, there are marketing tools to automate some of the processes. But they aren’t cheap. You need a sizable budget to get the necessary marketing automation tools.
You’ll need a few marketing automation tools to run your campaign smoothly and this could cost a few hundred dollars to thousands depending on your need.
So having a tiny budget restricts small businesses from fully implementing a full-scale multichannel strategy.
11. Lack of understanding of how to run a multi-channel marketing campaign prevents 21% of marketers from implementing the same.
And then, technical know-how is important. About 21% of marketers are not able to run a multi-channel marketing campaign because they don’t have the required skills.
It starts with understanding how your chosen marketing tool works. For instance, you need an email automation tool. And not understanding how an automation tool could be a big challenge.
With every new marketing tool, you add to your suite of tools, you need to learn how it works. So this could slow down your campaign and also stop you from implementing it at all.
12. 61% of customers have not been able to easily switch from one channel to another when interacting with customer service (source).
This is a big challenge that a lot of businesses still face. The future of multichannel marketing is to be able to integrate all channels to provide a seamless experience for customers.
But a lot of businesses still struggle with this. And this is why 61% of customers still find it difficult to transition from one to another when interacting with customer service.
Buyers want an integrated process in which they can transition from one channel to another when conversing with customer service.
13. 23% of marketers cite lack of board-level buy-in as a major barrier to implementing multichannel marketing (source)
According to a survey by Invesp, 23% of marketers cite lack of board-level buy-in as a barrier in implementing multichannel marketing.
Board-level buy-in refers to the lack of interest and support from the board/decision-makers.
This is an advantage small businesses have over large corporations that need to pass all business decisions through a board committee before making a decision.
And if there is no budget assigned for it, marketers won’t be able to implement their strategy. However, as a small business, solopreneur with funds and time, use this to your advantage.
14. 45% of consumers believe that retailers fail to offer a multichannel experience in a fast-paced manner. (source)
Retailers here refer to small business owners. A good percentage of small businesses won’t have the funds and team to implement a full-scale multichannel strategy.
Regardless of that 55% of the retailers that manage to deliver in a fast-paced manner get better ROI.
15. 59% of marketers believe that developing a video is challenging
Everyone believes video content is the next biggest thing in the content marketing industry.
However, only a few marketers have put in place a video content strategy for their business. According to statistics, 59% of marketers still choose to believe video content is challenging to create.
Whereas, there is cheap equipment for video production. There is video software to help you create low-budget videos while still giving good quality.
What Customers Think About Multichannel Marketing
Wondering what buyers think about multichannel marketing? Want to know their experience with multichannel marketing from the other end.
16. 86% of shoppers regularly channel-hop across a minimum of two channels (source).
According to statistics, 86% of shoppers hop from a minimum of two channels. And this means, if you are only using a single channel, you are limiting your reach.
Buyers hopping from one channel to another only means that multichannel strategy is an effective strategy.
17. 72% of consumers say they would rather connect with brands and businesses through multichannel marketing (source).
According to a survey, 72% of consumers would rather connect with brands that implement a multichannel marketing strategy.
The reason for this isn’t far-fetched. Consumers love flexibility and ease. And this is exactly what you get with multichannel marketing.
When consumers are on Twitter, they can easily complain. Perhaps, they are on Instagram, they should be able to contact you right there too.
This comfortability, flexibility, and providing lots of options make consumers love your brand more.
68% of business owners believe outside reviews (done by some person or entity not related to the company) are the most important indicator of whether or not they can trust a B2B vendor (source).
18. 90% of customers expect consistent interactions across channels (source).
Here’s another statistic that shows that customers love brands that engage across multiple channels.
90% of customers expecting interactions across multiple channels only confirms positive experience with multichannel marketing.
19. Internet users have an average of 5.54 social media accounts (source).
Sounds funny but the truth. When the average internet user has over 5 social media accounts, why should you as a business stick to one channel?
5 social media accounts show that multichannel marketing isn’t an option but a necessity to increase your reach and grow your business.
20. 67% of B2B buyers rely more on content to research and make purchasing decisions than they did a year ago (source).
Content marketing is an important element of an effective multichannel strategy. And this study backs it up.
According to Demand Gen Report, 67% of B2B buyers rely more on content to make purchasing decisions.
However, this study doesn’t cover the channels buyers go-to for content on products. But it is obvious buyers use different channels for research.
While some buyers are comfortable with Google search, some rely on niche Facebook groups for research. Youtube channel is also becoming a go-to place for product research.
So if you are not creating content on multiple channels, you know better what is at stake.
21. Four times as many online consumers would rather watch a video about a product than reading about it (source).
While the previous stat doesn’t go into detail about the channels or type of content buyers consume more.
This study by PR News Wire brushes the surface a bit better. It shows that consumers consume video content four times than they read a blog.
So if you are wondering what type of content you should create more, then you have the answers all written here (videos win).
22. 80% of consumers say a video showing how a product or service works is important when learning about the company (source).
The same study as previously revealed that video showing how a product or service works helps learn about a company.
I can’t agree less as video content connects better with people than blog posts. Consumers want to see the people behind a company. Not just images, video content helps convey your voice and company virtues.
A quarter of consumers lose interest in a company if it doesn’t use video (source)
When going through this study, I could remember how some company videos have helped shape my understanding about the company than what written content could have done.
Have you seen this video about Viddyoze (a video animation software company)? It’s proof that a video about the company is more than enough to persuade consumers to buy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj2GxzBEaDU
23. 62% of consumers who engage their favorite brands on 10+ channels make weekly purchases (source).
Customers are patriotic if you give them what they want. And among many others is flexibility and options to choose from which can be done with multichannel marketing.
62% of consumers engage their favorite brands on over 10 channels and also make weekly purchases.
Getting to see your favorite company on every of your social media walls reminds you of products you need to get. Whenever you fail to engage your customers, you can bet someone else will.
It’s your choice to leave a channel out of your strategy or put your brand on all channels.
24. 73% of consumers shop on more than one channel (source).
Consumers confess to shopping on more than one channel. Another statistic reveals that 46% of shoppers visit a retailer’s own app or website while shopping in-store (source).
Another study shows that 25% of shoppers have made online purchases while standing in a retailer’s physical store (source).
These statistics all prove that customers love the idea of having lots of options to choose from. Even while in a physical store, some customers also make online purchases.
What is more interesting is that 60% of millennials expect consistent brand experiences—whether in-store or by phone (source).
Multichannel Marketing ROI
Here are some statistics on how effective multi-channel marketing is: Companies with an effective omnichannel marketing strategy in place can retain 89% of customers.
Besides, there are many more things to benefit from. Let’s dive deeper.
25. Customers shopping across multiple channels are observed to have a 30% higher lifetime value.
Although multichannel marketing is challenging, it is also rewarding. Study shows that customers shopping across multiple channels have a 30% higher lifetime value.
This means customers stick longer with companies that leverage multichannel marketing.
26. 50% of multichannel marketers say they usually or always hit their financial targets (source).
Worried about not hitting your financial targets? Then embrace a multichannel marketing strategy.
According to studies, 50% of marketers that use multichannel strategy always hit their financial targets.
27. Companies that use multichannel marketing experience 3x higher effectiveness rates than those that use non-integrated campaigns (source).
Future of Multichannel Marketing Statistics
Is multichannel marketing still the same it was before? Absolutely not! Multichannel marketing has experienced a lot of changes and trends.
To give you a tip, the future of multichannel marketing is omnichannel marketing.
Omni-channel marketing takes multichannel a step further to provide a better customer experience for customers.
The main difference between multichannel and omnichannel is that in omnichannel, Integration is important. All the channels are integrated so that consumers can pick up from where they stopped in a channel on another channel.
For instance, consumers can start a purchasing process on your online store and complete it in the physical store without any glitch in customer experience. This is what omnichannel is all about.
Wondering how it affects your business? Let the stats speak.
Customer satisfaction is 23x higher in companies that run omnichannel strategies (source).
28. 87% of retailers agree that an omnichannel marketing strategy is critical or very important to their success (source).
29. Only 14% of organizations say they are currently running coordinated marketing campaigns across all channels (source).
30. 26% of companies have yet to take action regarding an omnichannel strategy (source).
31. 16% of marketers say their marketing technology strategies are aligned with their business strategies (source).
32. 3% of marketers say their different brand functions are integrated well with their marketing technology (source).
33. 86% of senior-level marketers agree that it’s important to create a cohesive customer journey across all touchpoints and channels (source).
34. 81% of C-level employees anticipate more digital interaction with customers by 2020, and 66% expect more focus on customers as individuals (source).
Summary of Multichannel Marketing Statistics
Here are some key points about the state of multichannel marketing in 2021:
- Multichannel marketing is still an effective strategy for increasing reach and revenue.
- Companies that use at least 8 multiple channels get better results. The more channels you use (consistently), the better the results.
- If you can’t afford to use multiple channels, choose a few and be consistent with them.
- Incorporate omnichannel marketing into your strategy as this is the future.
- In the end, the goal is to provide a better customer experience.
Conclusion
Data is power, how you use it is up to you. But I hope this helps you develop an effective marketing strategy for your business.
Quick link
- Social Proof Statistics: State of Social Proof Marketing in 2021
- Omnichannel Statistics 2021: State of Omnichannel Marketing
- Metaverse statistics
Leave a Reply