For years, it has been said that customers are empowered and want choice to allow them to do things on their own terms. For many organizations, this reality is driving the adoption of multichannel strategies that offer the customer choice and also give companies the opportunity to ensure that they are growing new markets, introducing new offerings, managing costs, and better serving their customers. Multichannel does not mean “this channel” or “that channel”—it means all channels. Thus, a consistent omnichannel experience requires that all channels of activity complement and intersect so that organizational resources are optimized and leveraged.

The Promise of a Multichannel Strategy
In today’s environment, customers are empowered to purchase and consume what, where, when, and how they want. Companies are implementing multichannel strategies to present the customer with the desired choices and to reach the customer via its channel of choice. In this multichannel environment all must be tightly aligned, with key points of intersection among them. Otherwise the seamless omnichannel experience will not exist, nor will the increased revenue from retaining and growing existing customers and reaching new ones through multiple routes to market.

To achieve these outcomes, all of the activities required to support multichannel product placement and distribution must be “baked in” (integrated into) strategy development, resource allocation and strategy execution. This includes the critical ability to collaboratively work with third parties, to partner successfully.

Effective Development, Management of Multichannel Strategy