Selling online will never be the same: Are you keeping up or falling behind?

Remember a decade ago when finding a new pair of shoes involved seeing an ad on Facebook, a quick Google search, followed by a trip to Amazon to find the best deal. The lines were clear: Google for search, Amazon for buying, and social media for discovery.

But things have become a lot more fluid in the last decade. Take a simple scenario: you need new sneakers. In the past, you might have typed "best running shoes" into Google, scrolled through pages of results, and ended up clicking on an Amazon link to make your purchase.

Fast forward to today, the customer buying journey looks very different. For instance, it might start with an influencer's Instagram post showcasing a cool new brand, leading you straight to the company's in-app Instagram store for a seamless checkout.

In this article, we'll explore how the online retail landscape is changing, why a multichannel eCommerce strategy is essential to stay competitive, and what tools you can use to set your company up for success.

Let's jump right into it!

The battle for product purchases, discovery, and search

New players like TikTok have blurred the lines between search, commerce, and social, showing that one platform can compete in all three areas. This has inspired the established giants to rethink their strategies and their place in the customer journey.

As a result, companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon all want a piece of the eCommerce pie, and are engaged in a three-way battle, fighting for product discovery, product search, and product purchases.

Product purchases

The first battleground lies in the actual purchase. Social channels are increasingly aiming to close the sale within their own platforms, eliminating the need to jump to external sites like Amazon or the brand's eCommerce site. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are aggressively pushing for in-app purchases, aiming to close the sale within their own ecosystems.

Product discovery

This battle highlights the shift in consumer behavior – the desire to stumble upon new products organically, rather than actively searching for them. Amazon and Google are taking cues from social media platforms, aiming to cultivate a more engaging and serendipitous discovery experience within their own ecosystems.

Amazon, for instance, has partnered with social networks like Pinterest, leveraging their visual appeal to inspire product browsing. Meanwhile, Google is revamping its Google Shopping platform with features like visual product search, aiming to capture the discovery phase before users even reach the traditional search bar.

Product search

The final battleground centers around product search itself. Consumers are increasingly bypassing Google as their go-to search engine when it comes to finding products. Instead, they head straight to their favorite marketplaces, enticed by the promise of fast delivery or the convenience of searching directly within the social app where they just discovered a new fashion look or product.

Who will succeed in this new eCommerce landscape?

While Google, Amazon, and Meta all strive to dominate the entire marketing funnel, their efforts have created a complex landscape with numerous potential ad placements and formats - resulting in a headache for advertisers who suddenly have to craft targeted campaigns across a growing number of platforms.

To alleviate this complexity, both Google and Meta have introduced AI-powered campaigns like Performance Max and Advantage+ Shopping, streamlining the process for advertisers. Amazon recently launched Performance+ which uses machine learning to automate campaign setup and deliver optimal ad performance.

While these smart campaigns offer convenience and optimize for their specific platforms, they fall short by neglecting the potential customers present on other marketplaces and social networks. Think X, Snapchat, ebay, Walmart.. the list goes on.

The crucial takeaway is this: failing to adapt to the changing landscape will leave you behind. eCommerce brands who embrace the multichannel reality and take advantage of the strengths of each ecosystem will ultimately thrive.

The multichannel optimization opportunity

So, how can eCommerce brands succeed in this new landscape?

At Channable, we believe the key to success lies in a multichannel approach:

• Cross-channel listing: Ensuring your product listings are optimized and consistent across all platforms, maximizing your visibility and reach.
• Cross-channel advertising: Crafting hyper-relevant, on-brand creatives tailored to each platform's audience and advertising format, driving higher engagement and conversions.
• Cross-channel insights: Leveraging data and performance insights from various platforms to understand product performance so you can optimize your profit across the entire eCommerce ecosystem.
  
  This multichannel strategy hinges on five fundamental elements that empower advertisers and sellers to take full control of their online selling experience:

1. High-quality product data: Accurate and complete product information forms the foundation for successful listings across all channels.
2. Highly relevant ads: Focus on creating targeted campaigns that resonate with your audience on each platform, driving higher engagement and conversions.
3. Performance segmentation: Identify profitable segments within your campaigns and increase budget for optimal results to improve return on ad spend (ROAS) and profit on ad spend (POAS)
4. Compelling creatives: Develop high-quality visuals and messaging that resonate with each platform's unique user base.
5. Scalability: Once you've established success on one platform, leverage the learnings to scale your strategy effectively across other channels.

Channable's 5 essential solutions for multichannel success

To achieve multichannel eCommerce success, sellers need the tools in place to optimize feed listings, manage PPC campaigns efficiently, generate ad creative tailored to each platform, and deliver actionable insights to drive data-driven decisions.

Channable's leading multichannel eCommerce platform provides five fundamental solutions to help sellers reach their sales potential on each channel:

Feed Management

Channable’s Feed Management module keeps your product information up-to-date and consistent across all of your platforms. Instead of changing stock information or prices manually on each channel, you can save time and resources by managing all your product feeds in one place.

PPC Automation

Whether you want to run ads on Google, Meta or Amazon (or all of the above), Channable's PPC Optimization tool allows you to simply generate a channel-specific campaign from one place. With the PPC tool, you can easily create complete ad campaign structures for multiple products and languages at scale. You can also set up rules that will automatically add or remove keywords, move keywords between campaigns, or blacklist certain keywords based on specific criteria.

Creative Module

Channable's Dynamic Image Editor empowers you to create hyper-relevant ads for your ad campaigns. You can easily generate countless variations featuring real-time sale prices, special discounts, or new stock notifications - all directly from your product data. With the image editor, you can eliminate manual image editing and save valuable time while creating multiple ad variations tailored to each platform.

Insights & Analytics

Channable's Insights & Analytics module enables sellers to optimize ads and listings with performance metrics fine-tuned to your KPIs—so you can spot key trends and make better decisions based on data-driven intelligence.

In the Insights & Analytics dashboard, you can also get real-time data on how your products are performing—allowing you to make optimizations to boost top sellers, or create more visibility for low-performing items. These actionable insights allow you to continually refine and enhance your multichannel strategy.

Marketplace Integration

Channable connects to over 2,500 digital marketplaces, ad platforms, and price comparison sites. Thanks to custom-built integrations you can automatically list your products error-free, in minutes, eliminating the need for manual updates and ensuring real-time stock accuracy across all channels. Direct API connections synchronize orders back to your online shop where you can manage everything from one place.

Start using Channable's multichannel eCommerce platform today

Our multichannel eCommerce solution isn't just a tool; it's a gateway to unparalleled success in the digital marketplace. With our platform, you'll harness the power of cross-channel listing, advertising, and insights to propel your business to new heights.

Want to see first-hand how Channable can set you up for multichannel eCommerce success?

Check out our infographic to visualize the impact.

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