With the growing impact of mobile apps and digital touchpoints on shopping behavior, customers have more channels to find and buy products. This translates into more opportunities for marketers to connect with and engage such customers. But it also means a great deal more complexity for successful marketing execution.

A customer journey may begin on a smartphone with searches for product information, then continue through social sites or email. Product discussions can take place in forums or in person with friends. The final purchase may take place in a store or online. After-purchase communications and offers can then be directed to customers over multiple channels.

Customers continue to drive omni-channel experiences. They want interactions on one channel (or device) to carry over to their next interaction channel. Customers don’t necessarily look for the “same” experience on different channels, but they do expect and demand consistency and highly personalized experiences across all channels.