O2O In a Broad Sense

TMO Group TMO Group

With the combination of online marketing and offline retailing, O2O (Online to Offline) model has become a current trend that can be found in catering, home furnishing, supermarket, even in government, insurance, and so on.

People are getting more familiar with O2O that is used in service industry. And most of them think the combination of online and offline just by Wechat or other mobile apps. From my point of view, all of these are in a narrow sense. O2O model must be related to marketing or information expansion, which are the essence of O2O in a broad sense.

o2o in broad sense

What is the definition of  “O2O in a broad sense”

Generally speaking, it is an idea of marketing. All offline business should be getting online. O2O can make offline business effective and optimize business processes to reduce time cost, increase efficiency and reap greater benefits.

When you look upon O2O in a broad sense, some problems that probably make you headache can be solved. For example, you are interested in O2O and develop some mobile apps or Wechat Public Platforms. To be honest, it is difficult to find your apps or Wechat account in app stores, which include millions of apps. So expand your horizons, not only mobile app, but also other ways like mobile websites, LED screens outside can increase interacting with customers and desiring to purchase.

How to do it in a broad sense?

  • Online content: First it must be attractive. The user experience is the key. A good content should bring convenience to the user, have a clear strategy leading customers to buy. In my view, Wechat can also display your products or services in a novel way.
  • Brand promotion: Both display in a LED screen and hand out advertisement, the purpose is to gain an entrance where customers can easily come in.
  • CRM: Keep in contact with your costumers and meet their needs. Use communication to promote consumption and vice versa.
  • Organize activities: When the O2O strategy has been set up, event marketing is required. A famous example in China event marketing is “Taxi subsides”. Event marketing and CRM can complement each other as well.

TMO Group provides O2O Commerce solution, which can be used in local service and Omni channel retailing. More details please send us an email!

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