Users have changed their behaviour profoundly, not only in purchasing but also in navigating. Publishers, advertisers and marketers today have to deal with a user who moves in an increasingly omnichannel and cross-device context, in which the customer journey is less and less linear and unravels between multiple touchpoints.
Touchpoints are multiplying, interactions are becoming continuous and fragmented across different devices. Overseeing the user throughout the customer journey becomes increasingly complex.
In this context, brands and companies must adapt and adopt advanced solutions that answer an increasingly complex question: how to reach the user in a consistent, targeted and efficient way across multiple devices? The answer to this question lies in Cross Screen Strategy.
What is Cross Screen Strategy?
When we talk about Cross Screen Strategy we refer to an integrated approach that aims to reach and engage consumers across multiple devices (desktop, mobile, tablet, Connected TV, and wearables) throughout their customer journey with personalised content.
In an increasingly complex digital ecosystem, where users not only move from device to device, but also move from screen to screen even at the same time of day, the need to adopt a data-driven, omnichannel approach becomes paramount.
The Advantages of the Cross Screen Strategy
The adoption of a Cross Screen Strategy brings numerous strategic and operational advantages. The main ones are analysed below.
1. Reaching the user wherever they are
The user’s customer journey is increasingly fragmented, and with it the devices used: they may start their interaction with a brand on a smartphone, continue on a tablet while at home and complete their purchase on a desktop. All user interactions are no longer limited to a single device or screen. In the face of all this, a cross-screen approach makes it possible to intercept the user along his customer journey in a consistent manner, regardless of the device or screen used.
2. Consistent and personalised user experience
One of the main objectives of a cross-screen strategy is to create relevant customer experiences. Consistent messaging across devices helps to build a stronger and more reliable relationship with the user. Furthermore, thanks to advanced profiling and segmentation activities, it is possible to personalise each individual message.
3. Greater Targeting Accuracy
With a cross-screen strategy, you can gain more insight into user behaviour that is not just limited to the device used, but also includes: interests, brand interactions and more. All this data, combined with identity resolution activities, makes it possible to create a complete and unequivocal profile of each individual user interacting at the different touchpoints. All this translates into the realisation of specific and targeted personalisation activities.
Why Adopting a Cross Screen Strategy: The Reasons
The drive to adopt a Cross Screen Strategy comes from several factors, including changing user behaviour, the fragmentation of communication channels and the evolution of digital technologies. Let us analyse the main motivations:
1. Fragmentation of Communication Channels
With the expansion of digital devices and platforms, fragmentation of channels has become a reality. Users enjoy content on multiple devices: mobile, Connected TV, and desktop. Each of these offers a unique opportunity to reach users, but without an appropriate strategy, the risk is to create experiences and consistency across channels. Adopting Cross Screen Strategy ensures consistency and continuity, preventing messages from being ‘lost’ between channels.
2. Multi-Device User Behaviour
User behaviour today is increasingly multi-screen. It may happen that a user starts a purchase on a mobile device and completes it on a desktop device.
Knowledge of the user’s entire customer journey becomes more fundamental than ever in order to identify the different touch points with the brand as well as, naturally, to preside over each individual channel with personalised messages for each individual user.
3. Technology and Data: An Opportunity for Innovation
The adoption of a Cross Screen Strategy is made possible and advantageous by an approach based on identity resolution. Thanks to this, it is possible to create a unified profile of each individual customer in an omnichannel and cross-device perspective, and thus have a complete view of their behaviour and preferences. By understanding a user’s identity, strategists and marketers can orient their strategies towards creating personalised experiences, improving engagement and conversion rates.
Enabling Channels and Technologies
An effective cross-screen strategy does not simply integrate various devices, but relies on a complex ecosystem involving multiple channels and technologies. Some of the main channels that constitute a Cross Screen Strategy include:
- Display Advertising: Banners and display formats that are visible on desktop, tablet and mobile.
- Video Advertising: Video advertising that can be viewed on desktop, mobile and smart TV, adapting to the format of the device.
- Social Media: Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are crucial channels for cross-screen marketing due to their penetration on various devices.
- Email Marketing: Email communications can be read on different devices, with personalisations based on user behaviour.
The adoption of a Cross Screen Strategy is essential for any advertiser, publisher or marketer wishing to remain competitive in today’s digital landscape. The integration of multiple channels and devices, coupled with advanced data analytics and improved personalisation, allows you to create consistent user experiences, optimise ROI and respond to new consumer needs. In a context where user behaviour is increasingly fragmented and multi-device, Cross Screen Strategy is not just a marketing strategy, but a real necessity for long-term success and to gain a competitive advantage and deliver personalised and truly relevant customer experiences.
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