Omnichannel shoppers who use social media to communicate with the brands they love are more likely to look online for customer reviews, conduct price comparisons or check to see where the item is in stock before heading out to the store to make a purchase.

Retailers that want to make sure they are reaching these customers in the most effective way should consider employing a multi-channel approach to their marketing. This will help ensure you retain high value customers—those who consistently spend the most money in your store—by addressing their issue right away, regardless of the medium they present it in.

It pays—literally–to cater to these customers through social media marketing and the information that can be gleaned from these direct interactions. A RIS News article cited a recent study that “multi-channel customers often spend three to four times more on retail purchases than their single-channel counterparts.”

These customer service experiences matter. According to RIS News, 70 percent of customers will buy an item from a retailer they had a positive experience with, even if it’s cheaper elsewhere, while a bad experience will lead 31 percent of shoppers to abandon the purchase or buy it from a competitor. Even worse, if the customer decides to share the negative experience on Facebook or Twitter it could make any of their hundreds of friends and acquaintances think twice before visiting your store.

Social media communications should be fully integrated with your customer service team for a maximum impact, whether you are reinforcing a positive relationship or taking care of a customer issue. Failing to do so could result in lost customers or damage to your store or restaurant’s reputation.