3 Reasons Why You Should Personalize the Digital Experience (and Exactly How You Can Do It)

We all want to feel special. Whether that’s being greeted by a cheery hotel receptionist who remembers exactly the type of room you like to stay in or a head waiter who recommends the fish special on today’s menu as he knows how much you enjoy your seafood. So why should that stop when the customer experience is extended into the digital marketplace?

With major advancements in technology and data collection, customers no longer need to be a just another number. Brand intimacy can be heightened by knowing just the right amount of details and the shopping habits of your users which can in turn, transform strangers into brand advocates.

So what are the benefits of delivering a personalised experience and how exactly can you do it?

According to Invesp, 53% of online shoppers believe that retailers who personalize the shopping experience provide a valuable service and 45% of online shoppers are more likely to shop on a website which offers personalized recommendations. So in short, offering a personalized shopping experience means people are more likely to buy from you.

Delivering personalized content can have a direct influence on sales and customers’ expectations of what a quality service truly means are only getting higher. They are no longer satisfied with a blanket email informing customers of their sale. They want exclusivity, they want to feel special. So tailoring offers around their previous purchases, a loyalty discount code or a location based flash sale will mean those customers will keep coming back to you again and again

There are many ways you can personalize email content after collecting some key pieces of data. Refer to the customer by name, not just in the subject line but also in the email content too. Making the extra effort to consistently deliver a more personalized experience will emulate a more natural conversation between customer and brand and make a customer feel valued.

Remembering previous purchases and making personal recommendations is also another great way to strengthen the bond between brand and user.

For example if a customer bought a new pair of trainers the previous month you could follow up the sale with something along the lines of “we hope your new trainers are a comfy fit, we also have them in black if you fancy mixing it up”. This type of interaction shows customers you care, you want feedback and you feel they just need to know about the new arrivals you think they’d be interested in.

But why just stop at email marketing? Website personalization can also have the same impact. When you tailor the content to targeted audiences based on purchase history and demographics such as gender and location your message can be instantly more convincing.

The best place to start with website personalization is the homepage as Fresh Relevance suggests, “personalizing your homepage content can increase sales by 7%”.

Personalise homepage content so it speaks directly to your target user. Using segmented data, create A/B landing pages with content that speaks to a specific audience, based on their age, location or interests. For more information on how to optimize your homepage, Neil Patel goes into more detail on how to personalize pages to each unique visitor.

And finally, if you deliver a valuable personalized experience, customers are inclined to pay a premium for a quality service. A survey from Content Marketing Institute claims that “77% of customers will recommend or pay more for a brand that provides a personalized experience”.

So it doesn’t always have to be about slashing profits and providing discounts left, right and center. Once you have established a bond with your customer, they are loyal to the service you provide and just like with any luxury service, if done well, customers are happy to pay that little extra for it.

Increasing customer convenience is another way to show customers you care. Reducing the amount of steps it takes for customers to convert to an absolute minimum is a well-used sales tactic online. However, you can go one step further and fill out some of those steps for them too.

Remembering details such as their most frequently used delivery address, their preferred payment option and card details can significantly reduce the level of effort required to make a purchase and increase conversion rates dramatically.

Personalization is key to delivering a quality service for your customers and adopting a number of different tactics to bring you closer to your target audience is what will make you stand out from the competition.

Data collection is becoming increasingly cutting-edge and adopting the right personalization technology which recognizes customer intent will most definitely increase profits and customer retention rates.

For more advice and digital marketing knowledge, browse our blog for the latest insights or contact us directly to find out how we can personalize your digital marketing strategy.