We’ve been talking about personalisation for pretty much as long as I can remember! At least 25 years. Yet you can count on one hand how many times you receive a truly personalised experience that reflects your preferences, buying history, likes and dislikes.
So, in terms of building customer lifetime value, it is a huge opportunity for retailers and brands to personalise the shopping experience for customers in the digital age by leveraging various strategies and technologies. Personalisation enhances customer satisfaction, increases engagement, and drives sales.
Here are some of the key opportunities for retailers and brands to achieve this:
Profile your customers:
• You will have different cohorts of customers who behave differently and have different motivations and drivers, which is why there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach that will be effective.
• Therefore, collect and analyse your customer data, including demographics, purchase history, browsing behaviour, and their preferences.
• You can then create detailed customer profiles and personas that will help you to segment your audience more effectively.
Personalised product recommendations:
• Implement AI-driven recommendation engines to suggest products based on a customer's past purchases and browsing activity.
• Offer "Customers who bought this also liked" or "You may also like" sections on product pages and during checkout. Just be aware that consumers are influenced more by other people like us and what they do than we are by what a brand tells us.
Tailored content:
• Customise website content, email marketing, and advertisements to match each customer's interests and preferences.
• Use AI and machine learning to determine the most relevant content for different customer segments.
Dynamic pricing:
• Leverage and implement dynamic pricing strategies that adjust prices in real-time based on factors like demand, inventory levels, and customer behaviour.
• Offer loyal customers personalised discounts and promotions. As they expect special treatment. And why shouldn’t they!
Personalised email marketing:
• Send personalised email campaigns with product recommendations, special offers, and content that aligns with the customer's interests. A good place to start is with an email nurture program that helps to build engagement from the first purchase on.
• Use segmentation to send targeted emails to specific customer groups.
Customised user interfaces:
• Allow customers to customise their online shopping experience by saving preferences like their favourite brands, preferred product categories, or sizes.
• Provide options for customers to filter and sort products based on their preferences.
Loyalty programs:
• Reward loyal customers with personalised offers, early access to sales, exclusive discounts and other forms of added value. Which could be brand magazines, gifts with purchase and so on.
• Use data from loyalty programs to better understand and serve your most loyal customers.
Location-based personalisation:
• Use geolocation data to offer location-specific promotions, store information, and product availability. There’s nothing better than receiving highly tailored and relevant communication that reflects this.
• Send push notifications or messages when customers are near a physical store.
Personalised product customisation:
• Allow customers to personalise products by choosing colours, designs, or adding custom text.
• Provide tools that let customers see how customised products will look before purchasing.
Chatbots and virtual assistants:
• Implement AI-powered chatbots and live chat on your website or app to answer customer queries and provide product recommendations. If you have a multichannel business, you can also leverage your store colleagues to support this.
• Offer personalised shopping assistance through chatbots and store colleagues, guiding customers to find what they need.
Social media engagement:
• Use social media algorithms to show customers content and products that align with their interests and behaviours.
• Encourage user-generated content and reviews to build trust and engage with customers.
Feedback and reviews:
• Collect feedback from customers about their shopping experiences and use it to make continual improvements.
• Highlight customer reviews and ratings to help shoppers make informed decisions.
A/B testing:
• Continuously test and optimize personalised features and content to ensure they resonate with your audience and drive conversions.
• Test and learn should be a daily feature of your activity.
• It's essential for retailers and brands to strike a balance between personalisation and respecting customer privacy. Always obtain explicit consent for data usage and be transparent about how customer data is being used to enhance their shopping experience.
To unlock the potential of your business, my book The Power of Customer Experience shows you how to provide effective customer experience, and the strategies you need for business success. You can also download my FREE eBook 10 New ROIs, or consider joining my Mini MBA in Customer Centricity, the must-have course for business owners and senior management in any customer facing environment.