5 Ways to Personalize Your Site for Today’s Consumers

According to McKinsey, nearly three-fourths of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions. Within that group, 76% of consumers get frustrated when they don’t get a personalized experience. 

To meet this demand for personalization, e-commerce brands and retailers are looking for ways to make a shopper feel like their site was made specifically for them, and is authentic and trustworthy.

Personalization is key to delivering the ultimate shopper experience. To drive meaningful customer relationships, e-commerce brands and retailers can follow these five personalization best practices. 

1. Understand the ‘Why’

Retailers must know why they are looking to personalize. Knowing what they are trying to accomplish is critical to setting and meeting goals. Whether it’s to increase transactions or build a long-term relationship, this ensures retailers are setting their strategies accordingly. 

2. Ask for Data Authentically

Collecting customers’ data gives retailers information on what they love and what they hate. If asked directly, customers may share how much personalization they prefer, and what they’re willing to provide. 

However, requests for personal information must be authentic to the brand. Retailers should offer interactive quizzes on social media for younger audiences. Or send an email sharing personalization opt-in information and a discount incentive for older audiences.

3. Avoid Siloed Experiences

A single team can’t create and deliver personalization alone. There must be collaboration across departments to have buy-in on personalization strategies. Otherwise, there are fractures in the process. 

Retailers need customer data, pricing information, site development, merchandising, and executive buy-in. Accessible and actionable data must be provided to create a cohesive shopper journey.

4. Start With the Loyalty Program

Loyalty programs are the cornerstone of any long-term relationship play. Yotpo found that 52.3% of loyal customers will join a rewards program, and 39.4% will spend more on a product even if there are cheaper options elsewhere. 

[Read more: Starbucks Expands Loyalty Offerings With Delta Partnership]

By setting up a loyalty program, retailers can gather customers’ preferences and use that data to set up targeted personalization in shopping carts or emails. 

5. Measure Consistently and Broadly

Conversion rates are not the only way to measure personalization. 

Based on the goals set in step one, retailers can identify the right metrics to track success.

Since personalization is primarily targeted toward returning customers, retention rates and returning customer add-to-cart rates are good starting KPIs to judge business impact. 

Personalization Is All About Human Connections

Despite all the talk about customer data, retailers must remember that shoppers are real people. They’re shopping to try to solve a problem, buy a gift for a loved one, or treat themselves. 

Understanding a customer’s path through an ecommerce site can uncover their intent, which makes retailers one step closer to becoming a pattern in their shoppers’ lives. After all, getting the right product, to the right person, at the right time is what personalization is all about.  

— Peter Messana, CEO, Searchspring