Ecommerce personalisation is one of the most popular trends of the last year. This topic appears in the context of product recommendation, payment or ordering methods and even in the case of abandoned shopping carts. It turns out that without the use of techniques aimed at matching B2C platforms to the preferences of a particular customer, there is no way to count on increasing profits from online sales. Why is there such a high need for personalisation?

Ecommerce personalisation phenomenon

More and more clients require idividual proposals and offers as well as unconventional communication. According to AgileOne, 70% of users need personalised approach and special treatment on the store. This means that users are more likely to choose those online stores that will meet their needs faster, related to both the suggested assortment and the sales process and communication. Failure to adjust the message of the content in contact with the client, inadequate suggestions of recommended products or random advertisements result in a lack of user action and rejection of messages not related to them, and thus the company loses potential customers. Another reason that influences the spread of this trend is the huge competition in the e-commerce industry. Fighting with the price or quality of the assortment is no longer so effective, which is why companies are looking for solutions that will provide customers with an easy, intuitive purchase, or the pleasure associated with making it.

Methods used in personalisation

The basic for every store that plans to start personalisation is easy and intuitive purchasing process.  Simplifying the purchase path results in an improved user experience, i.e. adapting the store to the needs of customers who do not waste time looking for products that interest them or wondering how they can buy them. Personalisation is to facilitate the purchase, therefore all components of the store environment should create a transparent path. The data necessary to create it can be collected through analytical tools such as Google Analytics, which are a source of knowledge about customer activity, providing reliable feedback on what on our B2C platform may be difficult for users and who exactly our customers are. To help implement efficient personalisation, you should also reach for information about our customers collected by cookies, modules and forms placed on the store’s website or loyalty programs. In addition, in e-stores you can use marketing automation systems that react to specific consumer behavior, for example by displaying pop-ups before the customer leaves the platform or automatically sending a personalised e-mail message immediately after abandoning the shopping cart.

How the best do it

The obvious role model in e-commerce is Amazon, which is also at the forefront of personalisation. Thanks to the analysis of huge data resources, it personalises the entire shopping path of the client. Even after users have left the site, it sends them follow-up emails or personalised newsletters, informing customers of the deals on items they have viewed. Another method used by Amazon is geolocation, which redirects users to the regionally correct version of the store. For example, one Amazon.com user who also purchases regularly from an Amazon store in the UK, when he visits a store in the US, sees a banner asking him which of these platforms he prefers to buy from at the moment.
Amazon is also a pioneer of the recommendation algorithm, which perfectly matches product proposals based on seemingly unrelated previous customer choices. They are shown both on the product card, in the basket and after completing the transaction. A different approach to product personalisation was developed by Swarovski, which on the home page of the store gave users a choice of four different stylistic options. After selecting one, the user receives product proposals adequate to his taste, i.e. those that he is willing to buy.
Another example of well-understood personalisation is ShopItToMe, which asks new visitors on its homepage to tell more about their preferences by using a survey. Users select a department based on gender; then they list 5-10 preferred brands and the types of clothes they are interested in along with the sizes. After completing the survey, the visitor’s profile is created and recommended products from the store are sent to the customer by email.

Benefits of ecommerce personalisation

The reason for which it is worth implementing techniques that support individual treatment of customers is the fact that such activities result in up to 346% more time that users spend in the store. Thus, they leave data about their preferences, which will translate into a competitive advantage for the store. Good knowledge of customers and their preferences will help to adjust the offer and infrastructure of the store so as to arouse loyalty and thus sell more and better. For example, based on the customer’s behavior on the store during the previous visit, you can show him the next product recommendations that he may like, which increases the likelihood that he will buy them. Coversion on the store improves which results in bigger sales profits.  according to CMO Council research called “Brand Attraction From Enriched Interaction”, personalisation combined with internet marketing, in addition to improving efficiency, additionally improves the image and recognition of the brand as well as greater customer attachment to it.

Summary

Personalisation is a process of constant care to make the customer feel distinguished in the store. High expectations of customers and huge competition force the online stores to keep improving their sales processes and customers’ feelings on the store. This means constant development and searching for techniques and tools that will provide the highest level of customer satisfaction. When creating an optimal strategy for a particular store, it is best to use the help of competent experts who, after a broad analysis of the store environment and based on the collected data, will help to adjust optimal methods of implementing personalisation on the B2C platform.

Write to us and we’ll tell you how you can use personalisation on your online store to increase sales on it.

Sources:

15 Smart Ecommerce Personalisation Examples That Boost Sales
https://www.optimonk.com/blog/ecommerce-personalisation/#.WqF1hG977IV
https://www.gorilla360.com.au/blog/ecommerce-personalisation-marketing