Personalization: Dynamic Tailoring of Information
In today’s Internet environment, shoppers, by self-admission, want tailored information and communication when they are making purchasing decisions.
Personalization is the most important innovation to come out of the growth of e-commerce infrastructure and communication technologies. Personalization has an impact on every single decision that an individual makes when making purchasing decisions.
The practice of personalization is dynamically tailoring information and or experience to the wants and needs of each individual user. Just imagine the concept of being able to effectively and efficiently give everything to your customer that they would need. When you put everything at the fingertips of your customer, you are creating the basis of customer loyalty, and are more likely to become repeat customers.
There are many benefits to creating a lasting relationship with your customer, most visibly, repeat customers spend on average 5 times more than a single visit customer and as suggested by the same research, are less price sensitive.
Online sites like stichfix.com and LyonandPost.com are examples of companies who have mastered the art of personalization in personal shopping. The sites personalize and tailor shopping according to the taste, lifestyle, and size of their customers. These companies have found the secret to giving the customer what they want with feedback being the key ingredient.
Creating customer satisfaction when a business owner has a store front is much easier to achieve with personable employees, catchy signs, and being able to engage in their customers needs face to face. Who hasn’t had that sales person who was able to find exactly what you needed and more?
In online stores users are not able to have the same experience. They are not offered the best purchasing options by sales persons or given the opportunity to be romanced into buying things they may or may not need. Women in particular love the experience of shopping and going through the cathartic process of buying new merchandise.
The strategy of e-commerce has left the online shopper largely unfulfilled from the service they receive online. Statistics show that 59% of shoppers feel that it is easier to find more interesting products when they are shopping at a personalized online retail store. Furthermore, 45% of shoppers are likely to shop at a site that offers recommendations that are personalized. By providing your customers options in their shopping experience you are able to provide a seamless experience.
The same options that you enjoy when you are shopping offline are the services that should be provided by all businesses online. Having the right e-commerce platform to present products is the key to being able to have the tools to an effective shopping experience for both the seller and buyer.
