The secret sauce of e-commerce: How personalisation can increase your sales

In today's super-competitive ecommerce landscape, it's no longer enough to simply have a well designed website and a great selection of products. To truly stand out, you need to personalise the shopping experience for each individual customer.

What is “personalisation” in ecomm?

Personalisation is all about tailoring your online store to meet the specific needs and preferences of each individual visitor. It’s about understanding what they’re looking for and delivering a customised experience that makes them feel valued.

Here are a few examples:

1. Product recommendations
   Suggest products based on a customer’s past browsing or purchase history. Use phrases like “Things we think you’ll love” or “Because you recently viewed...” to create a more personalised feel.

2. Targeted email campaigns
   Send personalised offers and discounts via email. Did someone add an item to their basket and leave without purchasing? Grab their attention with a message like:
   “Come back... 10% off your next order is waiting for you!”

3. Relevant website content
   Create unique content tailored to a customer’s interests. For example, if you’re in the fashion industry and targeting women, add sections for specific events such as “Date night outfits” or “Weekend brunch styles”.

Why personalisation should be a part of your customer journey:

Don’t underestimate the power of personalisation! If your shoppers are just browsing or feeling unsure about a purchase, that extra touch could be the nudge they need to complete the checkout process.

1. Increased sales and conversions

When customers see products that are relevant to them, they’re far more likely to make a purchase. Personalised recommendations show that you understand what they’re looking for, making the shopping experience more intuitive.

2. Improved customer engagement

Personalisation helps keep customers engaged with your store by offering tailored experiences. This could include encouraging them to add items to their wishlist for later, or signing up to your email list to receive birthday discounts.

3. Enhanced customer loyalty

When customers feel understood and valued, they’re more likely to stick around. Building trust through personalisation fosters long-term loyalty, turning first-time buyers into repeat customers.

How to get started with personalisation

There are a number of things you can do to get started with personalisation on your ecommerce store. Here are a few tips:

• Collect customer data: This could include data such as a customer's name, email address, birthday, browsing history, and purchase history.

• Use customer data to segment your audience: Once you have collected customer data, you can use it to segment your audience into different groups. This will allow you to create targeted marketing campaigns and personalised content.

• Start small and experiment: Don't try to personalise everything at once. Start with a few small changes and see how they impact your results.

Examples of personalisation in action

Here are a few examples of how ecommerce businesses are using personalisation to improve their results:

• Amazon is a master of personalisation. They use customer data to recommend products, personalise search results, and even create custom product bundles.

• Netflix personalises the content that each user sees based on their viewing history.

• Spotify creates personalised playlists for each user based on their listening habits.

By personalising your ecommerce store, you can create a more engaging and rewarding shopping experience for your customers. This will lead to increased sales, improved customer loyalty, and a more successful business.

Remember: it's important to strike a balance between personalisation and privacy.

Customers don't want to feel like they're being spied on. Use customer data in a way that is respectful and transparent—and watch those conversions roll in.