Ironically, the more the world races away from personal interaction to one where almost every important moment is infused with a technology touchpoint, it is the time-tested concept of personalisation – taken to another level through data and technology – that will continue play a key role in determining an online retailer’s success, and more importantly, customer loyalty.

Those with memories that span to a time predating the Internet and technology as we know it today will remember the effort that salespeople would go to, in person, to develop this feeling of personalisation. Greeting the customer by name, calling every so often to follow up on their purchases and offer assistance, and sending handwritten “thank you” notes accompanying deliveries. This concept has evolved to personalisation for convenience, tailored to what customers personally like, and things uniquely relevant to them.

While it may seem as though consumers would find it annoying, research shows the exact opposite. Just over a year ago, McKinsey found that 71% of consumers expect personalisation, while 76% get frustrated when they don’t receive it. Seven out of 10 of your customers expect you to know what they like and offer things relevant to them. Almost eight in 10 get frustrated if you don’t.

Last year, Accenture found that “nearly two-thirds (64%) of people wish that companies would respond faster with new offerings to meet their changing needs. For example, a consumer wants to feel like they are making their own decision on which product to buy but is also comfortable going with what’s recommended to them.”

One could rattle off report after report all telling the same story: to remain competitive, and compete for the loyalty of consumers who have more options than ever before and the power to accept or reject a brand with the swipe of their thumb, e-commerce personalisation is non-negotiable. It’s for this reason it will continue to remain one of the most important online retail trends for 2023.

Personalisation can significantly reduce costs and increase revenue precisely because of satisfied customers, which brings to the fore another term bandied about but which is crucial to an online retailer — customer experience, or CX. CX, beyond the importance of the omnichannel and responding to a consumer’s needs where and when they demand it, must include intelligent personalisation. Accenture also found that 91% of customers it surveyed, which is almost everyone, would be more likely to shop with brands who recognise, remember and provide them with relevant offers and recommendations.

Start with the data

How, then, does one go about building an effective personalisation strategy?

It starts with the data. Data, when used and leveraged correctly, can make customers feel acknowledged and give them relevant recommendations, which will bring them back to the site, and possibly add more to their baskets. The opposite of a good CX is irritating a customer with irrelevant or nonsensical recommendations. The point of the entire exercise is to reduce a customer’s effort and, for this to occur, a business must segment its data. Broadly speaking, segmentation involves dividing up data that an organisation holds and grouping it in similar segments based on defined parameters. This enables businesses to use it more effectively for personalisation, marketing, operations, decision making and more.

That said, true personalisation is not possible without an investment in omnichannel communication because of how it drastically improves CX. Imagine offering a customer something they’re interested in, but they can’t reach you, or they end up ending a call because of being frustrated with contact centre agents who can’t resolve a query or problem.

Telviva’s highly experienced professional services team will help you evaluate the best fit for your needs

Essentially, an omnichannel platform allows a customer to seamlessly switch between channels such as chat, either via social channels or on mobile sites, and voice, where contact centre agents equipped with real-time context can add to the overall personalisation experience by greeting them by name and resolving their query quickly. At every touchpoint they get what they need, and this complements the automated recommendations.

Unified communication and collaboration platforms that drive synchronised communication, and allow for add-ons such as natural language programming apps that can detect voice sentiment in real time, advanced analytics, team collaboration, and much more, quite literally bump personalisation strategies — online, offline and mobile — up a number of notches, and well into the digital age.

Whether your business requires a basic solution or a full-function omnichannel operation, Telviva’s highly experienced professional services team will help you evaluate the best fit for your needs. Contact us today.