E-commerce Personalisation: 4 Examples to Learn From
A personalized e-commerce experience on your website can do wonders for boosting your sales. In fact, statistics show that there is a significant demand and a big payoff when customizing your website for your visitors. This is often referred to as having a dynamic page on your website. Dynamic pages change depending on the visitor’s demographic profile and are personalized or customized for every customer.
To put this into perspective, Marketing Charts reports that 53% of customers believe there is more value in a retailer that personalizes the shopping experience. Additionally, 59% of marketers have reported a good return on investment by personalizing their e-commerce store. Poor personalization has cost businesses $756 billion in lost revenue in the last year, according to the 13th annual Accenture Strategy Global Consumer Pulse report.
E-commerce personalization comes in the form of product recommendations, exclusive content that’s targeted to your visitors based on prior actions, personal data, or their demographic profile. By offering individualized offers, you can make each visitor feel special and unique. Here are four examples to learn from with regards to e-commerce personalization.
Amazon.com
Amazon is undoubtedly the most famous online retailer. They are also known for personalizing the shopping experience, having pioneered the technology. On an Amazon product page, you will notice several personalized elements. This includes related products, products other shoppers have added to the cart when purchasing this item, and much more.
All of this is customized based on your account details and shopping history. For instance, when you navigate the website, you see categories for shopping based on some of your previous search and order history.
Here are some of the ways Amazon uses personalization:
- On the “Account & Lists” section, there’s a personal “Hello” link.
- There’s a wish list customized to your needs.
- Amazon knows your exact geographical location and can refer you to their local site.
- There’s a list of items displayed based on products you checked out with during your last visit.
- There are personal recommendations based on the items you have viewed or purchased in the past.
Approximately 35% of all Amazon sales are attributed to this recommendation engine that is highly personalized. E-commerce websites have caught onto this trend and have begun cross-selling and upselling their customers by using these personalization tactics. Categories such as “similar products”, “frequently bought together”, and “you might also like this”, are common strategies that these retailers are using. This is a great way to increase conversion rates and it offers shoppers far more variety.
ASOS
ASOS has managed to change their homepage and website navigation based on the interests of their visitors. If you were to type a website address into the ASOS homepage, you would be directed to the men’s or women’s section based off your views in the past. Their website also features geographic location targeting, which allows them to segment visitors and show unique offers based on location.
ASOS keeps their customers informed about shipping availability in real time. This is great for users to see if shipping is possible to their location and what the associated costs would be. Their website also uses behavioral content deals that track a user’s previous actions. Things such as browsing history, purchase history, and other personal details are used to provide recommendations based off their prior action.
Luisa Via Roma
Luisa Via Roma is a luxury fashion retailer that sells hundreds of well-known brands including Balmain, Gucci, and Dolce & Gabbana. Their platform specializes in e-commerce personalization by using a dynamic yield feature. This allows them to provide personalization capabilities and it has provided a significant jump in their conversion rate.
After implementing personalization, Luisa Via Roma saw a 15% increase in average revenue per user. One of the ways they accomplish this is by providing a customized website depending on the country of the user. This unique personalized site highlights products based on customer behaviors in the specific parts of the world. Customers also see personalized search results that are automatically sorted and filtered by price depending on the customer’s unique spending history.
StylePilot
Sometimes personalization comes down to simply asking your visitors what they want and expect out of an e-commerce website. StylePilot has done a great job with this. As a London-based men’s fashion platform, they strive to inspire, inform, and advise. In fact, they have a unique DNA tool that’s capable of understanding their customers’ personalities, dimensions and budget.
This takes the hard work out of online shopping away from the equation. Rather than having to search the web to satisfy their preferences, StylePilot’s customers can input them directly, and the DNA tool is able to display the best deals based on their answers. By using this method of personalization, you can stay in touch with your audience and send customized product recommendations directly to their email, as part of your overall marketing strategy.
By using a dynamic website and e-commerce personalization, you can offer a more engaging experience for your visitors. In addition to using the account information and email addresses of your customers to personalize their shopping experience, you can also take advantage of tracking their shopping history, and by simply asking them. You’d be surprised how willing customers are to fill out short surveys and questionnaires that gather some of this key information.
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BIO: Eric Gordon is an independent business development and marketing specialist for SMEs. He loves sharing his insights and experience to assist business owners in growing their revenues. You can find Eric on Twitter @ericdavidgordon