What is the definition of personalization?
Why we should expand the definition of personalization Personalization started with a first name, then past purchases, then the right message at the right time. Itās still not personal enough. Hereās how weād extend it.
The status quo isnāt working any longer
At a recent retail tech show, a retail operations leader told me: āWe really only reach out to people when thereās a sale or something new, and there is so much more we can do.ā The status quo ā expected, commoditized customer experiences ā still misses so much. So hereās 3 ways weād extend it.
Type of recommendations we share
Move beyond ājust productsā to value-add experience content, like care guides, education and stories. It also opens up far more moments to engage across the customer journey loop.
Where recommendations come from
Go deeper than local promos and events. Share the local community and experiences that come from your local experts, like where the locals actually go.
Who recommendations come from
1:1 personalization means a real person on the customer side, but too often ācorporateā on the brand side. Bring back the real person: your frontline team, scaled with the help of AI.
Read the full article
The full piece on why we should expand the definition of personalization, and Part 1 of our Human-Led Personalization Maturity Model series.
Brands should expand personalization beyond product-only, brand-only messages by changing three things:
š The type of recommendations they share;
š Where those recommendations come from,; and
šš»āāļø Who they come from
That means value-add experience content (not just products), deeper local context, and real frontline team members, scaled with AI, instead of ācorporate.ā
Learn more by clicking into each pick:
Why the status quo falls short
Type of recommendations (beyond ājust productsā)
Where recommendations come from (local context)
Who recommendations come from (a real person on the brand side)
The full article
Part 1 (Collect) of SIXās 6-part series on the Human-Led Personalization Maturity Model.
How should brands expand their definition of personalization?
By changing three things: the type of recommendations they share (value-add experience content, not just products), where recommendations come from (deeper local context), and who they come from (real frontline team members, scaled with AI, instead of ācorporateā).
What is personalization in retail?
Personalization in retail is tailoring a customerās experience to them as an individual, from the products and content they see to the messages they receive and who they hear from. Most brands stop at first names, past purchases and well-timed emails.
What does personalization mean in marketing?
In marketing, personalization means using what you know about a customer to make each interaction relevant to them. A modern definition goes further: relevant content beyond products, local context, and real people on the brand side.
Why isnāt traditional personalization working anymore?
Most personalization is product-only and comes from āthe brand,ā so brands only reach out when thereās a sale or a new product. With website traffic down, AI search changing how people find brands, and ads getting more expensive, that approach no longer cuts through.
How can brands personalize beyond product recommendations?
Share value-add experience content alongside products, like care guides, education, styling ideas and stories. This also creates more moments to engage, such as a helpful thank-you after a purchase or a useful follow-up when someone browses but doesnāt buy.
What is local personalization?
Local personalization goes beyond local promos and events to share whatās genuinely relevant in a customerās area: the community, experiences and spots your local experts know. For example, a store in Whistler sharing where to try new gear and where the locals actually go.
What is human-led personalization?
Human-led personalization puts a real person on the brand side of 1:1 personalization: frontline team members who share their own recommendations, scaled across the business with the help of AI and a human-in-the-loop process.
Can AI help scale personalized recommendations from real employees?
Yes. AI can help scale the expertise of frontline teams, with a human-in-the-loop process, so personal recommendations that used to be reserved for high-end luxury brands become possible for a much broader range of retail, hospitality and service brands.
What are the benefits of expanding personalization?
Higher conversions, higher average order value, and most importantly, customers who feel the experience is genuinely personal, leading to stronger brand loyalty and lifetime value.