With the rise of at-home working and increased online engagement, ecommerce sales have seen a significant growth of 27.6% year over year, totaling $4.3 trillion in 2020. This surge presents both opportunities and challenges for ecommerce businesses, highlighting the importance of standing out in a crowded market.
To enhance customer experience, build connections, and drive sales and retention, personalizing the buyer’s journey is crucial. Just like traditional brick-and-mortar businesses personalize interactions with their patrons, ecommerce businesses can leverage technology to offer a similar level of personalization.
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore five effective ways to transform your buyers’ journey into a memorable experience:
1. Create personalized homepages
2. Display recently viewed items
3. Cater to location
4. Develop campaigns based on user behavior
5. Personalize your emails
6. Make product recommendations
But before diving into these strategies, let’s first understand the basics of ecommerce personalization.
### What is ecommerce personalization?
Ecommerce personalization is the practice of tailoring the shopping experience for individual customers based on their behaviors and provided information. By delivering personalized content, businesses can enhance customer engagement, satisfaction, and drive desired outcomes. Studies have shown that personalization programs can lead to 20% higher customer satisfaction rates and a 10-15% increase in sales conversion rates.
To effectively implement ecommerce personalization, businesses need to collect and analyze user data, segment customers, and deliver personalized experiences through marketing software or AI technology like robotic process automation (RPA).
### How to personalize your customers’ ecommerce journey
Now that we have a foundation of ecommerce personalization, let’s explore the different ways you can create a customized customer journey:
#### 1. Create personalized homepages
Tailor welcome pages for logged-in users with offers and products based on their preferences and past purchases. This can help guide customers through the sales funnel and encourage engagement.
#### 2. Display recently viewed items
Show customers items they have previously viewed to remind them of their interests and potentially drive conversions. Consider offering time-sensitive promotions on these items.
#### 3. Cater your offerings to location
Personalize the shopping experience based on the customer’s location, including displaying items in local currency and language. Regional customization can enhance the effectiveness of your campaigns.
#### 4. Develop special campaigns based on user behavior
Utilize behavioral data to create targeted campaigns for different customer segments. Offer incentives to new customers and encourage existing customers to leave reviews or make repeat purchases.
#### 5. Personalize your emails
Send personalized marketing emails based on customer behavior to increase engagement and click-through rates. Incorporate personalization in email subject lines to capture subscribers’ attention.
#### 6. Make product recommendations
Utilize personalized product recommendations to guide customers through your online store and increase sales. Recommendations can be based on abandoned carts, past purchases, or browsing history.
### Start personalizing your customers’ ecommerce buyer journey today
Personalization plays a crucial role in enhancing customer satisfaction and driving business growth in the ecommerce industry. By implementing personalized strategies, businesses can replicate the in-store experience online and foster stronger connections with customers.
Discuss with your team the best ways to personalize your ecommerce site and offerings. Utilize video conferencing software or VoIP solutions to facilitate communication and collaboration, even when working remotely. By engaging with customers through personalized experiences, businesses can achieve higher satisfaction and improved returns.
About the author:
Sunny Dhami is the Senior Director, EMEA Product Marketing & GTM for RingCentral, with extensive experience in marketing across SaaS, telecommunications, and technology sectors.