Why Personal(ity) Works
By Fatima D. Lora, Assistant Editor

If you’ve ever walked into a store and been greeted with a genuine smile, then you know what it’s like to really feel welcomed. This type of personal approach is critical in the retail industry ― and online retailers have started to use it to connect with e-Commerce shoppers.

Readers who follow Retail TouchPoints  know that consumers are demanding a personalized shopping experience from their favorite retailers, regardless of the channel. It’s not enough for retailers to add new technology in hopes of increasing sales. In fact, some technologies can act as a barrier to connecting with shoppers: when associates can retrieve more information about a product, such as whether it is in stock or its location within the store, but nothing about that customer’s personal preferences, something that relates to their personality.  The technology is too limiting for today’s demanding shoppers. More sophisticated approaches allow associates to pull up product data as well as the key customer shopping and preference information ― required to provide that welcoming, personal approach.

Retailers Use “Look And Feel”
Lauren Freedman, President of the e-tailing group, recently shared insights on how retailers can better connect with consumers to create a personalized shopping experience. In a Retail TouchPoints interview, Freedman said “a 360-degree view of the customer is essential to court today’s savvy cross-channel shoppers.” To do so, Freedman suggests retailers learn how to balance consumers’ desire for privacy with their interest in sharing shopping information and preferences with retailers they trust. At the same time, “merchants must prioritize ‘knowing their customers,’” she said, then “create a CRM vision within their organizations for delivering the most relevant and targeted shopping experiences.”  

Visualization has become a key element of that customized and relevant experience. Several retailers have noted success with customization tools that help build  personalized shopping through visualization on their e-Commerce sites. By offering product images, retailers can deliver a custom experience based on consumers’ preferences by allowing them to preview products prior to the check-out process.
For instance, Serena and Lily, a linen and homewares retailers, announced a boost in sales via the Make Your Bed solution; this approach leverages product images to create a unique style for the site, and allows shoppers to “see” their potential purchases before buying. Just ask Godiva, who recently improved order value by 15% with the use of product image testing.

It’s no surprise that online shopping is a useful medium for sales, more so than convenience.  I’m an in-store type of gal, but often look for the latest trends from my favorite retailers via their e-Commerce sites. I prefer when they have images tied to the items I’m considering ― just as if I’m in a physical store. Some of my favorite retailers don’t offer visualization, and I wonder why they’re not making a better effort to earn my online sale, and others’, by being more customized and shoppers through the buying process.

Retailers who understand consumers’ demand for a personalized shopping experience ― both in stores and online ― can build more meaningful relationships that impact the shopping experience. I think the lack of apathy shows and can greatly impact their e-Commerce businesses.