Although the two terms are often used interchangeably, visual product customization and product personalization are actually two different things. They both have to do with the same concept, as to how a specific item or product is adapted prior to sale. Where they differ though is how these changes are made, by who and under what provisions.
To put it simply, visual product customization is when a customer manually identifies the unique characteristics of the product they’d like to buy.
Alternatively, product personalization entails a system of creating or modifying a product through the use of existing customer data. The main difference here is that customization is done by the customer, whereas personalization is done by a machine or a team of people.
A good way to think about it is that customization is about the customer getting the option to choose what they want, while personalization is about giving the customer what they need.
The Importance Of Visual Product Personalization
Given the choice, most customers would prefer to buy a product that has been tailored specifically for them.
This is where product personalization comes in, as it allows businesses to do just that. It’s what allows companies to create a unique experience for their customers, and one that they’re not likely to get from their competitors.
According to data from Accenture, 91% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase from businesses who remember their preferences and provide relevant offers. A further 83% of customers are similarly willing to share personal data related to this in exchange for more personalized service.
Put simply, personalization is a way of getting customers to feel special. It makes them feel like they’re important, and that the business cares about them enough to go the extra mile.
If you’re looking to give your customers a unique buying experience, then customization may be the way to go. It can prove to be a great way to enhance your users’ experience and boost sales in doing so.
5 Ways To Sell More Through E-Commerce Visual Product Customization
1. Try Out Personalized Homepages
The homepage is essentially the face of your store. It holds a high importance in terms of its capacity to make good first impressions and draw visitors in for further exploration. In this way, it’s also an ideal thing to personalize when looking to make your users’ experience more unique. If you’re already collecting cookies on your e-commerce website, you have an invaluable tool at your disposal to put this concept into action. . Use those cookies to display a personalized homepage for returning customers. This could include items they’ve browsed or added to their carts in the past, as well as related products and offers. While a simple trick, this can be extremely productive in engaging customers and helping them find their way. It positions them to focus on the categories they’re most interested in, make their online shopping distraction free and can therefore result in higher conversions for you.
2. Provide Personalized Buying Guides
Providing on-site help to your website visitors through questionnaires as well as size and style guides can be effective ways to cater their shopping experience to them. This takes the form of a personal shopper, but without the need to leave your website or even speak to another human.
An e-commerce platform that’s fully prepared for product customization can easily set this up. It begins with you capturing customer data when they first visit your website.
Data from these assets can be leveraged to better understand visitors’ preferences and adapt their experience per their individual tastes and interests. It can be applied to create highly personalized product recommendations on the fly, and ultimately increase the chances of a purchase.
3. Personalize Content Based on Location
Whether through cookies or a simple pop-up asking them, lots of websites obtain and leverage their users’ location data. It allows businesses to better understand where their customers are coming from and how they’re able to serve them best.
This is extremely valuable information that can be employed in terms of personalizing user experience. Using geo-targeting, you can display relevant products, offers, prices and sizing options based on a given visitor’s location. You could also highlight products that are specific to the region, or even just slightly tweak the layout and content of pages to better suit regional preferences.
Customizing product pages based on location in this way is a simple yet powerful adjustment you can use to drastically change the degree of personalization visitors are able to get when on your site.
4. Generate Campaigns From Specific User And Demographic Behavior
If you’ve been collecting user data diligently, you’re likely already aware of the different types of customers who visit your website. You can use this to your advantage by targeting them with specific campaigns that are tailored to their interests.
This could be in the form of a sale, or even a giveaway. It’s important to make sure that the content of these campaigns is relevant to what each group of users is interested in, in order to increase the chances of them engaging.
Creating special campaigns for different user behavior groups can be a great way to show that you’re paying attention and care about their needs. It also helps to foster customer loyalty by showing them that you appreciate their business.
5. Leverage Customer Data In Email Marketing
Email marketing is a powerful way to reach out to your customers and engage them on a more personal level. It’s also one of the most commonly used methods of communication, so it makes sense to put in the extra effort to make it as individualized as possible.
You can do this by segmenting your email subscriber list based on different customer data points. This could be anything from what they’ve purchased in the past, to their location or even just their age group.
Once you have your segments set up, it becomes much easier to create targeted content that resonates with each group. Not only will this increase the chances of customers opening and reading your emails, but it will also help to increase sales as a result.
Personalizing the user experience is one of the best ways to show customers that you care about their business. By using the tips in this article, you’ll be able to create a more tailored shopping experience that is sure to please.
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