Using your Magento data to create personalized, one-to-one experiences

This post is part of our Magento Data series. Check out the first entry here.

Presented with myriad buying options and inundated with marketing messages, today’s customers are experts at tuning out. But those who are engaged with a particular brand are more likely to say their interactions with that brand feel relevant – like the business knows who they are and what they want (source).

In the new era of customer loyalty, these relevant, personalised experiences are key to keeping customers engaged and coming back. So, in today’s post, we’re looking at how your Magento data can fuel the personalised interactions customers crave.

Last week, we looked at how the wealth of data collected through your online store can help you better understand your customers. Demographic data, their average spend, purchase history and the items on their wishlist provide valuable insight into each customer’s persona, lifecycle stage, value and so on.

So how do you put this data to use? Let’s take a look at a few real-world examples…

Surprise and delight big spenders

An automated message triggered when a customer has spent a certain amount or made enough purchases makes them feel noticed and valued. It contributes to the feeling we mentioned above – that the brand knows who they are. For retailers, it’s a perfect opportunity to “surprise and delight” valuable customers, and start to build lasting loyalty.

It could be a simple as saying “We’ve seen you making lots of purchases – why not join our loyalty scheme to get even more benefits?” Or, if they’re a really big spender, you might send them a special VIP offer – think freebies (like shipping) rather than discounts – to be used on their next purchase.

Target offers based on their wishlist

A customer’s wishlist is a valuable but easily overlooked source of data, and is particularly useful for targeting product-specific offers.

Let’s say a fashion retailer is running a deal on a certain brand of jeans. They want to send a targeted offer to customers who are interested in this brand – particularly those who have a pair of the jeans in question already on their wishlist.

This offer could be:

• sent as a one-off e-shot or as a personalised section within a regular email newsletter
• displayed when a customer logs in to the loyalty portal
• triggered to their mobile (via SMS, in-app push, etc.) through location targeting when they’re in store

This is great way to make customers feel recognised while also encouraging further purchases. As they’ve stated an interest in the product by adding it to their wishlist, they’re more likely to be motivated to buy. An offer, like free shipping or extra rewards points, might push them to the checkout page.

Send personalised product recommendations

In a recent study, consumers cited tailored product recommendations as one of the most useful personalisation features on ecommerce sites. To create a more joined-up customer experience, try sharing these personalised recommendations across all your direct marketing channels.

Using past purchase data is one of the best – and simplest – ways to tailor product recommendations. For more advanced targeting, you could also add in wishlist data, as in the example above, and the customer’s stated interests. This is a great way to cross-sell or upsell related products and product lines based on the items they’ve already purchased – for example, “You’ve got the trousers, have you considered the matching coat?”.

Using technology to make personalisation sustainable and scalable

To carry out this sort of personalisation, you’ll need the right data, first and foremost. And to do it in real-time and at scale, you’ll need automation. The right platform will analyse the data from your Magento store, choose the most relevant content for each customer and deliver it over the right channels depending on context. Our Horizon platform is designed to do just that – learn more here.