Personalization. A Trend That Makes a Consumer Feel Special.
Personalization is a trend in digital marketing that companies should look out for, and in my opinion, should be adopting. What more of a better way to reach consumers than targeting their individual needs? Personalization is the way to do it. It makes consumers feel heard, wanted, and considered. This will lead to satisfied consumers and an increase in brand loyalty.
It is in our Nature.
As humans, we have needed to feel special. Psychological needs are part of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which include those of belongingness and esteem. Part of these needs includes the desire to feel respected, affiliation, acceptance, and esteem for oneself. It is a human drive to have those needs fulfilled. It is important to consider Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in Marketing because it sheds light on ways to communicate with consumers and make them feel special. Personalization is a tool that can incorporate this psychology to be applied to Marketing.
What is Personalization as a Trend?
Personalizing content, products, emails, experiences, and, more, to individual consumers. For example, addressing consumers with their first name, or creating content or products to recommend to them based on their interests. Product personalization can be easier adopted in some industries more than others, for example, the food and beverage industry can change its products easily to target consumer taste. Yet, personalization can be incorporated in every business as a trend in one way or another.
Statistics show that 90% of consumers find personalization appealing, and this result is demonstrated in ways consumers respond to the brands that do it. For example, open rates for emails are 42% higher when they are targeted to customers than when they are generic, and some consumers are likely to pay more for exclusive products. While personalization is effective, the Harvard Business Review explains that it must be done in the right way so that boundaries are not over-stepped and consumers do not feel like brands are “surveilling” them to gather their information.
Companies That Do it Well.
These are a few examples of companies that have successfully used personalization. EasyJet looked at customer’s past travel experiences to create targeted campaigns about travel destinations and promotions accordingly. Starbucks allows for product personalization by enabling customers to personalize their drinks. Snapchat created a “Bitmoji” that allows users to make cartoon-like emojis of themselves. Building clientele in many luxury brands is heavily based on personalization, in several forms, as sales-associates develop personal relationships with clients, tailoring products, experiences, and communication accordingly.
Find Your Way.
Personalization techniques are available for any company in every industry to use to communicate with clients. Personalization will enable brands to build strong brand loyalty, as it is a way for Marketing to incorporate psychology in its tactics to target consumer needs.
