The First Rule of Personalization: How to Not Annoy the Customer
Everyone is more than a mere sum of their product purchases
Personalization is more than an advertising industry buzzword—it is one of the most common goals of modern marketers.
But the term’s meaning isn’t quite so clear. To many, it is even elusive.
So, what does “personalization” mean? Is it about:
- Addressing your customers by their first name?
- Collecting explicitly expressed preferences and treating them accordingly?
- Customizing emails and landing pages based on customer profiles and behaviors?
- Knowing when to contact and through which channel?
- Keeping in touch with your customers constantly?
- Suggesting more of the same products that they just purchased via collaborative filtering?
None of these are wrong answers. Of course you have to address your customers by their names and remember their preferences. It would be a disservice to collect data and not use it.
