In short, personalization is well on its way to becoming the new norm in virtually every area of business\u2014but why is it so important to customers?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
What is hyper-personalization?<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPersonalization in and of itself is nothing new. In fact, it could be considered a staple of the sales industry, where skilled sales representatives strive to establish rapport, create a unique relationship, and personalize the benefits of a product or service in order to make the sale. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
In other words, personalization is simply a part of building instant and lasting relationships with customers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
What is new, however, is the ability to hyper-personalize customer experiences<\/a> at the level of the individual, an activity that would have been prohibitively expensive before the digital age.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHere are a few examples to illustrate what hyper-personalization looks like:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
- eCommerce recommendation engines<\/strong> are software programs designed to recommend specific products based on one\u2019s browsing history. Amazon\u2019s recommendations are perhaps the most well-known example, though these engines appear in countless other services, from eCommerce sites to news pages to streaming services like Netflix.<\/li>
- Social media feeds<\/strong>, such as Facebook or Twitter feeds, are another example of personalization in action. Just as recommendation engines attempt to offer maximum customer value by recommending content, social media feeds aim to maximize engagement<\/a> by personally tailoring the content in one\u2019s social media feed. And this can be used to great effect\u2014Tik Tok<\/a>, for instance, used an AI algorithm to exponentially grow its user base and surpass competitors such as Facebook. <\/li>
- Customer service chatbots<\/strong> can tap into customer data to personalize the customer experience, enabling customers to solve their problems more quickly, without the need for human intervention. Amazon\u2019s chatbot<\/a> is one example of this. The software not only accesses a shopper\u2019s recent activities, but it can also automate common actions, such as canceling an order or requesting a refund.<\/li><\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Hyper-personalization, it should be noted, has not only made its way into the business-to-consumer world but also into the business-to-business world and even into the workplace. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
For instance, digital adoption platforms (DAPs)<\/a> can be used to analyze users\u2019 interactions with software, personalize training and onboarding processes, offer customized in-app guidance, and more.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nShould your organization hyper-personalize customer experiences?<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe importance of personalization should not be underestimated. As in the example of TikTok mentioned above, personalization can be a massive competitive differentiator. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Although not every company can invest in cutting-edge deep learning algorithms the way TikTok did, personalization is still advantageous, if not essential. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
For instance:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
- 80% of customers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer personalized experiences, according to Epsilon<\/a><\/li>
- 90% of consumers are willing to share behavioral data for a cheaper and easier brand experience, according to Smart<\/a>e<\/a>rHQ<\/a><\/li>
- 63% of consumers expect personalization as a standard of service and believe they are recognized as an individual when sent special offers, according to a survey from RedPoint Global<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Despite the desire for more personalized experiences, many people still want brands to respect their privacy. According to O<\/a>r<\/a>acle<\/a>, 87% of consumers in North America would request that brands remove their personal information if given the option.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nForrester dove even further into customer preferences, finding that consumers were more willing to share certain types of data, such as hobbies and interests, than others, such as who one\u2019s friends are on social networks. Their research also found that around 17% weren\u2019t willing to share their personal data at all.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
While the exact numbers may have changed since the above studies were performed, it does demonstrate a critical point: people care about privacy. It is also a legal matter for many countries, as in the case of GDPR<\/a>, which gives EU citizens the right to manage personal data collected by an organization.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBoth for legal reasons and to respect customers\u2019 privacy, it is important to find ways to both personalize the customer experience and offer privacy protections. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Here are a few examples to illustrate what hyper-personalization looks like:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
- eCommerce recommendation engines<\/strong> are software programs designed to recommend specific products based on one\u2019s browsing history. Amazon\u2019s recommendations are perhaps the most well-known example, though these engines appear in countless other services, from eCommerce sites to news pages to streaming services like Netflix.<\/li>
- Social media feeds<\/strong>, such as Facebook or Twitter feeds, are another example of personalization in action. Just as recommendation engines attempt to offer maximum customer value by recommending content, social media feeds aim to maximize engagement<\/a> by personally tailoring the content in one\u2019s social media feed. And this can be used to great effect\u2014Tik Tok<\/a>, for instance, used an AI algorithm to exponentially grow its user base and surpass competitors such as Facebook. <\/li>
- Customer service chatbots<\/strong> can tap into customer data to personalize the customer experience, enabling customers to solve their problems more quickly, without the need for human intervention. Amazon\u2019s chatbot<\/a> is one example of this. The software not only accesses a shopper\u2019s recent activities, but it can also automate common actions, such as canceling an order or requesting a refund.<\/li><\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Hyper-personalization, it should be noted, has not only made its way into the business-to-consumer world but also into the business-to-business world and even into the workplace. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
For instance, digital adoption platforms (DAPs)<\/a> can be used to analyze users\u2019 interactions with software, personalize training and onboarding processes, offer customized in-app guidance, and more.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Should your organization hyper-personalize customer experiences?<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The importance of personalization should not be underestimated. As in the example of TikTok mentioned above, personalization can be a massive competitive differentiator. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Although not every company can invest in cutting-edge deep learning algorithms the way TikTok did, personalization is still advantageous, if not essential. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
For instance:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
- 80% of customers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer personalized experiences, according to Epsilon<\/a><\/li>
- 90% of consumers are willing to share behavioral data for a cheaper and easier brand experience, according to Smart<\/a>e<\/a>rHQ<\/a><\/li>
- 63% of consumers expect personalization as a standard of service and believe they are recognized as an individual when sent special offers, according to a survey from RedPoint Global<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Despite the desire for more personalized experiences, many people still want brands to respect their privacy. According to O<\/a>r<\/a>acle<\/a>, 87% of consumers in North America would request that brands remove their personal information if given the option.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Forrester dove even further into customer preferences, finding that consumers were more willing to share certain types of data, such as hobbies and interests, than others, such as who one\u2019s friends are on social networks. Their research also found that around 17% weren\u2019t willing to share their personal data at all.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
While the exact numbers may have changed since the above studies were performed, it does demonstrate a critical point: people care about privacy. It is also a legal matter for many countries, as in the case of GDPR<\/a>, which gives EU citizens the right to manage personal data collected by an organization.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Both for legal reasons and to respect customers\u2019 privacy, it is important to find ways to both personalize the customer experience and offer privacy protections. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
- 90% of consumers are willing to share behavioral data for a cheaper and easier brand experience, according to Smart<\/a>e<\/a>rHQ<\/a><\/li>
- Social media feeds<\/strong>, such as Facebook or Twitter feeds, are another example of personalization in action. Just as recommendation engines attempt to offer maximum customer value by recommending content, social media feeds aim to maximize engagement<\/a> by personally tailoring the content in one\u2019s social media feed. And this can be used to great effect\u2014Tik Tok<\/a>, for instance, used an AI algorithm to exponentially grow its user base and surpass competitors such as Facebook. <\/li>
![](\"https:\/\/www.walkme.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/Support-A-min_643bf208.png\"\/)
<\/a>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What makes a personal touch so impactful for customers? In recent years, personalization and it\u2019s leveled-up successor, hyper-personalization, have become