{"id":111864,"date":"2019-05-27T13:08:53","date_gmt":"2019-05-27T13:08:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.wingify.com\/blog\/what-is-personalization-digital\/"},"modified":"2026-09-07T13:05:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T07:35:20","slug":"what-is-personalization-digital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingify.com\/blog\/what-is-personalization-digital\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Personalization in Digital Marketing?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Personalization is the process of keeping in mind the needs and preferences of your audience so that you market the right product and experience to the right person at the right time<\/a>. By doing this, you stand a better chance of making customers feel heard, having more meaningful interaction and nudging them to convert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some businesses, however, have been unruly and rightly punished for their ignorance or disinterest in their customers. Need proof? Here you go: In 2017, Accenture reported that due to poor personalization<\/a> and lack of trust, 41% of consumers switched companies, which cost U.S. organizations a staggering $756bn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suffice it to say that people demand personalization.<\/strong> Their appetite for personalized products is stronger today – so much so that they\u2019re willing to pay for products unique to them<\/strong>. They also don\u2019t mind sharing personal data<\/a> in exchange for receiving personalized recommendations and offers.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Stats
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How Personalization is Different from Customization<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s quite painful to see people use personalization and customization interchangeably<\/a>. Yes, it\u2019s true that both keep users at the center and want to engage them with exciting, contextually relevant experiences, but their ways are completely different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how are the two not the same?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personalization<\/strong>, as you know by now, is about creating a one-to-one marketing experience for customers. It begins with collecting ample, qualitative data about your audience<\/strong>. Amazon is a brilliant example of personalization done right, and so are Netflix and YouTube. Recommendations rain down depending on users’ on-site activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s Lanc\u00f4me\u2019s product recommendation engine telling me what else I should consider buying, based on the product I\u2019ve added to my cart:<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Powerful<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Customization<\/strong>, on the contrary, is about giving people the liberty to be able to custom-make a product or service<\/strong>, based on their particular taste. Put simply, it puts them in the center, having complete control over everything they\u2019d like to keep or lose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, Canva<\/a>, a free online graphs and chart maker, has plenty of customizable templates. Users can make changes in fonts, color, layout etc. and also add\/delete elements in an existing design or start from scratch.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Customization
Canva houses several customizable templates<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In e-commerce, the most commonly used customization technique is product customization.<\/strong> Shoppers feel empowered as they can design their own clothes and accessories, unique to their sense of style. It goes without saying, customizing their own product boosts their satisfaction levels, for the outcome is the fruit of their own labor!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nike uses customization to great effect, letting shoppers edit the shoe design and even sharing the customized design on their social networks<\/a>. Of course, flaunting on social media is an additional way to give shoppers\u2019 ego a boost, because someone out their may praise \u2019em! For Nike, it could translate to more people dropping by their website and buying their products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Example
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What is Web Personalization?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Website personalization is the practice of tailoring relevant and unique experiences to every website visitor<\/strong>. It dumps the one-size-fits-all approach and works to make customers feel special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extending this definition to our everyday life, there\u2019s a reason why we prefer going to caf\u00e9s where the staff knows us not only by our face, but our names and mood. There\u2019s nothing greater than that warm, mushy feeling of being recognized!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In marketing, though, personalization is more than just addressing customers by their names. Aware of this, according to The SoDA Report, 83% of marketers and C-level executives<\/a> plan to increase their personalization efforts for 2019, with 32% pointing to a \u2018significant budget increase\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sounds promising? Hang on, there\u2019s more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report further states that of the 67% of global leaders that rate their organizations as \u2018Masters’ or \u2018Experts\u2019 with robust and advanced levels of personalization capabilities, only 40% are utilizing even the most basic targeting personalization tactics.<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Bizarre, but true. Tom Beck<\/a>, Executive Director at SoDA, says that the reasons for the majority of organizations are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Constrained budgets, limitations with their technology platform, and challenges with their data as some of the biggest barriers hindering their progress. It\u2019s also worth noting that more than half of all organizations lack an adequate strategic roadmap and investment plan for their personalization capabilities.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

See yourself citing the same issues? Probably the next section will convince you to buckle up and stop finding excuses or reasons to not prioritize your customers’ wants and expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Create Personalized Digital Experiences?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Because personalization affects consumers\u2019 perceptions of your brand and also how they shop:<\/p>\n\n\n\n