Personalization can work wonders, but we quickly get used to it
Perhaps the most important question one of the participants asked was: “What is the magic that ultimately keeps people coming back?”
Various answers were discussed. Striking exactly the right tone, like Blendle. Making surprisingly well-suited recommendations to customers, like Netflix and Spotify. Or always exceeding customer expectations a little bit. “The first time I received a package and saw photos of the delivery people in the email who would soon be on my doorstep, I thought: what a great idea! I actually really like knowing who to expect, but I had never thought that I wanted to see a photo of them in advance. How nice is it that someone thought that I needed that, before I knew it myself?”
This personal and high level of service is something that we as consumers quickly get used to. “I can still remember that we thought it was perfectly normal to have to wait thirteen weeks for a new telephone connection. Now try to do that, in a time when Bol.com delivers the same day,” said a panel member.
data
Personalization and generalization seem australia telegram data 3 million to be two extremes of a spectrum. However, there are also persistent stereotypes about the acceptance rate of personalized marketing. For example, Gen Z is said to be much less skeptical about giving up a bit of privacy in exchange for a more relevant and personalized approach by brands.
If data shows anything, it is that these kinds of generalizations do not really apply, argues one of the CMOs: “ Passion eats demographics for breakfast . Of course, there are certain generalities that you can point out: for example, people often buy a house at a certain stage in their lives. But what you often see is that the differences between people of a certain generation are much greater than those between generations.”
So if there is a general conclusion, it is that there are no generalities with personalization. Sometimes it goes well and then there is a lot to be gained for brands, but the risk of failure is also clearly present. A CMO concludes aptly: “In fact, it has always been the case that people like to be approached personally. If you go to the baker to get a loaf of bread, it is also nice that he knows who you are and what kind of bread you normally like to eat. But if he goes too far in the personal approach and therefore wants to know too much about you, or is clearly only interested in selling more, then you as a customer will drop out. That is no different online.”
