Do you have repeat customers, people who come back and use your site more than once? These are probably people you want to have, right? So how can you keep these people once you've got them (you have to get them first, right? but that has more to do with good service in general, something we've already talked about)? The answer is site personalization.
So what is site personalization?
Basically it is the gathering and management of information about your customer, so that every time that customer comes onto your site you can deliver them the information they need when they need it. And it is essential for nurturing long-term customer relationships in e-business as well as succeeding in marketing and advertising. In the past personalization sought to keep visitors on sites longer, then it focused more on increasing the amount of money they spent, now the focus is mainly on making the customer experience more pleasant and convenient, thus encouraging them to return more often.
The benchmark for personalization is set by Amazon.com, who truly have done a marvelous job in optimizing your online shopping experience. If you use their site, you know what I mean. They have all of your information logged so you don't need to enter it all again and again; they keep track of all your purchases and using that information make suggestions of products you might be interested in. If at any time you need some record of what you have ordered it can easily be found.
So how is information collected in the personalization process?
There are three main techniques employed: Explicit, Implicit, and Legacy data.
Explicit involves the customer filling out questionaires and telling the site exactly what he/she wants, and can be very effective.
Implicit involves tracking the customer's actions on the site by use of cookies which are updated on each visit. In the case of Amazon, purchases are tracked and suggestions are made based on the information.
Legacy data involves accessing said data, which is slightly more involved, and can provide bountiful information on buying patterns.
On another note, I've been on sites which ask you your name upon arrival and then personalize the subsequent experience by using the name, though to be honest this seems a little superficial in comparison to the other techniques and more a novelty than serious solution.
Whatever you may decide, it is highly advisable to take personalization into account if you are looking to foster long-term relationships with customers. This information here is intended to be just a little push in the right direction. If you would like to speak to someone about its implementation we would be happy to field any queries.
