7 E-commerce Personalization Trends You Need to Watch for in 2024

In the last decade, e-commerce has taken the retail world by storm.

It's no secret that personalization is key to the success of this e-commerce storm.

In the past, businesses could rely on face-to-face interactions and repeat customers to generate sales. But in the age of online shopping, businesses need to find new ways to stand out from the competition and connect with their customers on a personal level.

By delivering relevant, targeted content and experiences to customers, businesses can increase conversion rates, order values, and customer loyalty.

And as e-commerce continues to grow in popularity, personalization is only going to become more important.

It's no wonder, then, that businesses are continuously looking for new and innovative ways to personalize the shopping experience for their customers.

In this post, we'll look at seven e-commerce personalization trends that are likely to take off in 2024 and beyond.

What Is E-commerce Personalization?

E-commerce personalization is the process of tailoring the shopping experience to individual customers. This can be done in a number of ways, such as displaying personalized product recommendations or targeted messages based on customer behavior, browsing history, and previous purchases.

By understanding what customers want and need, businesses can create a more seamless customer journey and a relevant digital customer experience that leads to higher conversion rates, average order value, and increased customer loyalty.

E-commerce personalization can be used to achieve a variety of objectives, such as increasing brand awareness, better customer experience, or improving customer satisfaction.

When done correctly, e-commerce personalization can provide a significant boost to a business’s bottom line.

Is Personalization a Trend in E-commerce?

Yes, personalization is one of the main trends in e-commerce right now because as e-commerce has become more and more commonplace, businesses have been looking for ways to stand out from the competition.

Many e-commerce platforms and online retailers are now offering personalization features that allow customers to tailor their shopping experiences to their individual needs and preferences.

By offering more personalized experiences, businesses can build loyalty and trust with their customers, which is essential for any company looking to succeed in the ever-changing environment.

7 Personalization Trends in E-commerce

1. Headless Personalization

Headless personalization is a hot trend in e-commerce.

Here's why: with headless personalization, you can decouple your front-end (presentation layer) and back-end (content and data) systems, allowing you to create a more personalized customer experience. This is because you can use customer data from your back-end system to personalize the user experience on your front-end system.

This separation allows businesses to personalize the content for each individual user without having to change the overall design of the website. This flexibility gives businesses a significant advantage when it comes to tailoring the user experience to meet the needs of specific customers.

For example, you can use data from your CRM, CDP, data warehouse, or another data platform to show relevant products, exclusive discounts, relevant content, and personalized messaging to users on your website.

This trend is being driven by the rise of headless commerce platforms, which are platform-agnostic and allow for more flexibility in how you personalize the user experience.

Headless personalization is an emerging trend that is definitely worth paying attention to in 2024.

2. Omnichannel E-commerce Personalization

Omnichannel e-commerce personalization is a term you’re going to hear more and more in the coming year.

And there’s a good reason for it.

Consumers have come to expect a personalized shopping experience, and retailers who can provide it are poised to reap the benefits. According to a recent study by Google, an average person switches between an average of three devices to complete a task. And they use over 10 channels to communicate with businesses.

Although consumers are using about 3 devices and multiple channels, only a handful of brands are ready to deliver an optimized, personalized omnichannel customer experience. Another recent research found that less than 1 in 4 businesses say they are investing successfully in omnichannel personalization efforts.

But, what is omnichannel e-commerce personalization?

Put simply, omnichannel e-commerce personalization is the ability to deliver personalized experiences across all channels – online, in-store, mobile, etc. This might include things like tailored product recommendations, personalized offers, tailored emails, and targeted ads. The goal is to create a seamless, cohesive experience for the customer that feels “personal” no matter how or where they interact with your brand.

Although omnichannel e-commerce personalization is still in its early stages, there are already a few leading retailers who are doing it well. That’s why, it’s not only a trend for 2024, but it's something that businesses need to start paying attention to now if they want to stay ahead of the competition.

3. Privacy-First Personalization

In recent years, online shoppers have become increasingly concerned about data collection methods and the ways in which their personal data is used by e-commerce companies. As a result, privacy-first e-commerce personalization has emerged as a key trend.

This approach relies on zero-party and first-party customer data, which is collected directly from users rather than being purchased from third-party data brokers.

As a result, it is much more privacy-friendly, and it also tends to be more accurate since it is based on users directly.

Moreover, rather than collecting and using data indiscriminately, privacy-first companies are focused on collecting only the data that is absolutely necessary to provide a personalized experience. This approach not only protects shoppers’ privacy, but also builds trust and loyalty.

In an era when data breaches are commonplace, shoppers are increasingly looking for brands they can trust with their personal information.

As a result, privacy-first e-commerce personalization is likely to become the norm in the coming years. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, make sure your e-commerce company is focused on protecting shoppers’ privacy.

4. Anonymous Visitor Personalization

98%.

Almost 98 percent of internet visitors stay anonymous and do not provide any contact information to the website they visit - whether they're existing customers, returning customers, or new customers.

This directs us to the importance of anonymous visitor personalization.

But first, what is anonymous visitor personalization?

By definition, anonymous visitor personalization is the process of tailoring the online shopping experience to the unique preferences of each individual customer without requiring them to create an account or log in.

In particular, anonymous visitor personalization will allow retailers to offer highly personalized experiences to especially first-time visitors. By leveraging their behavior on the site and understanding their preferences, retailers will be able to provide these customers with relevant recommendations and personalized discounts, which will greatly increase the likelihood of them making a purchase.

So if you're not already using personalization for anonymous visitors to enhance the customer experience on your e-commerce site, now is the time to start investing in it. By doing so, you'll be ahead of the curve and well-positioned to take advantage of this growing trend.

5. Product Recommendations and AI-Driven Personalization Strategy

Another biggest and one of the most exciting personalization trends you need to watch for in 2024 is the use of product recommendations and AI-driven personalization strategies in e-commerce.

The rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning is giving retailers even more ways to personalize the customer journey and shopper experience.

By leveraging the power of customer data, past purchase behavior, and artificial intelligence, e-commerce businesses will be able to provide their customers with highly personalized product recommendations that are tailored to their individual preferences and needs.

This type of personalization can be particularly effective in driving conversions and leading to higher average order values, as it allows retailers to show shoppers products that they are likely to be interested in and reduces the risk of them being overwhelmed by too many options. This approach also builds brand loyalty and creates long-term customers.

As AI-driven predictive personalization strategies become more sophisticated, they are sure to have a major impact on e-commerce in the years ahead - especially for personalized recommendations.

6. Price Personalization

As e-commerce marketers, it's important to stay up-to-date on advanced personalization trends. After all, personalization can be a great way to boost customer engagement and conversions. And one of the most important trends in the following period is price personalization.

What is price personalization?

Price personalization is basically when businesses personalize prices for individual customers based on their purchase history, browsing behavior, and other data points. This allows businesses to offer more personalized deals and discounts, which can be a major incentive for customers to make a purchase.

Of course, price personalization is not without its challenges. It can be difficult to set up and manage, and there's always the risk of upsetting customers if they feel like they're being charged more than others. But if you can overcome these challenges, price personalization can be a powerful tool for driving sales and boosting customer loyalty.

7. Image Personalization (Personalization with Image Recognition)

As e-commerce continues to grow, businesses are looking for new ways to personalize the shopping experience and stand out from the competition.

One trend that is gaining popularity is image personalization - aka personalization with image recognition.

Image recognition technology allows companies to recognize specific colors and visual patterns within product images.

Image personalization involves using images and other visual elements to create a unique and personalized experience for each shopper. This technology could help drive richer, more personalized customer experiences by presenting shoppers with personal recommendations on what they might like based on their tastes and preferences.

For example,

• some retailers are now using customer photos to create personalized product pages

• others are using images to recommend similar or related products

• and still, others are using visual search tools that allow shoppers to find products based on an image they upload

No matter how it's used, there's increasing popularity for image personalization, and it will become more adopted in the near future.

The Bottom Line: Why Personalization Is the Future for E-commerce?

In a world where consumers are bombarded with marketing messages, it's becoming increasingly difficult for businesses to cut through the noise and reach their target audience. This is especially true in the e-commerce space, where there is an endless supply of options for every product and service imaginable.

As a result, businesses must find new ways to stand out from the competition and connect with potential customers on a personal level.

One way to do this is through personalization.

There are numerous advantages to personalization, but perhaps the most important is that it allows businesses to connect with their customers on a deeper level.

By tailoring their products, services, and marketing messages to the specific needs and interests of their target audience and creating omnichannel experiences, businesses can create a more intimate connection with their customers.

When customers feel like they are being treated as individuals, they are more likely to form a positive emotional connection with the brand. This connection is essential for long-term customer loyalty and can ultimately lead to increased sales.

In a world where everyone is fighting for attention, personalization is the key to success.

We believe that personalization is destined to become the norm in the e-commerce industry. Those who embrace it will be well-positioned to succeed in the years ahead.