Consumers want to get personal right from the start while shopping online, new research shows. More than 50% of consumers expect personalized merchandising starting with a personalized home page, according to recent research from the e-Tailing Group and MyBuys, a provider of personalized recommendations for multi-channel retailers. The survey also found that 77% of shoppers will make an additional purchase when presented with personalized recommendations, according to the report “Consumer Insights into Multi-Channel Interactions: Practical Tools for Profitable Selling.”
So what do online shoppers love about personalized merchandising? They find it a helpful, convenient time-saver that helps make better choices. And for those considering add-on items for their order, the presence of recommendations can be a deal breaker for some.
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While 50% of consumers expect to find personalized merchandising on the home page, merchant recommendations’ role on the product page grows in importance as over 60% expect merchants to recommend similar products in addition to related items
The e-tailing group surveyed over 1,000 consumers to find out how shoppers interact with personalized merchandising and where they expect to see personalized recommendations.
The report examines several questions on a historical basis to understand any shifts in the consumer’s mind and explores how consumers interact with new mediums such as display advertising and social media.
Some of the key consumer trends the research found include:
- Social media engagement suggests that e-commerce is posed for personalized merchandising offers where sharing is seen in previewed and purchased products;
- Offering recommendations for shoppers considering add-on items has proved to impact online revenue significantly;
- Personalized merchandising enriches shopping onsite and during the post-order experience when purchasing follows deployment;
- Shoppers are open to receiving personalized merchandising on information sites or via traditional post-order tactics beyond the retailer’s web site.
“For the third year in a row, this data demonstrates the power of personalized product recommendations, said Shaun Schooley, VP of Client Success at MyBuys, in a press release. “Shoppers not only expect retailers to know their preferences and suggest relevant items, but will buy more when personalized interactions occur. This latest edition takes the study a step further by determining the ‘where and when’ aspect of how personalized merchandising should be utilized to enhance the shopping experience and increase the lifetime value of every shopper.”
The importance of personalized merchandising opportunities is built on the confirmed belief and foundation that retailers have effectively delivered such recommendations to their customers, the report said. Today’s consumers have now given retailers the green-light to extend personalized merchandising as such experiences have proven beneficial for both buyers and businesses alike.
