Product personalization no longer belongs to a few niche industries.
According to Deloitte, at least 36 percent of shoppers are more interested in personalized products than generic ones.
And it’s not just interest. One in five consumers will pay up to a 20 percent premium for customized items, while 48 percent are willing to wait a bit longer to receive their unique product in the mail.
In short, the future is personal. Are you prepared for that?
Offering product customization and personalization is one of the most effective strategies you can employ to grow your reach, increase revenue, and position your brand above the competition.
Read on to discover the top five ecommerce product personalization trends for 2021.
Move over mass-produced, generic goods—product personalization is here to stay.
According to McKinsey, today’s personalization leaders drive up to 15 percent more revenue and 30 percent more market-spend efficiency.
Here are the five ways they do it. We expect these to become the top product personalization trends in 2021.
A positive customer experience (CX) leaves people feeling heard and appreciated. It’s what every brand strives for, and what customers have come to expect when they purchase your products – both in-store and online.
But simply offering a good, yet one-size-fits-all CX will not be good enough for much longer. Today’s consumers are looking for personalized shopping experiences that make them feel exclusive.
A broader trend in ecommerce involves hyper-personalization leveraging the unique characteristics of each individual. In other words, customers provide a company with the data they need to craft a product tailored to each shopper’s unique needs and preferences.
That may take the form of apps that collect data points for custom insoles or the use of 3D printers to deliver exactly the shape of pendant a shopper envisions. It can even mean offering tailor-made apparel based on a customer’s specific height, weight, specific measurements, and other individual features. The clothing brand Son of Tailor is one example of this type of hyper-personalization of t-shirts.
Altogether, these things are part of what McKinsey calls the “brand ecosystem.” Brands leading in personalization seek ways to personalize the customer journey and experience from start to finish.
The end result? A sleek, seamless experience perfectly tailored to each individual customer—every single time. From the first contact on social media to recommendations and the final product in your hands, soon it really will be all about you.
McKinsey notes that the trick to a brand ecosystem lies in the seamless integration of platforms.
Brands must let customers move from one app to another. They must also meet customers on their preferred platform, anywhere and any time.
Features in apps like “continue watching” buttons or quick-share icons began the process. Now, it’s common for customer experiences to pick up on a second interface where they left off on the first.
For example, how many times have you tapped to purchase something on a social media app, only to wind up on a website where it’s already in your shopping cart? (Or better yet, completed the entire transaction without leaving your preferred app?)
In 2020, omnichannel delivery was driven by the rise of headless architecture. From headless CMSs to headless APIs, it’s now possible to reuse the same content across multiple channels.
That means a consistent, seamless experience geared toward your target audience—with less work for you.
What are you doing to inspire trust in your followers?
According to Edelman, 70 percent of customers state that trust is one of the most important factors that determine whether or not they’ll buy from a brand.
And trust defines how loyal those customers will remain. Three-quarters of people will stay with a brand they trust even if it isn't the cheapest option.
Building trust is a major trend in product personalization.
In short, people trust brands that keep their word. This includes everything from community or environmental commitments to delivering the products offered even when customization or personalization comes into play.
To maximize customer trust and loyalty, make sure that your product customization software offers:
Artificial intelligence and augmented reality (AR) have been with us for a while, but 2020 brought a quiet revolution to ecommerce. It’s called augmented shopping, and it’s guided by 3D technology.
Expect 3D anything to become a product personalization trend for 2021. That includes:
If there’s one thing to take from the upcoming product personalization trends, it’s that user data will play an increasingly important role in a company’s ability to deliver a personalized product and shopping experience.
The technology to mass-produce personalized products has become more accessible than ever. That’s why the future is personal—but you’ll need the information to do it.
The good news is that people are happy to share their information with you.
According to Deloitte, at least 22 percent of customers are willing to share their personal data if it means a more personalized shopping experience. Edelman found that number jumps to 60 percent when customers feel like they can trust a brand.
Underpinning all of this? A company’s commitment to its customers and the infrastructure to use data to create a truly bespoke customer experience.
We’ve covered five of the most exciting product personalization trends for 2021.
From trends in hyper-personalization to 3D product visualization, brands are rapidly orienting their entire operations around the customer experience. With it, they’re developing strategies to create truly personalized shopping experiences at scale.
Now every customer is the only customer who matters.
Product personalization is the way of the future; embrace it with the right tools. You’ll enjoy more revenue and smiles.
Get in touch with us to discover how ConfigureID can help your brand offer one-of-a-kind products to your customers at scale.
