Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Flipboard 0 Does one size ever really fit all? (The one-size winter sports beanie I got my husband for the holidays barely fit our toddler! Just sayin’…) This all-encompassing sizing and approach – while hit-or-miss in terms of apparel – is definitely a “miss” when it comes to digital experiences. Every company has an audience that’s composed of individuals – all with unique preferences, needs, intent, histories and other attributes that necessitate personalized, rather than cookie-cutter, communications to drive genuine engagement. A Dec. 2019 report from Forrester notes: “Personalization – delivering the right experience to the right customer at the right time – is not easy, but it’s de rigueur for companies that wish to thrive in the age of the customer. … It’s important to remember that customers are individuals that yearn for more personalized interactions. Be equipped to deliver the next-best experience by ingesting signals across the customer journey and tailoring your customer experiences accordingly.” Looking for more info on why personalization matters – and how and why it works? The following 30 statistics – including from Forrester and other research firms and organizations – illustrate the power of personalization strategies, approaches and technologies. Personalization is Top-of-Mind 1. “Personalization” was selected by ANA [Association of National Advertisers] members as the ANA 2019 Marketing Word of the Year. (ANA) 2. 73% of CEOs acknowledge the need for products, services and experiences that are more meaningful to their customers. (Accenture) 3. 74% of marketers think personalization should be a bigger priority in their organizations. (Evergage and Researchscape) 4. 48% of global B2C marketing decision-makers with marketing budget for technology said they would increase their spend on content and personalization technologies in 2019. (Forrester) Generic Content is a Turn-Off 5. 84% of customers say being treated like a person, not a number, is very important to winning their business. (Salesforce) 6. Nearly three-fourths (74%) of online consumers get frustrated with websites when content (e.g., offers, ads, promotions) appears that has nothing to do with their interests. (Janrain – now Akamai) 7. 63% of consumers expect personalization as a standard of service. (RedPoint Global and Harris Poll) 8. Nearly half (45%) of consumers won’t spend time with branded content if it’s not relevant to their interests. (OneSpot and Marketing Insider Group) 9. 52% of customers are likely to switch brands if a company doesn’t personalize communications to them. Meanwhile, 65% of business buyers say they’re likely to switch brands if a vendor doesn’t personalize communications to their company. (Salesforce) 10. 55% of business buyers (and 54% of consumers) say they get annoyed if they’re targeted for an ad for something they’ve already bought. (Salesforce) 11. Half (50%) of Millennials and Gen Zers say they generally ignore communications from companies unless they’re personalized for them, and 73% expect companies to communicate with them in real time. (Salesforce) 12. 33% of customers who abandoned a business relationship last year did so because personalization was lacking. (Accenture) Buyers Want (and Expect!) Personalized Experiences 13. 69% of business buyers expect Amazon-like buying experiences – such as personalized recommendations. (Salesforce) 14. 50% of consumers say that they would pay more for products and services from brands that do a good job of providing personally relevant content. (OneSpot and Marketing Insider Group) 15. More than 78% of consumers are only likely to engage with a brand using coupons or other offers if those promotions are directly tied to how they have interacted with the brand previously. (Marketo) 16. 64% of customers expect tailored engagement based on past interactions. (Salesforce) 17. 73% of customers expect companies to understand their needs and expectations. (Salesforce) 18. 62% of customers expect companies to adapt based on their actions and behavior. (Salesforce) 19. 80% of U.S. online adults feel comfortable sharing some personal information with retailers in order to personalize their experience. (Forrester) 20. More than one-third of U.S. online adults want retailers to do more to offer them personalized experiences. (Forrester) 21. 70% of customers say understanding how they use products and services is very important to winning their business. (Salesforce) Personalization Trends 22. 4 in 10 marketers (40%) employ machine-learning personalization, using artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithms and predictive analytics to dynamically present recommendations and experiences at the 1-to-1 level. (Evergage and Researchscape) 23. Digital marketers today employ personalization in their emails (78%); on their website (58%); in person, such as through store associates and kiosks (42%), in online advertising (35%); and in their mobile apps (28%) and web apps (19%). (Evergage and Researchscape) 24. Marketers report personalizing content and experiences based on campaign source (49%), pages/content viewed (35%), email opens (34%), products purchased (33%), email clickthroughs (32%), demographics (32%), clicks (30%), geolocation (28%), stage of customer journey (27%) and previous visit behavior (26%). (Evergage and Researchscape) Personalization Drives Results 25. 90% of marketers report a measurable lift in business results, attributable to personalization, and 58% say that lift is greater than 10%. (Evergage and Researchscape) 26. Nearly all marketers (98%) note that personalization advances their customer relationships – with 7 in 10 (70%) describing the impact as “strong” or “extremely strong.” (Evergage and Researchscape) 27. In 2018, $87.5 billion in sales were influenced by personalized offers that resulted in consumers making a purchase they did not otherwise intend to make. (451 Research) 28. 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer personalized experiences. (Epsilon) 29. Personalization can deliver five to eight times the ROI on marketing spend and lift sales 10% or more. (McKinsey) 30. Personalized emails generate 6X higher transaction rates. (Experian) Twitter Tweet Facebook Share Email This article originally appeared on Evergage and has been republished with permission.Find out how to syndicate your content with B2C Author: Sara CardView full profile ›More by this author:Where Do You Stand with Cross-Channel Maturity?Questions to Ask When Planning for Personalization (5 W’s and 1 H)How to Personalize for First-Time Visitors