A high volume of traffic without conversions is like having a shop with lots of window shoppers but no sales. This blog post will share proven strategies to convert website visitors into customers, focusing on creating a positive and persuasive user experience.

1. Create a personalized user experience

Website visitors expect brands to understand their needs and deliver tailored interactions. Personalization is no longer a bonus; it’s an expectation. 

By using the data you collect about your visitors—demographics, browsing history, past purchases, and even real-time behavior—you can craft a unique and compelling journey for each individual. Think of it as creating a one-on-one conversation with every potential customer.

Here’s how you can bring this to life:

Dynamic content

Imagine a returning visitor being greeted with personalized product recommendations based on their past purchases or browsing history. Or a first-time visitor seeing a special offer designed to entice them to explore further. 

Dynamic content makes this possible. It automatically adjusts the content, product suggestions, and even calls to action based on who is viewing the page, ensuring relevance and maximizing impact. This could include showcasing recently viewed items, suggesting complementary products, or highlighting promotions relevant to their location or demographics.

Personalized emails

Email marketing shouldn’t be a mass blast of the same message to everyone. Instead, segment your audience based on their behavior and preferences, and send highly targeted emails. 

A new subscriber might receive a welcome email with a special discount, while a returning customer might receive exclusive deals or personalized recommendations based on their purchase history. Think beyond the newsletter and create email campaigns that truly resonate with each segment of your audience.

Tailored landing pages

Landing pages are often the first interaction a potential customer has with your brand. Make that first impression count by tailoring landing pages to specific traffic sources or customer segments.  If a visitor clicks on an ad for a specific product, they should land on a page dedicated to that product, not a generic homepage. 

This makes sure they see the most relevant information from the moment they arrive, leading to a smoother and more engaging experience.  A personalized landing page can significantly improve conversion rates by aligning the content with the visitor’s initial interest.

2. Engage visitors with targeted popovers

Popovers can be a marketer’s best friend or a visitor’s worst nightmare. The key to using them effectively lies in strategic implementation and a focus on providing genuine value. When done right, onsite popovers can be a powerful tool for capturing leads, offering discounts, highlighting specific products, or even simply guiding visitors to relevant content.

The goal is to engage, not enrage. Avoid the aggressive, disruptive popovers that damage your brand image. Instead, focus on creating targeted, helpful interactions that enhance the user experience.

Here’s how to make popovers work for you:

Timing is everything

Don’t bombard visitors the moment they land on your page. Instead, trigger popovers based on user behavior, showing you understand their journey. Exit-intent popovers, for example, appear when a visitor is about to leave the page, offering one last chance to engage. 

Scroll depth popovers can be triggered after a visitor has scrolled a certain percentage of the page, indicating genuine interest. Time-on-site popovers can be used for visitors who have spent a considerable amount of time browsing, suggesting they might be ready for a special offer.

Relevance is key

The content of your popovers should be directly relevant to the page content and the visitor’s interests. If someone is browsing a specific product category, offer a discount on related items or suggest complementary products. Don’t show a generic newsletter signup popovers on a product page. Personalize the message to align with what the visitor is already looking at.

Offer genuine value

Popovers should offer something of value to the visitor, not just ask for something. This could be a discount code, free shipping, access to exclusive content (like an eBook or webinar), or even a helpful resource related to their interests. Give them a compelling reason to interact with your popovers.

Non-intrusive design

The design of your popovers is important. It should be visually appealing and easy to close. Avoid using overly bright colors, flashing animations, or overly aggressive language. Make sure the close button is clearly visible and functional. The goal is to integrate the pop-up seamlessly into the user experience, not to disrupt it. A well-designed pop-up will feel helpful, not annoying.

3. Offer real-time support with live chat

Today, customers expect instant gratification and immediate support. Live chat provides precisely that: a direct line of communication between your business and your website visitors. It’s like having a friendly assistant available 24/7 to answer questions, address concerns, and guide visitors through the buying process. 

Live chat can significantly reduce friction in the customer journey and boost conversions. In fact, Forrester found that 44% of online consumers say having questions answered by a live person while in the middle of an online purchase is one of the most important features a website can offer. Live chat transforms your website from a static brochure into an interactive and supportive experience.

Here’s how to maximize the impact of live chat:

Proactive chat

Don’t just wait for visitors to initiate contact. Proactively offer assistance with a friendly greeting. A simple “Hi there. Is there anything I can help you with today?” can go a long way in making visitors feel welcome and supported. However, avoid being overly aggressive. 

Give visitors a chance to browse before initiating a chat. Use triggers based on time spent on a page, specific pages visited, or other relevant behaviors to determine when a proactive chat invitation is most appropriate.

Knowledgeable agents

Your live chat agents are the face of your company. Ensure they are well-trained, knowledgeable about your products and services, and equipped to handle a wide range of inquiries. 

They should be able to answer questions accurately, provide helpful recommendations, and resolve issues efficiently. Empower them to go the extra mile to provide excellent customer service.

24/7 availability

Offering 24/7 live chat support can be a major advantage, as it accommodates visitors from various time zones and shows your dedication to customer service. If providing round-the-clock support isn’t practical, consider offering live chat during your peak business hours. 

Make sure to clearly inform visitors about when they can expect a response. Even limited availability is better than none. It’s important to communicate your live chat hours on your website to properly manage expectations.

4. Win customers with abandoned cart recovery

Abandoned carts. They’re the bane of every online retailer’s existence. A customer adds items to their cart, gets close to completing the purchase, and then… disappears. While some abandoned carts are unavoidable, many represent lost sales opportunities that can be recovered with the right strategy. 

Implementing an abandoned cart recovery strategy is important for maximizing your revenue and turning those “almost” customers into loyal buyers. Even a small increase in recovered carts can have a significant impact on your bottom line.

Here’s how to effectively recover those lost sales:

Automated email reminders

The cornerstone of any abandoned cart recovery strategy is automated email reminders. These emails serve as a gentle nudge, reminding customers of the items they left behind and encouraging them to complete their purchase. 

The Dotdigital Global Benchmark Report highlights the effectiveness of abandoned cart emails, showing strong customer engagement with these campaigns. The global click-to-open rate (CTOR) for abandoned cart emails is an impressive 14%, indicating that customers actively open and engage with these reminders. This high engagement rate presents a valuable opportunity to convert hesitant shoppers into paying customers.

Timing is essential when sending these reminders. The first reminder email should be sent within one to two hours after cart abandonment, while the items are still fresh in the customer’s mind. If the first email does not result in a conversion, follow up with a second email one to two days later.

Offer incentives

Sometimes, a simple reminder isn’t enough. Offering an incentive can be the extra push a customer needs to complete their purchase. This could be a discount code, free shipping, or a small gift with a purchase. 

Experiment with different incentives to see what works best for your audience. Make sure the incentive is clearly highlighted in your abandoned cart email to grab the customer’s attention.

Personalized recommendations

While reminding customers of the items in their cart is important, you can take it a step further by including personalized product recommendations. Suggest related items that the customer might be interested in. 

This shows that you understand their needs and provides an opportunity to upsell or cross-sell. Personalized recommendations can also re-engage customers who might have lost interest in the original items in their cart but could be tempted by something new.

5. Nurture visitors with personalized email campaigns

Email marketing remains a powerhouse for nurturing leads, building relationships, and driving conversions. The Dotdigital CMO Tracker confirms its effectiveness, revealing that 30% of CMOs cite email as their businesses’ top channel for ROI. 

But generic email blasts are no longer effective. Today’s consumers expect personalized communication that speaks directly to their interests and needs. Once you’ve captured your website visitors’ email addresses, you have the opportunity to build a direct line of communication.

By segmenting your audience and sending targeted emails with relevant content and offers, you can significantly improve engagement and boost your ROI. Think of email as a direct line to your customers, allowing you to deliver valuable information and build lasting relationships.

Here’s how to create email campaigns that convert:

Welcome

Your welcome email is often the first interaction a new subscriber has with your brand. Make it count. Introduce yourself, share your brand story, and offer a special discount or promotion to incentivize their first purchase. Set the tone for future communication and make them feel valued from the start. A well-crafted welcome email can significantly improve subscriber engagement and set the stage for a long-term relationship.

Promotional

Promotional emails shouldn’t be generic blasts. Segment your audience based on their past purchases, browsing behavior, and demographics, and send highly targeted offers that resonate with their specific interests.

If a customer has shown interest in a particular product category, send them promotions related to those items. Personalized promotional emails are far more effective than generic ones.

Transactional

Transactional emails, such as order confirmations and shipping updates, are often overlooked marketing opportunities. While their primary purpose is to provide information about a transaction, they can also be used to cross-sell, upsell, or promote related products. 

Include personalized recommendations in your order confirmation emails or offer a discount on their next purchase in your shipping update emails. These small touches can turn transactional emails into valuable marketing assets.

Convert your website visitors to customers today

Turning website visitors into loyal customers is the ultimate goal of any online business. Remember, driving traffic to your site is just the first step; the real magic happens when you convert that traffic into tangible results. 

Focus on understanding your audience—their needs, pain points, and motivations. Provide genuine value at every interaction, from the initial landing page experience to post-purchase communication. By applying these proven strategies, you can convert more visitors into happy, loyal customers.

In 2025, these tailored experiences continue to deepen, enabling brands to forge connections that feel authentic and meaningful. The trends we saw shaping digital marketing in 2024 set the groundwork, but in 2025, we’re seeing personalization evolve —powered by innovations that are as exciting as they are transformative.

In this article, Thais Montjean, Strategy Director at Born Agency, delves into the trends shaping the marketing landscape of 2025. Building on the successes of 2024, these trends are redefining how brands engage with their audiences. With AI-driven insights, sophisticated predictive analytics, real-time dynamic content, and a stronger focus on privacy, experiences that are not only personalized but also respectful, impactful, and, above all, relevant are demanded.

AI and machine learning

If 2024 was the year when AI brought us closer to our audiences through personalized product recommendations, then 2025 marks a leap into a new dimension. Artificial intelligence and machine learning have transformed from useful tools into powerful resources that enable brands to engage with customers in ways that were once unimaginable.

Today’s AI not only recommends products but also continuously learns and adapts, interpreting each customer’s unique preferences in real-time. It’s no longer just about offering a “suggested” item; it’s about creating subconscious connections at an emotional level, anticipating what a customer might need or desire before they even realize it themselves.

A significant 54.8% of marketers feel optimistic that AI can enhance efficiency and personalize interactions. Brands utilizing AI to predict the right moments to engage aren’t just seeing higher click-through rates; they are fostering genuine connections, making each interaction feel purposeful and thoughtful rather than generic.

This shift is significant because it reflects a deeper truth: people want to feel seen. AI in 2025 goes beyond algorithms and machine learning; it’s about making every interaction feel more human, exclusive, and authentic.

Anticipating customer behavior

Last year, predictive analytics became essential for digital marketers by providing powerful insights into customer behavior. Currently, 44% of companies are embracing data-driven insights by adding predictive analytics into their marketing strategies.

However, by 2025, we will take this a step further. The new analytics will not only anticipate customer needs but also help marketers to drive meaningful actions in real-time. Today’s analytics goes beyond predicting broad trends; they can pinpoint specific future behaviors, allowing us to change our strategies instantly.

With real-time insights, marketers can identify the exact moments when a customer is about to make a purchase, consider a competitor, or even disengage. By responding to these insights, brands can engage customers with offers, messages, and recommendations that feel natural—almost like a friendly nudge from someone who truly understands them.

In 2024, predictive analytics helped us anticipate future trends; this year, they empower us to act on that knowledge, creating experiences that feel immediate and deeply relevant.

Personalization across all channels

Today’s customers move fluidly between channels—from mobile to desktop, from social media to email—and they expect brands to follow them seamlessly. By 2025, we will not only be personalizing emails or website content; we will be creating an interconnected experience where every touchpoint communicates in a unified way.

Research from the Aberdeen Group shows that companies with strong cross-channel marketing strategies retain an average of 89% of their customers. By integrating data from social media, browsing history, purchase history, and even offline interactions, brands can deliver an experience that feels coherent, connected, and tailored to each individual.

Personalization is about being present across every channel; it involves crafting a narrative that reflects the customer’s identity and adapts smoothly as they transition from one space to another.

Dynamic experiences

Last year, dynamic content allowed us to create a more personalized experience by adding a customer’s name or showing products based on their location. However, in 2025, dynamic content has evolved beyond personalization to become contextual. We are not only addressing who our customers are but also focusing on where they are, what they are doing, and what is happening around them in real-time.

Today’s dynamic content adapts instantly to the user’s environment, considering factors such as the weather, the time of day, and even local browsing trends.

67% of consumers expect personalized online shopping experiences, and the demand for contextually relevant interactions grows stronger each year. This shift towards more tailored, real-time experiences is leading to greater customer engagement and satisfaction. 

For example, wouldn’t it be fantastic if a skincare brand offered personalized product suggestions when the weather turns colder, or if a coffee shop advertised a special just as someone steps out for their lunch break?

The transition from location-based content in 2024 to truly contextualized experiences in 2025 highlights a simple truth: customers are more likely to connect with content that is relevant not just to who they are, but to what they are experiencing right now.

Privacy-centric personalization

In 2024, privacy became a growing concern, prompting companies to focus on meeting regulatory standards. However, by 2025, privacy-centric personalization has evolved into something more significant: trust. Customers expect brands to respect their data and demand transparency regarding its use. Today’s leading brands are not only compliant with regulations; they are also proactive in giving customers control over their data.

Recent reports show that 79% of consumers would be more likely to trust a company with their information if the usage was clearly explained. Brands that make privacy a fundamental aspect of their personalization strategies are experiencing not only compliance success but also increased customer loyalty and trust. By using anonymized data and providing clear opt-in options, these brands are fostering relationships based on respect and transparency.

This shift from compliance-driven privacy in 2024 to trust-driven strategies in 2025 represents a new kind of partnership between brands and their customers—one that is grounded not just in adherence to rules, but in genuine respect for individuals.

Summary

The digital marketing landscape in 2025 looks quite different from what we saw last year. Progress in personalization goes beyond just technology and data; it requires a genuine understanding of and responsiveness to people’s needs in a caring and relevant way.

Personalization has moved beyond merely crafting messages or making recommendations. It now emphasizes creating experiences that are human, thoughtful, and connected. As brands continue to evolve, the real winners will be those who focus on value-driven relationships, putting customer interests first.

Dotdigital is a powerful marketing automation platform that empowers ecommerce brands to deliver exceptional customer experiences. Here’s why Dotdigital’s ecommerce personalization features are a perfect fit for your business:

Create seamless cross-channel experiences

Today’s customers expect a consistent experience across all touchpoints, from website visits to emails and mobile apps. Whether they’re browsing your website, opening your marketing emails, or engaging with your mobile apps, the interactions should feel cohesive and personalized. 

With Dotdigital, you can design and create personalized campaigns that resonate across multiple channels—so that your messaging aligns perfectly. You can seamlessly integrate email marketing with an intuitive editor and dynamic content, utilize SMS messaging for direct mobile engagement, create personalized website experiences, and implement social media retargeting through Facebook and Google. 

Here’s how Dotdigital helps you create cross-channel experiences:

• Email: Create personalized email campaigns on Dotdigital and tailor messages based on customer behavior and preferences.
• SMS: Utilize direct mobile engagement for time-sensitive offers or important updates, reaching customers instantly.
• WhatsApp: Leverage this popular messaging platform for more personal, conversational customer interactions.
• Live chat: Provide real-time support and personalized recommendations directly on your website.
• Push notifications: Send targeted alerts to mobile devices, keeping customers informed about relevant offers or updates.
• Social media: Implement retargeting through platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Google, reinforcing your messaging across different touchpoints.

Imagine a customer receiving an email showcasing a product they recently viewed on your website, followed a short time later by a targeted push notification about a special offer for that same item via your mobile app. This kind of experience not only captures the customer’s attention but also drives them toward a purchase, significantly enhancing conversion rates. 

“Dotdigital allows you to do pretty much anything you need for email marketing. You can create programs, one-off email campaigns, and there is a lot of personalization. I use Dotdigital every day in my work life. Whenever there is something I’m unsure about, I can use the live chat function to speak to someone within minutes. Everything was easy to set up and integrate into our existing marketing.”

– Leon McKenzie, Copywriter – Pass Me Fast 

Website personalization made easy

With Dotdigital, you can create customized website content that’s tailored to your shopper’s preferences. This personalization ensures that your visitors are presented with the most relevant products and offers. 

Here’s how Dotdigital’s Fresh Relevance can elevate your ecommerce strategy:

• On-site popovers: Show targeted messages or offers based on user behavior, like exit-intent popovers or welcome messages for new visitors.
• Dynamic content: Create personalized, real-time content based on user data, preferences, and browsing history.
• Behavioral targeting: Customize the user experience using customer data, real-time actions, and historical behavior on your site.
• Website optimization: Continuously enhance your site’s performance and user experience through A/B testing and data-driven insights.

Let’s say your customer frequently buys skincare products. When they visit your website, Dotdigital can dynamically create compelling web content personalized to their interests. This might include showcasing new skincare arrivals, offering bundle deals on their favorite brands, or providing personalized skincare tips. 

This tailored approach not only enhances the customer experience but also drives upselling and cross-selling opportunities, boosting your average order value and fostering customer loyalty.

“Dotdigital has been an absolute game-changer for our marketing efforts. Their database management system is robust and user-friendly, and the automation creation tools are intuitive and incredibly powerful. I’ve also been impressed by their seamless external data integration, which has made our campaigns more personalized and effective.”

– Lewis Yoole – Ecommerce – Lowes Manhattan

Target smarter, not harder

Personalization isn’t just a trend; it’s a necessity. To truly connect with your audience, you need to understand them on a deeper level. Segmentation is the key to achieving this. By dividing your customer base into smaller, more targeted groups, you can deliver highly relevant and impactful marketing messages that resonate.

Dotdigital empowers you to segment your audience with precision. With Dotdigital, you can easily categorize your audience into different segments based on a variety of criteria, such as demographics, purchase history, engagement levels, or interests.

Here’s how Dotdigital’s smart targeting can revolutionize your ecommerce strategy:

• Precision segmentation: Easily categorize your audience based on various criteria, including demographics, purchase history, engagement levels, and interests.
• Dynamic segments: Create segments that automatically update as customer data changes, ensuring your targeting remains accurate and timely.
• Behavioral targeting: Tailor your messaging based on specific customer actions, such as abandoned carts or product views.
• A/B testing: Easily test different segmentation strategies to optimize your targeting approach.

For example, let’s say you’re launching a new line of eco-friendly products. Instead of sending a generic email blast to your entire list, you can target environmentally-conscious customers who have previously purchased similar items. By tailoring your message to their specific interests, you can increase the likelihood of conversions and foster stronger customer relationships.

“The platform helps create personalized, multi-channel campaigns with great segmentation and data insights. The drag-and-drop editor makes designing emails simple, and the reporting tools provide valuable performance insights. Overall, it’s a comprehensive solution for effective marketing.”

– Luis Morton, Marketing Manager – Global Insight Conferences

Personalized product recommendations

Dotdigital’s product recommendations analyze customer data to suggest products that perfectly align with individual preferences and purchase history. This intelligent feature not only boosts sales but also significantly enhances customer satisfaction by presenting items tailored to each shopper’s interests.

Here’s how Dotdigital’s product recommendations can transform your ecommerce strategy:

• Personalized product discovery: For customers who often buy the same item, Dotdigital’s AI can review their browsing and purchase history to recommend complementary products.
• Strategic placement: Dotdigital helps you to position recommendations throughout your site, from product pages to shopping carts, ensuring they are highly visible and relevant.
• Dynamic recommendations: The AI adjusts in real-time, refreshing suggestions based on the customer’s current browsing session.
• Cross-selling and upselling: By recommending related or higher-end products, Dotdigital helps boost average order value and introduces customers to a wider selection of your catalog.
• Social proof integration: Pair AI recommendations with social proof elements like ‘customers also bought’ or ‘trending now’ to enhance trust and create a sense of urgency.

Dotdigital creates a shopping experience that feels tailored and intuitive—much like having a knowledgeable sales associate guiding each customer. This level of personalization drives immediate sales and also creates long-term customer relationships, transforming one-time buyers into loyal, repeat customers.

Unify your martech stack

Dotdigital seamlessly integrates with a wide range of marketing tools and platforms, simplifying your marketing efforts and empowering you to deliver a truly unified customer experience. It makes connecting with your existing technology stack easy.

By linking Dotdigital with your CRM, ecommerce platform, and other marketing tools, you achieve a complete 360-degree view of your customers. Whether you’re using popular platforms like Shopify, Magento, Salesforce, or other industry-specific tools, Dotdigital’s extensive integration capabilities let you create a unified martech ecosystem tailored to your specific needs. This integrated strategy allows you to run seamless cross-channel campaigns with ease.

Optimize your performance with data-driven insights

Data is key to successful personalization. With Dotdigital’s comprehensive suite of commerce marketing reporting dashboards, you can monitor campaign performance, pinpoint areas to improve, and fine-tune your personalization strategies to achieve better results.

Dotdigital’s retail, customer, and opportunities dashboards provide your team with actionable insights to boost store revenue. You can keep an eye on key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates, while also tracking ROI through revenue attribution.

The platform helps you to look at customer behavior and preferences, find marketing opportunities at the contact level, and create new target audience lists directly from your data reports. This data-driven approach allows you to sharpen your personalization strategies, spot trends, and get improved outcomes across all your marketing initiatives.

First-class support

Dotdigital is dedicated to delivering exceptional support that goes beyond basic customer assistance. We offer a comprehensive support package designed to empower your marketing team and drive growth, distinguishing us from other ecommerce personalization services.

At the heart of Dotdigital’s support offerings is our industry-leading 24/7 phone support, with an average response time of just 20 seconds, as well as live chat support that responds within one minute. This ensures you receive prompt assistance whenever you need it. Additionally, Dotdigital provides specialized training, creative support, and access to a network of top-tier service partners to enhance your marketing efforts and maximize your return on investment.

Depending on your package, you may be assigned a dedicated Customer Success Manager (CSM) who will act as a trusted advisor. They will work closely with you to understand your unique business goals and help you fully leverage Dotdigital’s capabilities.

Whether you need assistance with implementation, have questions about features, or require strategic advice, Dotdigital’s knowledgeable support staff is prepared to provide the help you need to efficiently and effectively achieve your marketing objectives.

“Working with Dotdigital’s Professional Services team, Nutri Advanced has created a very successful fully automated four-stage email engagement program.”

– The Nutri Advanced team 

Choose Dotdigital today

Are you ready to take your ecommerce business to the next level with personalization? Dotdigital is here to help. With our robust ecommerce personalization platform, you can craft tailored experiences that enhance customer engagement, increase sales, and build lasting relationships.

In this ultimate guide to cross-channel personalization, we will explore effective strategies and tools that can help you deliver tailored experiences that resonate with your audience.

Whether you aim to boost engagement, increase sales, or build lasting customer relationships, understanding the principles of cross-channel personalization is essential for transforming your customer experience.

What is cross-channel personalization?

Cross-channel personalization goes beyond just sending personalized emails. It’s about crafting a seamless and cohesive experience that connects with customers across all platforms—be it email, SMS, website, mobile apps, or even in-store interactions.

By leveraging customer data and past interactions, you can deliver experiences that are relevant and engaging for each individual. This could mean recommending products based on their purchase history, sending targeted promotions through their preferred channels, or providing personalized support based on their past inquiries.

Key strategies for effective personalization

Here are some key strategies you can use to kick off your personalization strategy: 

Data collection

Collecting and analyzing customer data is important for understanding your audience. You can collect zero-party and first-party data to gather valuable insights directly from your customers. 

Zero-party data is information that customers voluntarily share with a brand. This can include preferences, interests, and feedback. You can build trust and gather highly relevant data by proactively asking customers for their input.

First-party data is collected from email clicks, your website, or an app. It includes information such as browsing behavior, purchase history, and demographics. Implementing a simple script on your website can quickly enable you to collect this data. With a solid data collection strategy in place, you can harness the potential of cross-channel personalization. 

Data analysis

After collecting important data, the following step is to perform a thorough analysis. By unifying data from across your CRM, ecommerce store, automation platform, and more, you can gain clear insight into your customers’ preferences and behaviors.

The expansion of AI functionality in recent years means it’s easier than ever to analyze data and create bespoke customer experiences. You can use predictive analytics to make educated guesses about your customer behavior. 

This includes when your customers are most likely to purchase again or to identify those who are at risk of churning. This enables you to deliver timely and personalized recommendations that drive customer engagement and boost sales.

Customer segmentation and targeting

Once you have a solid understanding of your customers, it’s time to segment them into smaller, more targeted groups. A powerful method for customer segmentation is eRFM (engagement, recency, frequency, monetary) customer modeling. This method provides a comprehensive view of your customer’s value and potential.

By tailoring your messaging to specific segments, you can deliver more relevant and impactful content. For example, you might send personalized product recommendations to frequent shoppers or offer exclusive discounts to first-time buyers.

Creating a consistent brand voice

A consistent brand voice is essential for building trust and recognition. This means using the same tone, style, and language across all your marketing channels. Develop clear brand guidelines that outline your brand’s personality, values, and messaging. By adhering to these guidelines, you can ensure that your brand’s voice is consistent and authentic, no matter the platform.

How to personalize across channels

Cross-channel personalization is all about creating a smooth and consistent experience for customers across different platforms. Here are some effective strategies to make every interaction feel personal and customized.

Cross-channel coupons

Using cross-channel coupons is a great way to enhance engagement and drive sales at various touchpoints. Set up a unified coupon system that generates and tracks offers seamlessly across all channels.

Each coupon can be tailored to a customer’s behavior and their current stage in the buying journey. For example, a new visitor to your website might encounter a pop-up inviting them to share their email in exchange for a discount for first-time customers.

On the other hand, a returning customer could receive a targeted email featuring a different discount to encourage another purchase. If you operate a physical store, think about using QR codes to connect your physical and digital channels, making it easy for customers to redeem their coupons.

Product recommendations

Imagine walking into a store and being greeted by a sales associate who presents you with exactly what you’ve been looking for. Personalized product recommendations can replicate this experience. By analyzing user behavior across various channels, you can create a list of tailored product suggestions.

Whether customers are browsing your mobile app or checking out your website, presenting them with relevant items boosts the chances of conversion. The key is to keep your recommendations current and responsive to their evolving preferences and needs.

Dynamic content

Dynamic content can tailor your message based on the viewer. By updating visuals and messages in real time according to user preferences, you ensure that what you present remains relevant.

From email newsletters to website banners and app interfaces, personalized experiences can significantly boost user engagement. Dynamic content keeps the experience fresh, making customers feel that every interaction is uniquely theirs.

Recently browsed

Helping users continue from where they left off is a powerful strategy. Displaying recently browsed items across different channels serves as a convenient reminder of what caught their interest, simplifying their buying decisions.

If they checked out a new pair of sneakers on their desktop or explored some gadgets through your mobile app, showcasing these items during subsequent visits or on other platforms can gently encourage them to make a purchase.

Social proof

Incorporating social proof into your cross-channel strategy can greatly enhance your success. A study by Trustpilot has shown that 66% of customers are more likely to purchase a product when they see evidence of social proof, making it an essential tool for brands.

However, our Hitting the Mark research indicates that only 19% of brands feature user-generated content (UGC) and reviews on their home pages, while only 26% utilize social proof on conversion pages. Displaying reviews, ratings, and testimonials throughout all interactions with your brand fosters trust and encourages customer action.

Seeing a thumbs-up from a friend or reading a glowing customer review on an item they’ve been eyeing can significantly influence users’ purchasing decisions. Integrate these elements seamlessly into emails, apps, and websites, ensuring customers encounter positive feedback at every touchpoint.

Push notifications

Push notifications can serve as a helpful reminder that encourages browsing to turn into purchases. Customize these messages to add value, whether it’s a nudge about an abandoned cart or a special offer tailored to previous purchases.

It’s important that these notifications resonate with user interests and behaviors, ensuring that customers stay engaged without feeling bombarded. Striking the right balance is essential—provide helpful updates that come across as a friendly reminder instead of unwanted spam.

Examples of successful cross-channel personalization

Let’s explore two real-world examples of brands that have effectively implemented cross-channel personalization:

Blue Sea Holidays

Blue Sea Holidays has optimized and automated customer engagement across email and website channels by leveraging the combined power of Dotdigital and Fresh Relevance. The company created personalized and visually appealing emails using Dotdigital’s email builder and utilized Fresh Relevance’s AI-driven capabilities for dynamic content personalization.

The personalization strategy includes:

1. AI-powered email recommendations: Fresh Relevance’s AI personalizes each email with specific recommendations based on the destination page the customer visited.
2. Seamless email delivery: Dotdigital ensures that these personalized emails are delivered efficiently while maintaining an attractive design.
3. Social proof: The emails incorporate valuable information such as “People like you browse” and “People like you buy,” leveraging social proof to enhance engagement and conversions.
4. Dynamic website content: Visitors to the Blue Sea Holidays website experience personalized content, with recommendations and offers tailored to their preferences and behavior.

By implementing this cross-channel personalization approach, Blue Sea Holidays has created a cohesive and relevant experience for their customers across both email and website touchpoints. 

Neal’s Yard Remedies

Neal’s Yard Remedies effectively enhanced its cart abandonment strategy by implementing a sophisticated email solution through Dotdigital, optimizing their customer engagement process. Here’s how they achieved success:

1. Expert guidance: Dotdigital’s Professional Services team, along with customer success managers, conducted a comprehensive customer journey mapping exercise. This foundational work enabled the creation of a tailored automation strategy that suited Neal’s Yard Remedies’ unique needs.
2. Automated email campaigns: With the new system in place, Neal’s Yard Remedies could send timely and personalized cart abandonment emails to customers who left items in their carts. The automation simplified the process, allowing the team to focus on crafting compelling creative copy for their emails.
3. A/B testing for optimization: The Dotdigital platform facilitated A/B testing, enabling Neal’s Yard Remedies to compare different email strategies. They tested emails that included a 10% discount code against those that provided only basket information, gaining insights into which approach drove higher conversion rates.
4. Leveraging Fresh Relevance: By using Fresh Relevance’s advanced personalization capabilities, Neal’s Yard Remedies enhanced their email content with tailored recommendations based on customer behavior and preferences.

By using Dotdigital and Fresh Relevance, Neal’s Yard Remedies successfully transformed its cart abandonment and improved customer engagement. 

Choose Dotdigital as your cross-channel personalization solution

Dotdigital is the ideal choice to elevate your cross-channel personalization efforts. With a suite of powerful tools and an intuitive platform, you can deliver highly targeted and engaging customer experiences.

• Comprehensive integration: Dotdigital easily integrates with various marketing tools you already use, making it a seamless addition to your existing setup. Whether it’s your CRM, ecommerce platform, or social media channels, Dotdigital connects them all, ensuring that your customer data flows smoothly across different platforms.
• Cross-channel capabilities: Dotdigital provides a comprehensive suite of cross-channel marketing tools under one platform, allowing you to reach customers across email, SMS, push notifications, live chat, and WhatsApp. This unified approach enables you to create consistent and personalized experiences across all customer touchpoints.
• Advanced personalization: With Fresh Relevance, Dotdigital offers enhanced cross-channel personalization capabilities. This integration empowers you to drive excellent customer experiences at every point in the customer journey. You can utilize advanced website and email personalization tools, including countdown timers, weather tools, image personalization, and advanced product recommendations
• Intelligent automation: With Dotdigital’s powerful automation features, you can set up personalized campaigns that run like clockwork. Automate your email marketing, SMS, and more, all while maintaining a personal touch. This means less manual work for you and a consistent experience for your customers.
• Data-driven insights: Dotdigital provides valuable insights into customer behavior and engagement. With detailed analytics and reporting tools, you can track your campaigns’ performance and fine-tune your strategies. More importantly, you can use this data to truly understand your audience and tailor your messaging accordingly.
• Scalability: Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, Dotdigital scales with your needs. As your business grows, the platform can easily adapt, providing advanced features that support even the most complex personalization strategies.

With Dotdigital as your cross-channel personalization service, you can effortlessly create impactful marketing campaigns that enhance engagement and deliver results across various channels.

Get started with cross-channel personalization today

Creating meaningful connections with your customers relies heavily on cross-channel personalization. By adopting effective strategies and utilizing platforms Dotdigital, you can create personalized experiences that resonate across various platforms. Start enhancing your customer experience today by implementing the insights and strategies outlined in this guide.

In this blog, we explore the various types of website personalization that you can use to enhance your customer’s online experiences. From dynamic content to personalized recommendations, we’ll walk you through the strategies and techniques you can implement to take your website personalization to the next level.

Three types of website personalization

There are three primary ways to personalize your website and deliver a tailored experience to each visitor.

1. Dynamic content

Personalizing your website is key to engaging your customers, and dynamic content is a powerful tool to achieve just that. With dynamic content, you can display tailored content to users based on their browsing history, interests, and demographics. This real-time personalization technique can offer different products, services, and offers to users and returning customers alike.

For example, if a customer visits your sports equipment website during a holiday, they may require some last-minute gear. You can showcase dynamic content that reflects the current weather at the shopper’s location when they are browsing, offering them tailored product suggestions, such as winter boots if it’s snowing.

On the other hand, when a returning customer visits, you can show them a banner highlighting their favorite brand’s latest running shoes. Dynamic content allows you to display personalized offers, product suggestions or smart countdown timers that create a sense of urgency and excitement.

Here’s a snapshot of the benefits dynamic content brings to your website:

• Real-time relevance: Leverage weather data, time of day, and browsing history to deliver contextually relevant content.
• Increased engagement: Showcasing what visitors are most likely interested in keeps them engaged and exploring your site.
• Personalized offers: Target specific promotions and discounts based on demographics and preferences.

2. Product recommendations

Product recommendations powered by AI are a game-changer for website personalization. They leverage user data like browsing history, purchase behavior, and even demographics to suggest relevant products that keep customers engaged and drive sales.

Picture a shopper looking at a pair of sneakers. AI-driven product recommendations can assist customers in finding the ideal fit by suggesting similar styles based on features, materials, or brands. Additionally, if customers want to complete their look, you can suggest related products like matching socks and laces to create a cohesive style.

Personalized recommendations make shopping smarter, not harder, helping you find the perfect fit and leave feeling confident about your purchase.

Here’s how personalized recommendations can elevate your customer’s experience:

• Boost conversions: Recommend complementary items and frequently bought together bundles to increase order value.
• Fuel discovery: Surface new products that visitors might not have considered but are likely interested in based on their browsing history.
• Personalized shopping experience: Help customers find the perfect fit by suggesting similar items or products “people like you buy.”

3. Overlays 

Overlays, also known as popovers, are like friendly salespeople on your website, strategically placed to capture user attention and drive conversions. These dynamic messages adapt to individual users based on their behavior, preferences, and past interactions, creating a personalized touch that resonates.

For instance, you may have a first-time visitor arriving on your retail site. A well-timed popover greets them with a warm welcome and a discount code, enticing them to join your email list. 

When a returning customer visits your website, they are greeted with a helpful popover message showing products that are “still in their basket” or encouraging them to “pick up where they left off.” These popovers enhance the shopping experience, making it even smoother and more enjoyable.

Here’s how you can use targeted overlays to personalize online experiences and drive results:

• Capture high-value leads: Convert new visitors into loyal customers by offering signup incentives tailored to their interests.
• Rescue abandoned carts: Win back potential sales with exit-intent popups featuring personalized product recommendations and messaging based on abandoned cart contents.
• Reignite interest with past visitors: Re-engage returning customers by reminding them of forgotten items or offering exclusive deals based on previous purchases.
• Boost order value: Increase average order value by displaying personalized product recommendations based on real-time browsing behavior.
• Gather valuable customer insights: Leverage targeted surveys within overlays to collect zero-party data and valuable customer feedback to further personalize the shopping experience.

Four successful ways to perform web personalization

Here are four successful ways to leverage text personalization and craft a journey that resonates with your audience:

1. Text personalization

Personalizing website text with the visitor’s name can create a more welcoming and human touch. This is especially effective in account areas or sign up pages.

For example, imagine a visitor named Sarah browsing a sporting goods website. Text personalization can take her browsing history into account. Instead of a generic homepage greeting, she might see a warm welcome like “welcome back, Sarah. Looking for that perfect running shoe?” This personalized approach acknowledges her past interests and gently guides her toward relevant products.

Further down the page, blog posts about “top running shoes for spring” or “training tips for beginners” might be displayed, catering directly to her needs. This level of personalization creates a sense of recognition and increases the likelihood of Sarah engaging with the website’s content.

2. Product personalization

Personalizing product recommendations can significantly boost sales. For example, if a visitor recently purchased a new camera, product personalization can use this information to display a curated selection of camera lenses and accessories on the homepage. This approach capitalizes on the visitor’s existing interest and makes it easier for them to discover complementary products they might need.

In addition, your website could dynamically offer personalized product bundles or discounts. For instance, a discount on a phone case and screen protector could be presented to someone who just viewed a new phone model. 

By showcasing relevant products and offering enticing deals, product personalization increases the chances of visitors making additional purchases.

3. Image personalization

A visually appealing and engaging website is important to capture your audience’s attention. Image personalization plays a key role in enhancing this aspect.

Let’s take a travel website, for example. A visitor interested in urban destinations might be greeted with a captivating hero image of a bustling cityscape.

On the other hand, someone researching a relaxing getaway might see a serene beach scene. This approach tailors the visuals to the visitor’s preferences, creating a more engaging and relevant experience right from the start of their browsing journey.

Similarly, product images can be personalized to resonate with the visitor’s demographics. For instance, athletic apparel might be displayed on models engaged in workouts for visitors browsing that category. By using visuals that align with visitor interests, image personalization fosters a stronger connection with the brand.

4. Call-to-action (CTA) personalization

The CTA button is a crucial prompt for visitors to take a desired action. CTA personalization ensures the call to action resonates with each visitor.

For instance, a new visitor to a website might be more receptive to a CTA like “learn more” that provides additional information about the brand or its products. However, a returning customer familiar with the brand might be more likely to respond to a CTA like “buy now” that encourages them to complete a purchase. 

Additionally, CTAs can be personalized with urgency triggers like “limited time offer” or “shop now and get free shipping” to motivate action, particularly for visitors who might be considering a purchase. By tailoring CTAs to the visitor’s journey stage, personalization increases the likelihood of them converting.

How to know what type of web personalization is right for your business

But with the range of web personalization options available, it can be challenging to determine which website personalization strategy to use. Here’s a detailed roadmap to guide you through the process:

1. Define your goals

The first step is to identify your key objectives. Ask yourself if you are aiming to:

• Increase email signups
• Reduce cart abandonment
• Boost average order value
• Improve customer satisfaction

Understanding your goals will help you prioritize the personalization techniques that best align with your desired outcomes.

3. Implement personalization techniques

After understanding your audience, start by prioritizing and experimenting with the different website personalization methods. Then you can see which one best aligns with your goals and target audience. 

Remember to A/B test different personalization strategies to determine what resonates best with your audience and continuously optimize your approach.

4. Track and analyze

Continuously monitor your website analytics to assess the impact of your personalization efforts. Track key metrics such as conversion rates, bounce rates, and average order value to understand what’s working and where you can improve.

Remember, web personalization is an ongoing journey, not a one-time destination. As you gather data and learn from customer behavior, you can refine, test, and implement new techniques to continuously enhance the visitor experience and achieve your marketing objectives.

Conclusion

By utilizing these personalization techniques, you can meet the evolving needs of your audience. To succeed, define your goals, understand your audience, implement personalization strategies, and consistently track and analyze results. With time and optimization, you can create a personalized experience that keeps your customers engaged and loyal.

Now imagine a store that magically transforms every time a customer enters. The shelves only display what you specifically need. Customers would choose that store repeatedly, never opting for the department store again, because such hyper-personalization is a win-win for both the buyer and the seller.

It’s time to invest in the hyper-personalization of the customer experience.

Hyper-personalization in online retail delivers tailored shopping experiences, just like those magical shelves that display different products to each person entering the store. It transforms the online shopping experience, which is extremely important as 86% of consumers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience. After a positive experience, these customers spend up to 140% more.

What is hyper-personalization in ecommerce?

While traditional personalization uses primary customer data like purchase history and browsing behavior, hyper-personalization goes beyond.

Hyper-personalization in ecommerce crafts a unique shopping experience for each customer. It uses a wide range of data sources and references customer demographics, past interactions, real-time behavior, and other factors to tailor the customer journey from start to end.

For example, with traditional personalization, a website might recommend shoes from a similar brand or price range as previous purchases. However, with hyper-personalization, the buyer might be linked with an upcoming race they’re training for or even the weather where they live.

Hyper-personalization is a more customized approach in which brands personalize every touchpoint for their customers by utilizing the power of AI/ML. Such an approach makes the customer feel the brand takes note of their choices and remembers them, leading to increased sales in the long run.

By employing hyper-personalization, retailers can move from the one-size-fits-all approach to a remarkable shopping experience where customers feel seen and unique and are recommended precisely the product they want.

Hyper-personalization in the real world

Hyper-personalization is utilized by several popular brands. Amazon, for example, leverages its vast datasets to understand its customers, send personalized product recommendations, predict their buying behavior, and offer a seamless purchase experience.

For example, we’re writing this from India. We just won the T20 World Cup, which was held in the USA and the West Indies. Check out our related items page on Amazon:

Sephora too does something similar. It uses its customers’ purchase history and preference sets. This is for makeup looks and skin concerns. It then sends them point rewards and promos that target their unique needs. They even have a login-only “Beauty Advisor” section.

The benefits of hyper-personalization

Here are some of the key advantages of utilizing hyper-personalization strategies:

Increased customer satisfaction and loyalty

Imagine a customer who frequently cooks very healthy meals. In a hyper-personalized environment, she would be recommended new organic products based on past purchases. Such methods of winning customers make them feel valued, fostering loyalty toward the brand.

Reduced cart abandonment rates

When a customer has added items to their cart but hesitates to checkout, hyper-personalization can help. It can offer suggestions for complementary or supplementary items or even personalized discounts to motivate them to proceed with their purchase.

Improved conversion rates and sales

Hyper-personalization is a way to better understand the customer, which means presenting the customer with products that resonate. It also offers targeted promotions, upselling products based on user preference and behavior. This all adds up to further conversions and higher sales.

Hyper-personalization: beyond product recommendations

Hyper-personalization extends far beyond just product recommendations. Retailers can create a sense of excitement for each customer, making them feel unique and valued. Here’s how retailers can use hyper-personalization to craft a truly unique customer experience:

Personalized content and communication

Imagine you own a sporting goods store. You may be able to recover data from your customers’ fitness trackers, enabling you to send emails about their exercise targets.

Curated product collections and gift recommendations

An online furniture store can look into their first-time buyers’ browsing history and offer a curated collection based on their behavior.

Predictive search and product suggestions

A travel website can use real-time browsing data to suggest flights and hotels based on visitors’ past preferences or search terms. Customers share required dates and times, based on which the website can make highly specific recommendations.

Tailored shipping and delivery options

An electronics retailer can offer faster shipping options or extended return windows based on customers’ usual requirements, the number of products ordered, and delivery location.

Challenges of implementing hyper-personalization

While hyper-personalization offers a plethora of benefits, here are some hurdles you may need to consider:

Data privacy concerns and customer consent

Hyper-personalization is only possible through data; the more data there is, the better the personalization. Brands rely heavily on data, making data collection, maintenance, and management essential. This also means that brands must comply with GDPR and other data privacy regulations. They must also ask for and receive customer consent before collecting the necessary data.

Data infrastructure and analytics capabilities

An organization needs a robust data infrastructure to acquire in-depth data. This includes investing in data storage solutions that can store vast information. The business needs the tools to extract meaningful insights and enable hyper-personalization.

Over-personalization and the creepy factor

There’s a fine line between hyper-personalized and creepy! Letting customers know you know everything about them, including overly personal information, can backfire. Customers could even block the brand on all channels rather than continue to engage.
Balancing personalization across channels.

As important as it is to provide a hyper-personalized experience, businesses have to implement it across channels. From mobile apps to email marketing and the online store, your ecommerce business must deliver the same seamless experience at all touchpoints.

Getting started with hyper-personalization

Providing your customers with hyper-personalized recommendations is a daunting task. However, you can create a thriving customer experience with the right approach and unlock your true business potential. Here’s how to get started:

1. Identify key customer data points

Collect primary customer data, such as your customers’ purchase history, browsing behavior, and website interactions. This would establish the foundation from which you can look deeper to derive advanced data.

To go beyond basic analytics, examine users’ social media engagement and customer service interactions. Figuring out their pain points opens up many opportunities to create remarkable customer experiences.

2. Invest in marketing automation and personalization

It’s worth investing in a centralized customer data platform, as these platforms collect analytics from multiple sources and present it in a unified form in a single location. This way, you gain a comprehensive view of each customer journey. The software also offers product recommendations across channels, providing targeted advertising.

3. Build a culture of customer-centricity

Break down silos and bring all the departments together, from marketing to customer service. You can collect as much data as possible by leveraging customer data and interactions. Train your employees to understand how collecting customer data from various sources works and why unifying it is essential.

You can also look at customer feedback surveys, reviews, and comments on social media platforms to understand your customers better.

Hyper-personalization is here to stay and revolutionize the retail landscape. By harnessing the power of data, retailers can craft their customer journey unique to each customer, leading to satisfaction and soaring sales. There are obstacles along the way, but the rewards are worth it.

Hyper-personalization is an ongoing journey. To implement it, look for marketing automation platforms like Dotdigital. To configure and leverage the platform to the fullest, partner with Dotdigital integration service providers and official partners. The platform and hands-on experience of partners together will provide the tools and expertise you need to collect data, analyze it, and build hyper-personalized customer experiences.

This blog dives deep into the power of website personalization and its impact on student recruitment, engagement, and retention. We’ll explore what it is, why it matters, and how to use it for your institution’s success.

Understanding website personalization

Imagine a website that can anticipate your every need. Website personalization tailors a user’s experience based on their unique characteristics. This can include demographics, academic interests, previous website behavior, and even geolocation. By dynamically adjusting content, calls to action, and graphics, institutions can create a more engaging and relevant experience for each visitor.

Why personalize your higher education website?

Personalizing your website can positively impact your educational institution:

• Boost enrollment rates: Studies show personalization can increase conversion rates by up to 63%. When prospective students visit your website and see content that resonates with their academic interests and career aspirations, they’re more likely to be drawn in and complete the enrollment process.
• Enhanced user experience: A website showcasing programs relevant to a student’s interests and highlighting campus life based on their location creates a welcoming and informative experience. This sets your institution apart from the competition.
• Improved student retention: Personalization isn’t just for prospective students. Tailoring content and resources to current students’ needs and progress fosters a stronger sense of belonging and supports their success. 
• Boosted alumni engagement: Personalized outreach through the website keeps alumni connected with their alma mater, encouraging donations and fostering lifelong relationships.
• Data-driven decisions: Website personalization allows you to gather valuable data on visitor behavior and preferences. This data empowers you to make informed decisions for strategic marketing initiatives specific to your higher education institution. 

How can I personalize my higher education website?

Here are some practical tips that can transform your website and make it more appealing to students.

1. Audience segmentation

Identify different audience segments such as prospective students, current students, alumni, and parents. Tailor content and messaging to address the specific needs and concerns of each group.

Prospective students 

Suppose a high school senior is passionate about environmental science. In that case, a personalized website experience might showcase your environmental science program’s unique research opportunities, such as studying coral reef restoration in the Caribbean or air quality monitoring in urban environments. 

Highlight testimonials from successful alumni in the field, like a graduate who now works for a national park service. Prominently display upcoming virtual information sessions specifically focused on environmental science careers. This targeted approach makes your institution stand out and increases the chances of converting a motivated student.

Current students

Utilize internal data to tailor content. For example, a struggling first-year engineering student might see recommendations for academic support resources specifically geared towards engineering challenges, like tutoring services or workshops on mastering complex software. 

Suggest workshops on time management skills to help them stay organized. Showcase stories of student success stories from similar academic backgrounds, like a senior who overcame challenges and landed a coveted internship at a top aerospace firm. This personalized support fosters a sense of belonging and empowers them to thrive.

Alumni

Personalize greetings based on graduation year or major. Highlight upcoming events relevant to their field, like industry lectures for business alumni or continuing education workshops for educators. Showcase career development resources offered to alumni, such as resume writing assistance or online networking platforms. 

Personalize content based on their interests gleaned from past interactions, like showcasing athletics updates for former athletes or departmental news for science alumni. This approach cultivates a sense of community and encourages continued engagement with the university.

Parents or guardians

Address their specific concerns with targeted content. This could include financial aid resources tailored to their income bracket, detailed on-campus safety information highlighting security measures and emergency protocols, and testimonials from satisfied parents whose children thrived at your institution.

2. Personalized content recommendations

Take website personalization to the next level by leveraging dynamic content. This allows you to recommend relevant content that piques a visitor’s interest and keeps them engaged.

Imagine a student browsing your computer science program page. By analyzing their browsing history and interests, the website might recommend:

• Related courses: Artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, or data structures – courses that complement their chosen program and spark curiosity about specific areas within computer science.
• Skill-building workshops: Upcoming coding workshops targeted toward honing programming skills – a valuable resource to help them excel in their future studies.
• Student club information: This will help foster a sense of community and provide opportunities to connect with like-minded peers who share their passion for computer science.

By dynamically suggesting relevant courses, workshops, and clubs, you create a personalized learning journey for each visitor. This not only enhances their experience but also encourages deeper exploration of academic interests and extracurricular involvement.

3. Dynamic landing pages

Imagine a high school student from California clicks on a social media ad for your nursing program. A static landing page might leave them feeling like just another number. But with dynamic landing pages, their experience transforms into a personalized welcome wagon.

Here’s how dynamic landing pages create a connection:

Location-based content: The landing page automatically adjusts to display content tailored to the visitor’s location, showcasing accessible and relevant programs and opportunities. By filtering content based on location and interests, the page highlights your institution’s local clinical partnerships, emphasizing practical applications and nearby career potential.

Success stories they’ll recognize: The page features user-generated content (UGC) with testimonials from Californian alumni who are now successful registered nurses. Seeing graduates from their own state thrive fosters a sense of possibility and inspires them to envision their own future success.

Targeted virtual tours: Prominently displayed are upcoming virtual tours specifically designed for West Coast students. The tours are in their location and provides a convenient way for them to explore the program and campus virtually.

By dynamically adjusting content based on visitor details, you create a hyper-personalized experience that resonates with their specific interests and location. This significantly enhances the user experience and dramatically increases the chance of converting a curious visitor into a future student.

4. Triggered calls-to-action

When personalizing your higher education website, it’s essential to use actionable language that moves the visitor through their unique journey. Triggered calls-to-action (CTAs) can have a direct impact on visitor engagement and user experience. 

By implementing relevant and timely CTAs based on individual behaviors and preferences, you can create more compelling incentives for visitors to act.

Here are some examples of triggered calls-to-action in different stages of the user journey:

Early researcher: A prospective student starts reading about a particular program on your website. After they spend a certain amount of time on the page or scroll down to a specific point, a CTA could appear, offering them a downloadable program brochure with more information.

Campus tour stage: As a student gets closer to visiting the campus, the call-to-action can shift to something like “schedule a campus tour” or “register for a virtual open house,” allowing them to experience your institution firsthand before making a decision.

Application phase: For students nearing the application deadline, use a clear and concise “apply now” button, which can be triggered based on their browsing history and the deadline’s proximity. This CTA prompts them to take the next step in the enrollment process.

Tailored content engagement: Use triggered CTAs to offer value-added content or resources when a visitor shows high interest in a particular topic, like subscribing to a department-specific newsletter or registering for a relevant workshop.

By strategically using triggered calls-to-action based on visitor behavior and preferences, your higher education website can provide a more personalized experience, encouraging visitors to take the desired actions that align with their interests and the stage of their enrollment journey.

5. Personalized onsite popovers

Envision a parent researching scholarship opportunities for their child on your website. With personalized onsite popovers, their experience becomes more tailored, engaging, and valuable.

Here’s how personalized onsite popovers enhance the experience:

Behavior-based triggers: Popovers can be triggered by various visitor behaviors, such as time spent on a specific page or scrolling to a particular part of the website. For example, if a parent spends a significant amount of time researching scholarship opportunities, offering a downloadable scholarship guide would be an appropriate popover to enhance their experience.

Deep-dive into interests: Popovers consider a visitor’s interests based on their browsing patterns. If a visitor has shown interest in multiple articles on financial aid or work-study programs, an onsite popover may prompt them to subscribe to a financial aid tips newsletter tailored to their needs.

Tailored reminders: Personalized popovers take note of returning visitors and their previous browsing behaviors. A popover can remind a returning visitor of an upcoming scholarship application deadline and offer to connect them with a financial aid counselor if they require assistance.

Applying personalized onsite popovers allows you to engage visitors based on their unique needs and interests actively. This personalized approach increases overall engagement and conversion rates, contributing to your institution’s success in attracting and nurturing prospective students and their families.

The future of personalized learning

When it comes to effective website personalization, simply addressing a visitor by their name just doesn’t cut it. The real game-changer is ethically and responsibly gathering data, and then using this information to create a uniquely relevant and valuable experience tailored to each visitor’s needs.

The Dotdigital platform provides powerful tools for educational institutions seeking to build and enhance cross-channel personalization.

With the Dotdigital platform, you can:

• Consolidate data from various sources to gain an in-depth understanding of the student journey.
• Segment your audience based on interests, demographics, and engagement levels.
• Seamlessly deliver personalized content across multiple channels, including email, SMS, and push notifications.

Using Dotdigital, you can create a truly personalized experience on your website, build stronger connections with potential students, and effectively showcase the unique value your institution has to offer.

In this blog post, we’ll delve into the relationship between moments-based marketing and the customer journey and share tips for pinpointing and leveraging key touchpoints to drive engagement and conversions. 

Decoding the customer journey

The customer journey is the sequence of interactions and experiences a customer has with your brand, from initial awareness to post-purchase engagement. It typically comprises several stages, including awareness, consideration, decision, and retention. By comprehending the customer journey, you can pinpoint the moments when your audience is most receptive to your marketing messages and tailor your campaigns accordingly. 

Pinpointing key touchpoints

Key touchpoints are the points of interaction between your brand and your customers that have the most significant impact on their journey. These touchpoints can vary depending on your industry, target audience, and marketing goals. Some common key touchpoints for ecommerce brands include: 

• First-time website visits 
• Email sign-ups 
• Social media interactions 
• Abandoned cart reminders 
• Post-purchase follow-ups 

To identify the key touchpoints for your brand, analyze your customer data, and look for patterns in behavior and engagement. Consider conducting customer surveys or interviews to gain additional insights into their experiences and preferences. For instance, the click-through rate (CTR) for welcome campaigns triggered by newsletter sign-ups is 3.5% higher than that of single-send campaigns.

Harnessing key touchpoints in moments-based marketing

Once you’ve identified the key touchpoints in your customer journey, you can harness them to create impactful moments-based marketing campaigns. Here are some tips for doing so: 

• Customize your content: Adapt your marketing messages to the specific needs, preferences, and behaviors of your customers at each touchpoint. 
• Be timely: Deliver your content at the right moment when your customers are most likely to be receptive and engaged. 
• Create a seamless experience: Ensure that your marketing messages are consistent and cohesive across all touchpoints, creating a seamless customer experience. 
• Measure and optimize: Continuously track the performance of your moments-based marketing campaigns at each touchpoint and make data-driven adjustments to optimize their impact. 

Examples of moments-based marketing at key touchpoints

Here are some examples of how brands have successfully harnessed key touchpoints in their moments-based marketing campaigns: 

• A fashion retailer sending personalized product recommendations to customers who have recently browsed their website, based on their browsing history and preferences.
• A software company delivering a series of educational emails to new subscribers, guiding them through the process of using their product and highlighting its key features. 
• A travel agency uses social media to share personalized travel itineraries and special offers with customers who have recently engaged with their content. 

Understanding the customer journey and identifying key touchpoints is crucial for maximizing the impact of your moments-based marketing campaigns. By harnessing these touchpoints and delivering personalized, timely content, you can create memorable experiences that drive engagement and conversions. 

If you’re looking for insights on your CX journey map then request our personalized marketing audit to get expert advice.

In this blog post, we will explore the top personalization trends that will define the future of digital marketing in 2024. From artificial intelligence (AI) advancements to hyper-personalization and dynamic content, we’ll delve into the strategies that will help brands engage, attract, and keep customers loyal.

Artificial intelligence (AI)

Personalization has become more advanced thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). With its ability to go through huge amounts of data and find meaningful patterns, AI helps deliver content that’s tailored just for your customers. By using machine learning, these algorithms can continuously improve and adapt to your user’s preferences. This results in highly relevant product recommendations, custom content, and promotions that are designed to captivate customers.

Dotdigital’s AI-driven product recommendations, for example, help pinpoint the products customers are most likely to be interested in. Our seven pre-built product recommendation categories — best sellers, trending, most viewed, lookalikes, best next, also bought, and custom category — cater to different stages of the customer journey.

Each category is designed to strategically target customers with personalized product options that match their preferences. When you offer customers products that genuinely pique their interest, you’re not only increasing the likelihood of a sale but also making their shopping experience a breeze. It’s a win-win situation for both you and the customer – they find what they’re looking for, and you achieve a successful sale.

Predictive analytics

By 2024, predictive analytics is expected to become essential for businesses seeking a competitive edge in understanding customer behavior. Digital marketers can utilize AI-driven predictive analytics to identify what customers are likely to do next.

At Dotdigital, we are dedicated to utilizing the potential of AI-driven predictive analytics to help digital marketers achieve their objectives. Our predictive analytics capabilities focus on four key areas: churn probability, predicted next purchase date, predicted customer lifetime value, and predicted total future orders. With Dotdigital’s predictive analytics capabilities, you can build customer segments based on these predictive metrics. What’s more, you can leverage the anticipated next purchase date to fine-tune your campaigns, ensuring they are tailored to your customers’ unique spending habits.

Hyper-personalization

Another trend for 2024 is hyper-personalization, which takes personalization to the next level by combining data from various sources such as behavioral, demographic, and transactional information. This comprehensive approach to personalization helps you gain a complete understanding of your customers, delve deeper into their preferences, and create messaging and offers that cater to their individual needs and desires.

Dotdigital has dynamic partner-built app blocks that allow you to personalize content and create engaging campaigns in just a few minutes. With no coding required, you can easily drag and drop third-party partner content into your emails and landing pages using EasyEditor. This helps you make the most of your existing martech stack while also reducing the number of customers who unsubscribe.

Today’s customers expect better experiences from the brands they choose to spend their money with. They prioritize quality over quantity and won’t hesitate to take their business elsewhere if they feel they’re not getting value from a brand. With our App Blocks, you can provide each customer with a better experience in every interaction.

Dynamic content

Looking ahead to 2024, dynamic content will play a significant role in personalizing email marketing. By utilizing customer data, such as their location, you can easily tailor your content and provide localized offers that engage your audience.

Imagine being able to address each recipient by their first name, showcase products they’re interested in, and highlight nearby in-store events. With the advancements in technology, personalizing your marketing communication has become a seamless process. You no longer need to create multiple campaigns for each version or individual recipient.

To achieve this, you can use data fields in your campaign creation to ensure each email feels unique to each customer. This method fills the content with information that is specific to each recipient, adding a personal touch to your email copy. As your audience interacts with your digital content, it adapts and becomes more tailored to their preferences, creating an effortless, personalized experience.

Personalizing your content with dynamic blocks allows you to reach your audience on a deeper level without spending countless hours manually crafting individual emails. Ultimately, you can elevate your email marketing by sending multiple variations of a single email, each rendered uniquely through the power of dynamic content.

Summary

The future of digital marketing lies in personalization. Customers crave tailored experiences, and marketers must embrace trends such as AI personalization, predictive analytics, hyper-personalization, and dynamic content to meet these expectations. Staying updated with these trends and leveraging advanced marketing solutions like Dotdigital will enable you to create effective and impactful campaigns that truly connect with your audience.

Personalization and the human touch

Even in our technology-driven age, people appreciate a personal touch in interactions – that’s why personalization remains a vital marketing tool. Human-to-human (H2H) marketing strategies focus on creating individual experiences, like personalized videos or understanding prospects’ interests through social media. These tailored approaches attract quality leads and boost conversion rates.

Why not level up your workflow by blending personalization with marketing automation? Trust us, it’s a game changer, making your marketing feel even more genuine and engaging to your audience.

How to personalize with marketing automation

When done right, marketing automation adds a human touch by catering to each contact’s unique needs and preferences. It teams up with personalization effortlessly, helping you deliver tailor-made experiences at scale. Here are four ways to achieve that:

1. Segment your audience

When it comes to reaching your audience effectively, segmentation is key. Dotdigital offers powerful tools that allow you to create segments based on various criteria, such as age, location, and RFM score. This means you can tailor your marketing efforts to specific groups within your audience.

By utilizing automation programs, Dotdigital makes it easy for you to create segments and deliver targeted messages. This not only saves you time but also ensures that your audience receives personalized content that resonates with them.

2. Use dynamic content

Dynamic content is a game-changer when it comes to email marketing. It enables you to provide personalized and targeted content to your recipients in one email. Achieving this is possible by tapping into your customer analytics and creating engaging content, which can be delivered at scale using dynamic content blocks and smart program logic.

Imagine being able to display images of local stores to recipients based on their location, making them feel like you’re right there with them. Or recommending products based on their recently viewed or purchased items, giving them that extra nudge toward making a purchase.

With dynamic content, you can create highly relevant and engaging emails that cater to each recipient’s unique preferences and behaviors. It’s like having a personal assistant who knows exactly what your customers want, delivering the right message at the right time.

3. Customer-driven journeys

Gone are the days of a one-size-fits-all approach to automation programs. In today’s customer-centric world, it’s all about giving your contacts control over their journey. Instead of bombarding your customers with generic content, why not offer multiple paths based on their actions and preferences?

But it doesn’t stop there. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different approaches like remails to find what truly resonates with your audience. Keep testing and refining your strategies until you discover what works best for each segment of your contacts.

4. Leverage behavior data

Tapping into behavioral data is the key to understanding your audience by tracking their actions and responding in a way that resonates with them. With Dotdigital, crafting automation programs that respond to your contacts’ behavior as it happens becomes a piece of cake, paving the way for timely and relevant communication.

Imagine noticing a shopper leaving items in their cart, and effortlessly sending them a gentle trigger to encourage the completion of their purchase. Or, picture welcoming a new subscriber to your newsletter by guiding them through your brand’s journey, all the while showcasing meaningful offers, using marketing automation.

By harnessing the potential of behavioral data, you’ll never miss an opportunity to connect with your audience when it matters most, leading to stronger relationships and increased satisfaction.

Combine marketing automation and personalization for maximized results

Both personalization and marketing automation have their merits, but combining the two can help you unlock your full marketing potential. With tools like Dotdigital, you can provide personalized experiences at scale, catering to each contact’s unique interests and preferences, without sacrificing the efficiency and reach of automation.