Let’s be honest, personalisation in marketing is important at any time, but in times of a crisis it needs to take top priority. In its distilled form personalisation is a way in which marketers are able to send the right messages, to the right people, at the right time. Giving consumers the best experience whilst being useful and thoughtful can only be delivered with the right personalisation strategies and tactics. The following are some of the top reasons why we think all marketers need to turn their priority to email and web personalisation.

Ecommerce is growing

70% of UK marketers predict an increase in ecommerce usage (eConsultancy) and whilst there is uncertainty on how COVID-19 will affect long term consumer behaviour, in the short term consumers will be stampeding towards online purchasing. Which means that retailers need to be ready. Online sales have already increased 52% compared with the same time frame a year ago and the number of online shoppers has increased by nearly 9%. (Quantum Metrics) If you don’t have it already this is a time to invest in the right personalisation software to ensure you stay competitive.

It’s time to re-think demographics and behaviour

Your audience is changing, their needs and the restrictions due to self isolation/social distancing is drastically mutating by the day. With the over 70’s asked to self isolate for 12 weeks, companies moving to remote working for the foreseeable future, schools about to go on shut down – most people will not be able to leave their homes. However each of their needs will be different and very different to the segment and persona understanding that you have today. It is essential for marketers now to revisit your persona definitions in the light of this particular crisis.  Once this has been completed you need to take stock of your current automated campaigns.

Your automations may no longer be relevant

We have always recommended that marketers need to regularly update their automations, however in light of changes to consumer behaviour, due to coronavirus, now is the time to assess each of the automations you have set up. Ensure they now meet all the new persona definitions and are updated accordingly. Even though it is business as usual – it needs to be BAU with thoughtfulness.

Updating stock levels

COVID-19 is also having a huge impact on the supply chain. With stock levels fluctuating massively due to demand and supply slowing from China, this is a crucial time for timely messages when items come back into stock. Shifting recommendations to items that are similar to those out of stock will help you move product that might normally sit on shelves.

Stock level personalisation to advise consumers what is and isn’t in stock, updated with delivery times, will help your customers navigate their experience with you at ease.

Life-cycle of products

Consumer spending might drop in the long term as economic outlook is less positive, however consumers will still need essentials and demand for other products and services may increase. Being ready for this is key for all marketers. Analysing the lifecycle of products and prompting customers to re-purchase towards the end of lifecycle will help drive increased revenues and ensure the customer purchases the product from you and not a competitor.

Improve acquisition conversion rates

Personalisation also helps you build engagement earlier in the buying cycle and reduce the cost of acquisition. Personalised landing pages help you deliver relevant messages that are targeted to specific segments, increasing the likely conversion of those products. Ai driven site personalisation helps you identify anonymous browsers and capture email addresses.

Bring back abandoned shoppers

One of the most popular personalisation tactics is abandoned basket campaigns. As the retail space continues to be competitive, a time of crisis is an even more important reason to implement this technology that can recover more than 12% of revenue lost to abandoned baskets. Nothing is more frustrating for retailers than seeing customers drop out during the checkout process. Sending triggered messages at a timely manner brings back these shoppers to spend with you rather than a competitor.

Pure360 is here to help ecommerce marketers at a time of crisis and to assist and advise we would love to offer you a free personalisation audit. Click here and fill in your details, we’ll be in touch! Keep a look out for more content around how marketers can still build engagement and drive action during the time of coronavirus.

Good luck and stay safe!