Personalization Tips for Increasing Online Conversions

Offering consumers a truly personalized shopping experience it critical to winning in today's ultracompetitive online retail environment. Shoppers demand a lot from retailers — from knowing who they are, what they like and exactly how they want to shop.

To learn how to increase engagement and conversions, stay ahead of evolving consumer expectations, differentiate your business and more all with personalization, sign up for Total Retail's webinar "Personalization Tips That Will Make Your Business More Money," happening this Wednesday (April 26) at 2:00 p.m. ET.

Aubrie Pagano, CEO and co-founder of Bow & Drape, and Cara Harshman, personalization strategist and author, will offer their top personalization tips. Below, Harshman previews the webinar in this interview.

Total Retail: In your opinion, what makes a great personalized shopping experience?
Cara Harshman: A great personalized experience feels second nature. It’s tailored just enough that the customer feels like she has everything she wants at her fingertips, and not overly personalized to pigeon hole her into an experience or make her feel like Big Brother is watching.

TR: Why is offering consumers a personalized experience imperative in today’s retail landscape?
CH: It’s what the customer wants and what they expect. Sure, you can read stats everywhere that say something along the lines of “88 percent of consumers say they’re more likely to shop with retailers that deliver personalized experiences,” but all you really need to do to understand that personalization is table stakes these days is to shop online yourself and see the new level of functionality big retailers offer.

TR: With customer expectations constantly evolving, how can retailers stay ahead when it comes to personalization?
CH: Adopting a rigorous testing and growth mind-set is core to staying ahead with evolving consumer expectations. Commit to making hypotheses instead of assumptions. Testing your hypotheses instead of making sweeping changes based on your gut instinct will be vital for brands that want to evolve with their customers, not after.

TR: What is one tip you can offer retailers to help create a seamless, personalized cross-channel shopping experience?
CH: One tip, which we’ll discuss more in the webinar, is to take a holistic approach to mobile site design. Mobile websites shouldn’t be condensed versions of your desktop site. Shoppers behave differently and use their phones differently than their laptops. Design a unique mobile site that lends well to that unique behavior.

Be sure to register for the upcoming webinar, "Personalization Tips That Will Make Your Business More Money," happening April 26 at 2:00 p.m. ET, to hear more from Harshman and Pagano.