The Numbers Don’t Lie: A Personalized Online Approach Works

The recently conducted MyBuys Holiday Shopping study by Harris Interactive shows that providing a personalized online shopping experience is inspiring sales this holiday season. The survey’s results show that marketers can attract more customers and increase sales by personalizing their sales pitches. This survey of 2,201 shoppers age 18 and up reveals that 80 percent of respondents have purchased a product when they’ve received a prior product recommendation from a retailer. Yet just 62 percent said those product recommendations were personalized to their tastes. Here are some more highlights from the survey.

* 76 percent of those polled received a product recommendation; 84 percent of those respondents said they shopped online;

* 60 percent said they’re more likely to shop with marketers that follow up with special recommendations based on customers’ specific interests and past purchases, rather than retailers that send generic one-size-fits-all e-mails;

* 65 percent said they would like e-retailers to offer e-mail alerts for new products or sales from brands or categories they’re interested in; they’d also like e-mail alerts when out-of-stock products arrive and product recommendations to help them find relevant items when they’re shopping; and

* 53 percent prefer to shop with e-retailers that effectively personalize their shopping experience (e.g., recommend brands and categories the consumer has previously shown interest in).

For more information, go to www.mybuys.com .