Personalization: How the Best Retailers Do It
Personalization matters. So much so that the majority of shoppers say they are likely to make a purchase as a result of personalized content. This should not be surprising after all who doesn’t want a purchase that is perfectly customized to their wants and needs.
Before personalization even became a buzz word Starbucks realized a subtle action like asking a customer for their name can go a long way in providing a more personal level of service. And the retailer has been rewarded with high levels of customer loyalty.
Retailers such as Adidas see personalization as the future of retail and are experimenting with technologies like 3D knitting that can produce customized clothing in a little as a few hours.
Over time retailers will shift from mass to custom in an effort to win over more customers. If you want to see the wide range of personalized products and services that retailers are using to get customers to come back for more then this list is for you.
1. Coke
One of the best examples of personalization is Coke’s Share a Coke campaign. When the campaign launched in the US in 2014 it featured 250 of the most popular names among American teens and millennials on the outside of Coke cans and bottles. You may have seen a bottle with your name on it at the grocery store and picked one up for yourself. By 2015 the campaign featured 1,000 different names. This has been a great way for Coke to create a personal connection with its customers.
The campaign was so successful that following the initial launch Coke expanded the campaign to include an eCommerce site (www.shareacoke.com) where customers create and order personalized coke bottles. Aedamar Howlett, Coke’s Marketing Director for Great Britain commented that: “’Share a Coke’ was a global phenomenon which took product personalization to the next level. The 2014 campaign earned a number of awards and mass-scale engagement with our customers online and in-store.”
2. Starbucks
One of the details you may not think about but it is quite powerful is that each and every time you go to Starbucks the Barista greets you, asks for your name and writes your name on your order. Despite the fact that Starbucks serves more than 100 million customers per week it provides a personalized level of service each and every time. Starbucks also shows that providing a personal level of service doesn’t have to break the bank.
3. Lowe’s
In 2016 Lowe’s executed a six month project called Bespoke Designs where customers in its Chelsea store in New York City could use 3D printing to create customized items for a range of home improvement projects. Some of the tasks customers were able to carry out included monogramming cabinetry hardware, replicating precious heirlooms (i.e. a broken one of kind light fixture).
4. Indochino
Menswear brand Indochino allows customers to customize their clothing. If you are ordering a suit you can choose the buttons (type and quantity), pockets, lining, colour (inside and outside) etc. so that you have a suit that perfectly matches your style.
5. Ministry of Supply
Ministry of Supply, a clothing brand, installed a 3D knitting machine in its store in New York City. It started by offering a 3D knitted jacket that looks a little bit more like a cardigan that can be worn to the office. Customers pick out the colour, cuffs and buttons. The process takes 90 minutes to complete a perfectly customized jacket.
6. Adidas
In 2017 Adidas had a popup store in Berlin called Knit for You. Customers looking for the next level of personalization could take a 3D body scan and then get a merino wool sweater crafted to their exact size as well as colour preferences within four hours. Customers could also make small modifications to the sweater patterns to ensure that it was to their liking To craft the customized sweater Adidas used industrial 3D knitting machines along with human knitters located inside of the popup.
7. Madewell
At Madewell customers can have their denim and leather purchases personalized with a monogram or catch phrase of their choice. If a customer is part of Madewell Insiders, the retailer’s loyalty program, this service is free. The brand even has a “The Make it Personal Tour” where a truck with a sign called “Madewell Personalization” travels to several cities across the US. Customers are able to purchase Madewell’s top selling leather items and have their items monogrammed on the spot for free.
8. Nordstrom
Nordstrom is another retailer that is focused on personalization. In its men’s store in New York city there is a Levi’s Tailor Shop. Nordstrom calls the Levi’s Tailor Shop a one-of-a-kind partnership where customers can have their denim jeans or jackets distressed, hemmed, repaired or elevated with studs and decals. Customers can also have their denim monogramed. Nordstrom offers this service even if the denim the customer wants customized are not Levi’s.
9. MUJI
Japanese lifestyle brand MUJI has a service called MUJI YOURSELF which offers in-store personalization of MUJI products. Customers have the option of engraving letters on a broad range of MUJI products including business card holders, storage units, notebooks and pencil cases. The retailer also offers custom embroidery where customers can choose from over 200 designs and letters. These designs can be embroidered on the retailer’s fabric products. Customers can also opt to have a picture of their choice printed onto selected MUJI apparel and home fabric items.
10. Shinola
Leather goods, accessories and paper products company Shinola demonstrates that providing personalization can be inexpensive. It offers customers free monogramming on leather goods and paper products such as journals where customers can have their name or initials engraved on their favourite bag or notebook. Customers can also get their jewellery purchases engraved.
11. Away
In addition to offering stylish and functional luggage, Instagram favourite luggage brand Away allows customers to customize their luggage. Customers can choose from a range of personalization options including having a monogram of up to three letters engraved on their luggage. In addition to engraving, customers can have a monogram hand painted onto their purchase.
On Away’s website it says: “our team of artists will paint it on by hand in our SoHo studio”. It takes up to two – three weeks for the artists to work their magic. If customers prefer embroidery, embroidered letters can be added to backpacks and other bags. If those options aren’t enough, then customers can have stickers added to their bags.
12. Apple
When you buy Apple products such as: AirPods, iPads, the iPod touch you can add engraving for free either for yourself or as the perfect gift.
13. Nike
Nike has brought DIY to the footwear market with its NIKE BY YOU product offering. When customers go to the NIKE BY YOU section on Nike’s website they can customize shoes by choosing the colour of the swoosh, lining, laces, soles and airbags. Customers can also write a message on the side of a shoe and in some cases they can select the shoe’s material.
On Nike’s website it says: “you can be your own footwear designer and customise shoes with the colour, fit and feel that's perfect for your style. You can start with a blank canvas or with inspiration from Nike designers and athletes.” Customers can also add a Personal iD (PiD) to their merchandise to signify the shoe they have designed as their own custom creation.
14. ThirdLove
Customers shopping at ThirdLove, an online bra and underwear retailer, start the company’s “try before you buy” shopping process by taking a Fit Finder quiz. Customers have to answer questions such as what their current bra size is and if they have any fit issues (i.e. the cups gape a lot). In exchange for sharing intimate information, customers receive a personalized bra recommendation in as little as 60 seconds. 12 million women have used ThirdLove’s Fit Finder quiz to-date.
15. Amazon
Still aiming to dominate the apparel sector Amazon has launched Personal Shopper by Prime Wardrobe.The service allows shoppers to receive a curated box of clothing and shoes based on their style and personal preferences.
To get started with the service customers have to complete an online quiz that covers a range of topics including the customer’s budget, style, body type, measurements etc. Then based on that data Amazon’s stylists select up to 8 items of clothing and shoes for the customer. Amazon says that it uses: “a combination of technology innovation and a personalized human touch” to select a curated set of items for customers using the service.