“Personalization” is a big buzzword these days – and many businesses are using personalization in their marketing strategies. Whether it’s offering made-to-order products like the Publix supermarket chain in Florida, or sending weekly reports to users like Grammarly, personalization is a hugely popular tool for attracting and retaining customers. According to a recent Everstring survey, nearly 70% of brands call it a top priority.

What is “personalization” and why is it important? It is defined as tailoring a service or product to accommodate a specific individual’s wants or needs in order to improve customer satisfaction. Car dealers have been doing it for years – they call it customizing.

Personalized marketing drives growth: 93% of companies with  “advanced personalization strategies” saw revenue growth, according to behavior expert Jennifer Clinehens. And personalization drives long-term customer value. Brands that had the highest personalization ROI focused on loyalty as their top KPI. (Key Performance Indicator)

Marketing expert Seth Godin explains: “Personalization is a chance to differentiate at a human scale, to use behavior as the most important clue about what people want and more important, what people need.”

Retail Personalization

Customers crave products that cater to their needs and are made just for them. Investing in personalization efforts can pay off big for brands and drive-up revenue as much as 30%. 70% of consumers say they will shop exclusively with businesses that personally understand them, says Blake Morgan, customer experience specialist at Forbes.

Vail Resorts In Colorado has an app that gives skiers personalized ski  conditions. Covergirl uses information like a customer’s skin tone and facial features to recommend the best beauty products. Perry Ellis helps men decide what to wear with personalized assistance through Amazon Alexa. And Nike uses a 3D sneaker platform to custom-build sneakers that fit a customer’s foot perfectly.

Personalization in Email Marketing

With all this positive information about personalization, it’s a no-brainer that email marketing should also be personalized. It’s worth the time and effort, and you can do it by simply adding a person’s name to an email and a subject head:

We made it for you, {name.}
Hi, [name], quick question for you
Hey {name.} we think you’re going to like this.
Pssst {name} this is only for you

You can expand your email personalization with birthday notices, anniversaries, location personalization that mentions events where they live, and loyalty offers. However, wishing someone an automated  “happy birthday” when it’s not their birthday is poor personalization and can cost you dearly.

In the vast world of the web where there’s so much anonymity, it’s refreshing to get something that’s personal. Customers overwhelmingly like being recognized and it can yield major dividends. With email marketing, it can improve your open rates up to 26%. The potential for profiting from personalization is big so do it – just make sure you get the right date for your customer’s birthday.