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Find answers to online merchandisers' common questions about using AI integrations to improve the customer's shopping experience. From smart collections to personalized recommendations, these expert insights will boost customer engagement, sales, AOV, and your bottom line.
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What is Predictive Personalization?
Personalization is non-negotiable in eCommerce. 60% of your visitors can become repeat customers if you give them personalized buying experiences. While there are different ways to achieve this, predictive personalization is rising along with AI to change the retail space. Below we look at what predictive personalization is and how it works to help you stay ahead of the curve and meet your customers' needs. Understanding Predictive Personalization Predictive personalization is a powerful marketing approach that uses AI, machine learning, and data analytics to clearly understand customers' needs and provide personalized experiences in real-time. Predictive personalization stands apart from other personalization approaches because it's proactive. Instead of simply reacting to explicit customer requests, it can already begin to anticipate your customers' needs based on data like their location, demographic, or browsing behavior. For example, Princess Polly, an online fashion store, starts the predictive personalization process immediately on their homepage. Visitors can choose their shopping region, meaning prices, stock availability, and shipping information is already localized to them. Additionally, visitors receive a discount to encourage them to purchase. Because the discount is sent via text, visitors need to submit their mobile number. Predictive personalization instantly picks up the visitor's location and automatically inserts it into the form. This means the visitor can just type in their number without changing any other settings. » Learn how personalization can help you improve merchandising on your store How Predictive Personalization Works Predictive personalization works by analyzing customer data and making real-time predictions about their behavior using advanced algorithms, machine learning techniques, and AI. In a nutshell, the process works like this: Collect Your Data You can gather information from a range of sources, including customer interactions with your website, social media, and email marketing campaigns. Analyze Your Data By using predictive tools like AI, machine learning, and algorithms, you can analyze your data to uncover patterns and trends in customer behavior, preferences, and interests. Predict Your Customers' Behavior Once you've identified trends, your predictive tools can generate predictions about what a customer is likely to do next, allowing you to give your customers what they need before they even have to ask for it. This can include what products customers will likely purchase, what content will draw their attention, and what channels they prefer to communicate through.Personalize Your Customers' Shopping Experience You can implement your predictive personalization strategy to give your customers customized search results, upsell and cross-sell product recommendations, and emails. If you implement predictive personalization successfully, you can deliver more relevant and timely content by anticipating your customers' requirements and preferences. This in turn boosts your chances of engagement and conversion. » Need to boost your email marketing? Here's how to use AI to personalize emails Fast-Forward to Success with Predictive Personalization Predictive personalization is a formidable marketing strategy that can help you understand your customers' needs, giving them the best shopping experience possible. While predictive tools can process a lot of data quickly and even pick up patterns that a person might miss, customer behavior is ever-changing. By making sure your tools and models are updated, you can maintain a competitive edge and efficiently grow your online operation. » Discover more effective ways eCommerce personalization helps your business
Asked a month ago
Behavioral Targeting Vs. Retargeting: Is There a Difference?
Did you know that companies who leverage personalization see 40% more revenue than the average competitor? To be in that bracket, it's useful to understand if there's a difference between behavioral targeting and retargeting. Plus, with 71% of consumers expecting personalized experiences from businesses, using these targeting techniques in your marketing strategy can help boost conversions. What Is Behavioral Targeting? Behavioral targeting involves analyzing customer behavior and grouping it according to data, such as browsing habits, site searches, other visited sites, and past purchases. Automated behavior data collection can greatly facilitate this process, and there are tools available to help, such as Klaviyo. The collected data offers multiple personalization options in the form of: Targeted adsEmailsSocial media posts For example, if you've been looking up mattress reviews, next time you scroll through your social media feeds, you may notice sponsored ads from different mattress brands. » Want to leverage social media? Learn what social commerce means for your business What Is Behavioral Retargeting? Behavioral retargeting, also known as remarketing, is the process of re-engaging with users who have already shown interest in your products or services but did not convert. This technique uses the same tools as behavioral targeting to track and analyze customer behavior for customized marketing opportunities. For example, Targus, a computer and accessories brand, displays an array of backpacks and laptop cases after a site visit where we viewed backpacks on offer. Personalization like this can highlight that you understand shoppers' intent and show attentive consideration of their needs, which can encourage conversion. So, What's the Difference? Although the two methods seem near identical, there are slight differences. Contributions to Your Overall Marketing Strategy Behavioral targeting is a broader technique that entails creating targeted campaigns for audience segments. Retargeting is smaller-scale and focuses on those already aware of your brand, emphasizing their prior interest creatively. The goal for both is to increase conversions by leveraging user preferences. Stages of the Sales Funnel Behavioral targeting is commonly employed at the top of the funnel to acquire new potential customers and raise brand or product awareness. Retargeting is frequently utilized at the middle or bottom of the funnel to re-engage with consumers who haven't converted. » Find out why personalization for large audiences through anonymous data works Fast Targeting, Better Marketing Behavioral targeting and retargeting are connected methods that evaluate customer behavior and utilize the same tools in different ways. By incorporating these into your marketing strategy, you can get your brand to consumers who are likely to convert, plus help reduce the number of users who leave your eCommerce store empty-handed. So, why not try it and avoid wasting time and resources on reaching out to broader audiences?
Asked a month ago
Remarketing vs. Retargeting: What Is the Difference?
Remarketing and retargeting have subtle differences, even though both of these advertising techniques target users who have already shown interest in your brand. Retargeted ads have a 70% chance of conversion, while remarketing can increase your website traffic by 108%. So, leveraging these techniques effectively can help maximize conversions and boost your business's bottom line. What Is Remarketing? Remarketing uses personalized advertising to target people who have already interacted with or purchased from your website or brand. Email is one of the best remarketing tools as it has an 8.17% conversion rate. Email solutions like Klaviyo have almost endless customization options so you can conceptualize and send any content to prospective customers. You can maximize conversions by sending: Personalized email reminders about abandoned cartsIncentives, such as discounts and free shippingUpsell and cross-sell options What Is Retargeting? Retargeting uses cookies to track a user's browsing history on your site, then displays targeted ads on other sites that the user visits. Retargeted users are three times more likely to click on the ad than those who haven't interacted with your brand before. Consider this: a user visits your online clothing brand, browses various dresses, but doesn't purchase any. When scrolling through social media, ads for your dresses may appear on the user's feed. This can help you brand by: Increasing the likelihood of a purchaseImproving brand recognition and reachAchieving customer satisfaction through adequate personalization » Learn why customers are leaving your eCommerce store and how to make them stay 3 Key Differences Between Remarketing vs Retargeting 1. Target Audience Remarketing targets customers who have already made purchases and so are more likely to make repeat orders or re-engage with your brand. Retargeting appeals more to potential customers who have shown interest in your brand or product by visiting your website or engaging with your social content. 2. Communication Method With Customers Because remarketing is aimed at existing customers, communication is typically through personalized email or SMS campaigns. Retargeting focuses on paid digital ads on different platforms, such as social media and search engines, and can include social proof to encourage conversions. 3. Call to Actions (CTAs) Remarketing CTAs include direct engagement by asking customers to perform a specific action. For example, taking up promotional offers, signing up for loyalty programs, or providing reviews on recent purchases. Retargeting CTAs are indirect, asking potential customers to do more general actions, like revisiting your site or signing up for a newsletter to create long-lasting customer relationships over time. Retarget and Remarket for Fast Conversions While remarketing is effective for encouraging existing customers to make repeat purchases or engage with a particular product or service, retargeting reminds potential customers about their interest in your brand. Understanding these differences and your shoppers' intent can help you to tailor your marketing strategies to ultimately optimize your advertising efforts and maximize conversions. » Want to try AI? Find out how AI can improve conversion rates in eCommerce
Asked 2 months ago
How to Choose Which Products to Upsell on Your eCommerce Store
Choosing which products to upsell on your eCommerce store is crucial to boosting revenue and average order value. Because 11-30% of your revenue can come from upselling, we've compiled the top factors you should consider when you choose which products to upsell. Upselling encourages your customers to buy extra products or a higher-priced version of the same product they initially intended to buy. 3 Factors to Consider When Choosing Which Products to Upsell 1. Pick Products You Can Upgrade Offering upgraded or customized versions of products provides added value to your customer and increases the overall sale for your business. The products should also be relevant to the site search queries or the customer's previous purchases. For example, on the 401 Games site, when searching for Pokémon products, two similar bundles come up. One offers an extra pack, making the bundle cost more. The use of bundling and added value can help entice customers to purchase the more expensive bundle. Tip: When bundling, you can use A/B testing to see which bundles get the most traffic and result in more sales and profits. This technique can also be used for price testing. 2. Consider the Price Range Choosing a more expensive product can help increase your profit, but make sure that the price difference is still reasonable and that your customers feel they "won" by purchasing your product. By experimenting with different price points, you can find the sweet spot that leads to more conversions. For instance, Steve Madden uses smart collections to highlight differently priced products that are still related. This paints a fuller image of what the customer could attain and wear together. Since the prices are close in range, it can imply more value that fits the customer's budget. 3. Personalize Your Product Recommendations By analyzing data about what your customers have purchased in the past and their browsing preferences, you can offer complementary products or updated versions of previously purchased items. Personalization can lead to more revenue since customers may be more likely to purchase because they feel understood and valued. Take IMA for example. They offer a "personalized just for you" section while browsing that lightly suggests custom bundling the customer can try, which can lead to higher revenue per order. » Learn more about the benefits of upsell and cross-sell personalization Fast Upselling Solutions Customers are more likely to accept upsell recommendations if the products are logically chosen. Using the right strategies based on your product types, prices, and customer preferences can be beneficial. You can gain higher conversions and revenue, optimized customer experiences, and better inventory management. So, why not take a look at your product options and find which strategies work for you? » Ready to cross-sell next? Implement cross-selling at the right stage in your conversion funnel
Asked 2 months ago
At What Stage of the eCommerce Conversion Funnel Should You Cross-Sell?
Cross-selling at the checkout stage of the eCommerce conversion funnel can help you to optimize your customers' experience on your store and increase your revenue. In fact, according to McKinsey research, cross-selling can increase your sales by 20%. Cross-selling is a marketing strategy where you offer related or complementary products to your customer to encourage them to increase their purchase. Cross-Selling in Your Conversion Funnel Invesp notes that 26% of revenue comes from personalized product recommendations. So, implementing cross-selling at the checkout stage of your conversion funnel is a good strategy, because your customers have already decided to make a purchase. By using product personalization based on their preferences, you can encourage them to buy complementary products and increase your average order value. Cross-Sell the Right Way Let's take Everten, a kitchenware online store, as an example. When adding a specific item to your cart, like a 2 piece frypan set, Everten suggests complementary items that are a lower cost. These items aren't essential to using the frypan set, but can enhance their use. Implementing cross-sell personalization at this point therefore can show that you're paying attention to your customers' interests, which can increase the likelihood of a higher average order value. Additionally, recommended items that are cheaper than your customer's intended purchase item can imply higher value without having to spend outside of their budget, and that simply increasing profit isn't your only motive- but user experience is too. » Find out how and why to use eCommerce upsell and cross-sell recommendations Fast Cross-Selling at the Final Stretch Integrating cross-selling at the bottom of the conversion funnel can help increase sales and improve customer satisfaction without being overly aggressive. But, through A/B testing, you can find if cross-selling works better at other stages based on your product types and customers' needs. By understanding customers' intent and buying preferences, you can recommend relevant and personalized products, increasing the likelihood of cross-selling success.
Asked 2 months ago
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