Website Personalisation

Firstly, let’s get this out the way…

“WHAT IS WEBSITE PERSONALISATION?”

Website personalisation is the process of creating unique and tailored experiences in real-time for individual customers.

A website personalisation strategy is implemented through personalised website content, such as product recommendations and dynamic content. It works by matching a website visitor’s behaviour to that of a carefully determined target audience persona. Specific content is then shown to the audience, depending on the persona that has been identified.

A good website personalisation strategy will involve spending a fair amount of time analysing an organisation’s audiences and building up different personas based on a range of demographics and interests. This is crucial, as it lays the foundation for website personalisation and allows you to deliver a truly personalised website experience.

WEBSITE PERSONALISATION EXAMPLES

Let’s take an example of a furniture website. I might visit the website and look at a few different beds. In the background, the website will be matching up my persona based on my demographics and the pages that I am visiting. The website will have some personalised content blocks across the site, which will serve up different content based on different personas.

So, I might be shown a call to action directing me to look at more beds that I might like. And on another page, I might be shown some other bedroom furniture. I won’t be shown living room or dining room furniture for example, as I haven’t expressed an interest in those areas, so they won’t be part of my persona.

Someone else might come onto the site and look at TV cabinets. They are likely to be shown items such as other TV cabinets, coffee tables and living room storage.

So how does it work out which content to show? Generally, website personalisation involves adding tags to pages. So, product pages with beds, may be tagged up as ‘beds’ as the product tag and ‘bedroom furniture’ as the product category tag. If I’m visiting x amount of pages with the tag ‘beds’, then the personalised content blocks will trigger content that is intended for this tag.

Website personalisation can be as in-depth as you want it to be. For example, you may also choose to build up personas based on product ranges or brands that people are interested in, product materials, colours, price ranges that they are looking at and so on.

THE BENEFITS OF WEBSITE PERSONALISATION

Doesn’t it feel good when somebody just ‘gets’ you? They understand what you like and build a great connection with you. With website personalisation, it’s just like that. Well, similar. A well-personalised website recognises what you like and delivers content that you will love… developing a seamless personalised website experience and a meaningful connection. The result? The ultimate aim is to turn your website visitor into a happy customer who will likely return to your website and tell all their friends about you. A personal touch really can go a long way.

Why serve a broad and generic content experience to all, when you can show each user something more interesting and engaging using website personalisation techniques?

With a personalised website experience, customers build a stronger affinity with brands as they show a level of understanding and listen to them. Leading to a quicker and easier funnel through the purchase journey and repeat visits boosting that customer lifetime value. So it’s more important than ever to ensure that you’re offering personalised user experiences that appeal to your audience.

Personalised website content is a way for brands to use machine learning to tailor their messaging to each individual customer based on user behaviours.

WEBSITE PERSONALISATION CASE STUDY

A recent Personalisation case study with Brompton Bicycle shows how they are now delivering a personalised and relevant customer experience with Sitecore personalisation. This is across 48 global markets, fuelling growth and boosting customer loyalty.

EMERGING TRENDS IN WEBSITE PERSONALISATION

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, so do website personalisation techniques. These days, it’s not just about showing product recommendations based on past browsing history; it’s about offering a completely personalised website experience. Advanced machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence are being integrated into personalisation strategies, making the user experience more dynamic and engaging than ever before.

One trend gaining traction is real-time personalisation, which involves updating the website’s content instantaneously based on the user’s actions, thereby creating a highly engaging and interactive experience. For instance, in eCommerce personalisation, as a user adds items to their basket, real-time algorithms can immediately suggest complementary items, offer discounts, or provide other incentives, all aimed at increasing the basket value.

Moreover, the application of predictive analytics enables a brand to anticipate customer needs even before they explicitly express them. By analysing data trends and user behaviour, predictive models can automatically suggest products or services that a visitor is likely to be interested in. This elevates the personalised website experience from reactive to proactive, making it even more compelling for the user.

Personalised website content is no longer limited to the text or product listings on a site. Even visual elements like banners, videos, and images are becoming customisable based on user preferences. For example, a fashion eCommerce website could change its homepage banner to display summer dresses for a user who has been searching for them, whereas someone else interested in outdoor gear would see banners related to camping equipment.

Omni-channel personalisation is another aspect that brands are focusing on. A seamless personalised website experience is being extended to mobile apps, email campaigns, and even in-store interactions. By keeping track of a customer’s interactions across all these channels, a cohesive and unified user experience can be delivered, thereby amplifying customer loyalty and lifetime value.

WHICH CMS IS BEST FOR WEBSITE PERSONALISATION?

When it comes to website personalisation, the two main contenders are Sitecore and Umbraco.

Sitecore personalisation is built into the CMS. Sitecore CMS works with components, which makes it easier for marketers to produce behaviour-based rules. Persona development is thorough, so audiences can be segmented easily and served relevant content. Sitecore logs user activity upon each visit and, if several predefined rules are triggered during the session, then the personalised website content will be delivered.

Umbraco personalisation isn’t built-in as standard. But it’s possible through add-ons. Apps such as ‘Personalisation Groups’ are designed to work with your Umbraco CMS to serve personalised page content depending on how users interact with your website.

If you’d like to read a little more about this, check out our blog Sitecore vs Umbraco: which platform is right for you.