Consumers today won’t (and shouldn’t) settle for a “good enough” customer journey. They deserve custom, tailored experiences and the only way for your brand to provide is with the right data.
For the uninitiated, a customer journey is the path your consumers follow when interacting with your business, from the initial awareness of your product to the final purchase and beyond.
Additionally, a recent analysis from Coresight Research shows that customers are even willing to trade their data in exchange for personalized experiences. And, the younger the generation, the more willing they are to offer up their data.
With all the advancements in retail and marketing technology, your DTC brand can capture and leverage enough customer data to deliver highly relevant customer journeys and ensure that your brand stays at the top of their favorites list.
All the pieces of the customer journey personalization puzzle pieces are readily available to DTC brands. 🧩 Here’s how to put them together to give your customers exactly what they demand: custom experiences.
1️⃣ Capture data for spot-on product recommendations
The most successful DTC companies are transparent about data collection and encourage customers to willingly participate in data sharing.
For example, add a quiz to your home page to learn more about customer features and preferences. Armed with this information, you can personalize your product recommendations while the customer is actively shopping.
Spongelle does this well with its fragrance quiz. It would be challenging to know what smells website visitors prefer. So they don’t guess — they ask.
This is winning!
2️⃣ Segment lists to speak to your subscribers
If you're still blasting the same email to your entire list, consider this your official DTC newsletter email marketing intervention. (Thank us later.)
All the best email service providers allow you to capture customer data and then segment your lists based on that data.
Segmenting allows your brand to accurately target your intended audience based on data like gender, age, location, product opt-in, and more.
Here’s an example of location segmentation from Resy.
Resy asks customers for specific location information so they can send recommendations for restaurants near them. Resy also provides a clear way for subscribers to update their location preferences, keeping the experience relevant.
3️⃣ Dive deeper with dynamic content
Personalization doesn’t stop at "Dear [First Name]” or one home-page quiz.
You can also leverage dynamic content — or content that changes based on visitor preferences, features, and behaviors — to personalize the customer experience. 🪄
In email marketing, this may look like a block of content that changes depending on the customer’s gender.
For example, create one block of content for your women’s clothing collection and another for your men’s collection. Then, program the dynamic content block to display in your email based on your customers' identification. This way, customers only see the collection that matches their preferences.
On a website, dynamic content could adjust in real-time based on the visitor's behavior, preferences, or history.
For example, if a visitor has previously looked at running shoes on a sports retail website, the homepage could automatically feature running-related products, articles, or special offers the next time they visit. 🏃
4️⃣ Make website browsing feel like in-store shopping
The best time to improve the customer journey is when shoppers are on your website. With the help of real-time analytics, you can offer live recommendations or personalized discounts as shoppers browse.
Another idea is to ask customers to enable cookies. If the customers opt-in, you can track their on-site behavior and display things like recently viewed items. The relevant display can lead them directly back to the products they’ve been eyeing.
5️⃣ Nurture through post-purchase
Remember, one purchase isn’t the end of the customer journey. It’s just one step. Once your customers have checked out, add them to a specific list and send post-purchase emails to keep them engaged.
Vuori does this with a post-purchase email asking for a review.
Not only does this help you capture more reviews, but it helps you understand how your customers feel about your products and their shopping experience.
If they leave a positive review — great! You can send supplemental emails encouraging them to purchase complementary products.
If the review is lackluster, send the customer information to your support team. Your support team can reach out to the customer, understand their problem, and offer a solution.
Personalization in the world of DTC is no longer an option. Learn about your customers — what they like, want to see, respond to, and interact with — and give them the best possible touchpoints with your brand.
Have you added any elements of personalization in your customer journey? ⭐ If so, respond to this email and we’ll share some of our favorite examples!
