Personalized recommendations aren’t just for the big ecommerce marketers
Amazon is well-known for sending emails just for you. But a business doesn't have to be Amazon-sized to successfully deploy the same strategy.
Amazon is well-known for sending emails just for you. But a business doesn't have to be Amazon-sized to successfully deploy the same strategy.
Amazon is well-known for sending emails just for you. But a business doesn’t have to be Amazon-sized to successfully deploy the same strategy.
Do you remember the first time you surfed on Amazon and got a product recommendation?
It kind of felt like you had a personal shopper right there at the computer reading your mind. Unless you got a suggestion for a North American Field Guide to Bird Watching when you spent time checking out reviews of To Kill a Mockingbird.
Awkward recommendations aside, pitches based on browse and buying patterns gave ecommerce giants an edge that seemed insurmountable.
But that edge is fading.
Browse abandonment and product recommendations are becoming cost-effective must-haves for even modest-sized ecommerce retailers. The key to being able to deploy these techniques is ease-of-use. But first, let’s make the case for them.
The No. 1 request of marketers in a recent ClickZ research report was the ability to use dynamic content, a key feature of recommendation software. And the No. 1 challenge? Having the time and resources to implement email personalization, according to 46.9% of respondents.
But I’d argue that the way bigger ecommerce retailers have used the technique is both expensive and ineffective. The minute some commerce marketers had this ability, they set up automations that acted like a cudgel, bashing you over the head with retargeted ads for shoes, swimsuits and shirts similar to what you browsed on, both on their site and others. After a while, it feels like having a needy toddler yelling, “Come look at me, come look at me!” We tune them out.
It turns out that personalized email is actually quite effective. The fear that customers would be bothered by a “Did you forget about the face cream in your cart?” message wasn’t warranted. In fact, the opposite is true. Research suggests that within three months of using cart recovery, retailers typically see nine times the return on investment from remarketing to shoppers who’ve abandoned their carts.
So, let’s stop using browse abandonment and product recommendations apps to chase customers all over the web. Instead, deploy the techniques similar to cart abandonment messaging: email shoppers to encourage them to revisit your site and check out those items they’ve been browsing on, or offer recommendations for similar items. More importantly, use the techniques to not just sell more — but sell smarter.
Browse abandonment and recommendation emails need to be personalized in ways that make sense for your organization, and that can be done without the expense of complex integrations and an expanding team of IT specialists. But don’t settle for a one-size-fits-all approach. You need flexibility and automation that:
For years, businesses have talked about the value of keeping customers versus acquiring new ones. Recommendation and browse abandonment fits snugly into that strategy. It has given giant companies an edge, but the techniques are increasingly accessible to smaller companies. It’s time to give it a try.