Personalization is omnipresent in e-commerce. Everyone talks about it, everyone thinks they're doing it. But all too often, it boils down to basic targeting or a few contextual adjustments. In the face of unpredictable buying behavior, fragmented customer journeys and ever-increasing expectations of immediacy, traditional approaches are showing their limitations. What if we had to go further to make a difference?
Personalization is not about context. It's about the customer.
Personalization in e-commerce is often overused and is still too often confused with contextual adjustments: a dynamic display, reorganization of products according to stock, adaptation to time of day or channel. But that's not what personalization is all about.
The term "personalization" comes from the word “personal” and in its true sense implies fine-tuning to the individual. The goal is to provide a browsing experience that varies not according to circumstances, but according to the person themselves. One visitor's experience should differ from another's, even at a given moment, because their intentions, behavior and expectations are different.
For a long time, however, this individualized approach was confronted with another reality: the concept of personalization on a group scale, stemming from a marketing culture deeply rooted in segmentation.
For a long time, personalization has been based on group logic
In the 1950s, with the advent of direct marketing, companies began segmenting their customers according to socio-demographic criteria and purchasing behavior. The goal was straightforward: to send targeted offers and messages via mail. These early forms of segmentation were based on criteria such as place of residence, age or income. Later, tools such as the RFM profile (Recency, Frequency, Amount) were used to refine these approaches.
In today's digital environment, where customer journeys are numerous and unpredictable, and the expectation of real-time personalization is stronger than ever, the group-based targeting approach, though still present in marketing practices, is showing its limitations.
The limits of traditional customization
First, personalization is based on one key condition: knowing the customer. On an e-commerce site, identified visitors represent only a tiny proportion of traffic - sometimes barely 2%. In other words, 98% of visitors remain outside the scope of this approach.
Second, personalization relies heavily on personal data. Building a segment means collecting, storing and updating information that is reliable, consented to and usable. In a demanding regulatory environment, and in the face of growing mistrust of data sharing, this requirement is becoming a major obstacle.
Finally, this model operates offline. Data is cold processed and translated into rules that will be applied later. As a result, the proposed experience struggles to adapt to immediate intentions. It does not detect weak signals or changes in behavior in real time.
Changes in buying behavior have also made personalization models based on segment logic obsolete.
A consumer who has become elusive
In the past, purchasing decisions were often made after careful consideration and within a more linear framework. Today's consumers, however, are in a hurry, distracted, and demanding. They want everything immediately and without friction. The result is that buying patterns have become unpredictable, loyalty has eroded, and decisions are made on impulse.
In this context, simply proposing an offer to a segment is ineffective. The expectation of immediacy and the battle for attention require a different approach. This is where hyper-personalization comes in, enabling real-time adaptation to each consumer, based on their actions and immediate intentions.
Hyper-personalization: an experience designed for the individual
While traditional personalization targets groups, hyper-personalization is aimed at the individual. It doesn't answer the question “What should be shown to a segment?”, but “What should be shown to this person, here and now?”
First benefit: an incomparable level of relevance. Two visitors with similar profiles may behave and intend very differently. Hyper-personalization takes these differences into account, adapting the experience of each visitor in real time. What one sees is never a copy of what the other sees.
Second benefit: instant adaptation. Thanks to behavioral prediction, hyper-personalization captures and interprets weak signals, such as clicks, navigation, and time spent, in order to adjust the experience as the session progresses. There is no need to wait for data reprocessing. The experience evolves at the user's pace. In a world where attention is fleeting and purchasing decisions are made quickly, the ability to adapt immediately becomes a decisive factor.
Third benefit: privacy. Hyper-personalization does not rely on the visitor's identity or history. It works without personal data, based solely on what the user does here and now: what they look at, what they click, and how long they spend on a page. In other words, it relies on signals of intent rather than on personal data. This is a decisive advantage in a context where mistrust of data collection has never been stronger.
Thanks to Sensefuel's innovation, powered by the full power of new-generation AI, this approach is not only possible, but also particularly effective. It enables hyper-personalization of the shopping experience in real time, significantly increasing the conversion rate.
Hyper-personalization is not a trend, it's a paradigm shift
Hyper-personalization doesn't just build on existing practices; it transforms the very foundation of the shopping experience. In a world where every second counts, it gives e-tailers the opportunity to capture consumers' attention at the right time and for the right reason. The days of approximate targeting based on static data are gone. Make way for a dynamic experience centered on the individual and the present moment. This represents a decisive opportunity to balance commercial performance with respect for consumers' expectations and rights.
In a constantly evolving environment, where immediacy has become the norm, Sensefuel provides an innovative approach to e-merchandising and hyper-personalization. We equip brands and retailers with an e-commerce search and product discovery platform that harnesses the full power of new-generation AI, to create captivating shopping experiences, tailored to the sensitivities and contexts of each visitor to stimulate conversion and loyalty.
Read more: Three arguments to convince you to invest in an e-commerce search solution