It’s surreal when Spotify knows exactly what song you want to listen to next, or when Netflix brings up another binge-worthy TV show which you are sure to like. It’s surprising and reassuring that it is not a mind-reader who is running the show, but advanced algorithms powered by big data analytics who show us exactly what we want.
Hyper-personalisation has led to brands showing us more relevant products, services, and content based on all our online habits.
If ‘personalisation’ was the buzzword of the last decade, ‘hyper-personalisation’ is the buzzword and marketing strategy of this year. With giants like Amazon, Starbucks, Netflix, Spotify relying on AI-powered hyper-personalisation to retain and get more customers, every brand needs to turn to this fascinating experience to expand their business, too.
What makes Hyper-Personalisation more advanced than Personalisation?
Personalisation simply incorporates information such as your name, basic socio-demographic details to communicate with you. For example, if you visit an e-commerce website and input your name, the next time you visit the website it will use that name to acknowledge you.
In Hyper-Personalisation, the website will send you an email at 9 a.m. about an Android phone with 6” screen with a 20MP dual camera priced at Rs.15, 000 on sale, because you searched for a ‘good Android camera phone’; your past purchases show your preference for shopping during sales; and best engagement with emails.
Hyper-personalisation takes into account the most mundane of details and consumer patterns- your likes and dislikes; purchase history; time spent on each website; products in your online cart; frequency of online shopping; keyword searches; browsing habits; duration of online browsing; preferred time for online shopping; past tastes and preferences for food items; likes and dislikes of your closest peers, etc.
If ‘Personalisation’ a respectful manager at an apparel store, Hyper-Personalisation is a personal shopper who has known you since you first thought of walking in.
The argument for needing Hyper-Personalisation
According to a New York Times article, a marketing message has only 8 seconds in which it can either grab or lose the audience’s attention. With hyper-personalisation, you are ensured that the message is extremely relevant and ticks all the boxes of what the customer wants.
According to Accenture, more than 75% of surveyed consumers prefer to buy a product from a brand that accounts for their individual preferences before offering their products.
Lastly, with so much stimuli being pushed our way in terms of advertisements leading to sensory overload, it has become crucial to stand out with the most nuanced and personal messaging ever to be heard.
Path forward for Digital Marketers
Hyper-personalisation has implications for marketing in lots of fields including but not limited to e-commerce portals, travel apps, hospitality, online streaming channels, and online courses. The discerning digital marketer needs to invest time and effort in cultivating the best insights from big data and using the data to build the most comprehensive consumer profiles. Aligning marketing strategies to focus on hyper-personalisation will be key to getting more converts and expanding business.
