Creating an In-Person Experience with Product Recommendations

As consumers continue to favor online over in-person shopping, businesses are faced with the task of not only optimizing the online experience, but adding a human touch to them. According to CMSWire, 83% of people said they were more likely to do business with a brand that they have an emotional connection with. Now more than ever, customers want and expect empathy from your customer experience. 

With people working remotely, shopping online, and generally going out less, creating a human connection through digital experiences is crucial. And product recommendations can help you do just that. With the right data, placement, and personalization, your product recommendations can evoke an in-store experience digitally. Here are three factors to focus on to bring your product recommendations to life. 

Data

To achieve the best possible results from your product recommendations efforts, you need to start at the source: your data. This means taking a deep dive into your customer data to make sure that it is accurate and you understand your customers. If you’re using a tag-based optimization tool, chances are your data has been affected by browser tracking protections. A telltale sign of this is seeing a large influx of new users because their cookies have been reset after a certain period of time. 

Once you resolve any possible data issues, take a look at all of the data points you can to truly understand your audience. Customer data will help inform everything from placements to algorithms, and will allow you to personalize your product recommendations.

Placement

While product recommendations seem like a surefire way to boost conversions and revenue, they won’t be successful if they’re in the wrong place. When considering the placement of your product recommendations, you need to factor in both the place in the customer journey and the place on the specific page you’re looking at. 

PDP placement is typically very successful, as it is a mid-point in the customer journey. In terms of location on the PDP, consider whether your product recommendations will be displayed above or below the fold and exactly what is placed before and after them. It’s helpful to A/B test various placement options to see which delivers the best customer experience possible. 

Personalization

After optimizing your product recommendations placement and getting to know your customers through data analysis, you can start to personalize your product recommendations. Personalized product recommendations are the key to evoking an in-store experience online. According to Invesp, 75% of customers are more likely to buy based on personalized product recommendations. This level of personalization not only helps your bottom line, but it also shows your customers that you’re paying attention and want to help them find products to their liking. Since 70% of consumers say a company’s understanding of their needs influences their loyalty, personalized product recommendations improve both your customer experience and customer retention. 

By understanding your customers based on data and continuously optimizing and personalizing your product recommendations, you can create an in-person shopping experience digitally.

To learn more about SiteSpect, visit our website.