Personalization in Customer Portal
Personalization is at the core of a customer portal. Customer portals offer a handful of personalization options to portal administrators. This includes personalization of the content, communication, user experience etc. The better the personalization we deliver, the more effective will be customer loyalty built. This also influences the purchase behaviour of a customer.
Content Personalization
Personalization features in the customer portal facilitate delivering personalized content to the target audiences based on their user persona. This will make customers feel that they are unique. It is possible to target anonymous and known users by defining personalization rules.
Use of content personalization
Personalizing Product Details
Product details like price, shipping availability, product recommendations etc., can be personalized for individual users and a user group. E.g., Customers ‘A’ and ‘B’ will see different prices for the same product. As customer ‘A’ is a long-standing customer, a discounted price can be shown to him. While ‘B’, being a new user, views the standard price.
Personalizing Advertisements
Advertisements and offers can be customized based on user behaviour, purchase history, user persona etc. Eg, Customer ‘A’ views an advertisement for Trimmer TX-100 on the home page, while Customer ‘B’ views an advertisement for a Shirt on that same slot. Here, advertisement has been personalized based on user persona1 .
Personalizing Specific Sections in Landing Pages
With the help of personalization systems, each landing page can be made unique based on user persona. Certain sections in landing pages can be made to display personalized data. E.g., Customer ‘A’ and ‘B’ views different discount rates on the same landing page as their referral links are different. ‘A’ is from Facebook, while ‘B’ is from an email campaign.
Personalized Communication
The customer portal facilitates the personalization of communication at different levels. This makes customers feel like portals are exclusively communicating with them.
Models of personalized communication
Personalized Emails
Email content can be personalized based on user persona. Integration of email automation systems ensures that personalized emails reach customers on time. Eg, An email can be sent to Customer ‘A’ about offers on the products he had searched for the previous week.
Personalized Notifications
Real-time notifications are another way for instantaneous communication. Custom notifications can be served to customers from their dashboards based on business rules. Any message can be triggered from the system. This includes offers, product launch details, account summaries, support messages etc. E.g., Customer ‘A’ receives a notification about the stock availability of a product he had searched for before. On clicking the notification, he can reach the product page.
User Experience
The core idea of a customer portal is to enhance user experience and thus build brand loyalty among customers.
User Experience
Offering the Service of Shopping Assistants
Customers can be offered the service of shopping assistants, who can clear their queries and facilitate a trouble-free purchase process. Human assistants and AI-powered intelligent chatbots can be used for this purpose. Personalization helps these shopping assistants by providing insights about the user persona of the customers they are communicating with. E.g., When Customer ‘A’ initiates a conversation with an agent, the agent will receive real-time updates about Customer ‘A’s user persona. The agent knows he has used a marketing emailer to reach the website and has added product ‘C’ several times to the cart. This information will help the shopping assistant to drive more meaningful engagements.
Virtual Tour / Product Experience Tools
These tools help customers to have a virtual hands-on experience with the product. This includes virtual product tours, exploring product experiences using VR tools etc. E.g., A 360-degree video can be provided to a customer who wishes to buy a car. He can use his VR device to experience sitting inside the car.
Personalized Orders
Order personalization is another area where personalization can impact the revenue from a platform. Facilitating customers to personalize their orders will undoubtedly increase sales. Different tools can be offered to personalize the order. This includes estimation tools, size calculation tools etc., that help users place their orders. This will deliver an effortless shopping experience. For instance: If an option is given to a customer to estimate the number of wall tiles and accessories needed for a room, he can use the tool and add those products as a bundle to the cart. This will save customers' efforts and increase the order value significantly.
This is just the tip of an Iceberg. There are many more options available in personalization. Contact our team to learn more about the customer portal and available personalisation options.
