Personalized commerce is the lifeline for retailers, according to Maxymiser's research study titled, “Valentine’s Day: Retail’s Love Affair with Digital.”
The study compares and contrasts the differing online shopping behavior and purchase activities of American men and women in the shopping process for Valentine’s Day.
“Bombarding shoppers with irrelevant, one-size-fits-all messaging and offers will be the death of retailers this Valentine’s Day,” Daniel Toubian, Principal Consultant, U.S. Retail & Consumer Brands, Maxymiser, said in a press release. “People not only choose brands on the basis of experience, they also spend more with brands that offer better experiences. As a result, retailers that tap into the power of omnichannel data and personalization will not only see a near-term increase in engagement and sales, but will also boost customer loyalty and lifetime value of their customers over time.”
Here are some of the key takeaways from the study:
Personalization sways shoppers to make multiple purchases. 32% of men and 30% of women are most likely to click on targeted offers when purchasing a Valentine’s Day gift on a retailer’s website or mobile site. What’s more, a whopping 73% of men and 78% of women cite personalization as critical to making a secondary online or mobile purchase.
Tablets surge ahead of smartphones as preferred mobile device for last-minute shopping. 17% of men and 20% of women are most likely to use tablets to purchase last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts, compared to 17% of men and 14% of women who use their smart phones to do so.
Free shipping ranks #1 in online checkout preferences. 42% of men and 55% of women care most about free shipping options in the online checkout process. In contrast, 22% of men and 18% of women would like to see the estimated or guaranteed delivery date, and only 16% of men and 9% of women care about relevant product recommendations.
The study, which was conducted Nov. 18-20, 2013, garnered a total of 1,000 responses from U.S. adults (18 years or older) who own at least one desktop/laptop computer and a smart phone or tablet.
Maxymiser works with some of the world’s most iconic brands, including Progressive, Office Depot, Alaska Airlines, Harry & David, Sovereign Bank, Teleflora, and Wyndham Hotel Group.