Omnichannel Personalization: The Key to Retail Success

Today’s shoppers don’t stick to just one way of buying. They might browse your website on their phone, check reviews on social media, visit a retail store to see the product in person, and then complete the purchase through a mobile app. This mix of online and offline touchpoints makes it crucial for retailers to offer a smooth and connected experience across all channels. That’s where omnichannel personalization comes in.

It’s no longer enough to just offer convenience or variety. Today’s consumers expect interactions that are tailored to their preferences and behaviors, no matter where or how they choose to engage. When done right, omnichannel personalization becomes a powerful driver of customer loyalty and engagement. This blog explores how personalization supercharges an omnichannel strategy, the benefits it brings to retailers, and how you can implement it effectively across your customer touchpoints using advanced retail technology.

Understanding the Value of Omnichannel Personalization

Omnichannel personalization in retail goes beyond simply being present on multiple platforms. It’s about creating a unified and intelligent buyer’s journey across all of them. It uses data from various touchpoints to tailor experiences in real time, making customers feel recognized, not tracked. According to McKinsey, 71% of customers expect businesses to deliver personalized interactions, and 76% of them are frustrated when brands fail to do so. Further research also found that personalized marketing can:

• Cut customer acquisition costs by up to 50%
• Increase revenue by 5-15%
• Boost marketing RoI by 10-30%

For example, a customer who browses shoes on a website might later receive a mobile app notification with similar styles available at a nearby store. If they walk in, a store associate having access to that browsing data can make real-time recommendations. This seamless transition between digital and physical, powered by personalization, is what makes an ideal omnichannel strategy.

Your 4-Step Blueprint to Devise a Personalized Omnichannel Strategy

Personalization across channels doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start with the basics, build the right structure, and scale gradually. Here are four foundational steps to get you started:

1. Unify Your Customer Data: The first step is to consolidate customer data from all touchpoints- this may include your website, mobile app, in-store systems, etc. A centralized customer data platform (CDP) can help you build a single, 360-degree view of each customer.
2. Use Smart Segmentation: Use behavioral data, such as purchase history, browsing patterns, and engagement levels, to group users into smart segments. This will allow you to deliver hyper-relevant messages to the right people at the right time, without needing 1:1 personalization.
3. Map the Omnichannel Journey: Chart the full customer journey, from online discovery to offline purchases and post-sale engagement. Identify key moments for personalization, such as retargeting after product views, offering location-specific deals, or following up a lapsed store visit. This ensures consistent, contextual experiences across every channel.
4. Personalize Channel-Specific Touchpoints: It’s now time to define which personalization strategy to use for each channel. Some of the major channels include:

• Physical Stores (Brick-and-Mortar)
• Website/ E-commerce Store
• Email
• Social Media
• Messaging & Chat (WhatsApp, SMS, Chatbots)
• Mobile App

Practical Tips to Personalize Your Channel-Specific Touchpoints

Physical Stores:

• Location-Based Offers: Use mobile apps or geo-fencing to send personalized offers when customers are near or inside the store.
• Loyalty Apps: In-house application that sends real-time offers when customers enter the store.

Website/E-commerce Store:

• Dynamic Content: Display personalized product recommendations based on browsing history or purchase behavior.
• Personalized Landing Pages: Create custom landing pages for return visitors based on past interactions or preferences.

Email:

• Behavioral Email Campaigns: Send emails with product recommendations or reminders based on recent browsing or abandoned carts.
• Personalized Offers: Use customer data to craft tailored discount codes or special offers for birthdays, anniversaries, or loyalty milestones.

Social Media:

• Retargeted Ads: Show personalized ads for products that the customer has previously viewed or interacted with on your website.
• Engaged Responses: Proactively respond to customers’ comments or direct messages with tailored content or offers that align with their interests.

Messaging & Chat (WhatsApp, SMS, Chatbots):

• Custom Messaging: Send personalized messages based on past purchases or inquiries, such as restock alerts or product recommendations.
• Chatbot Personalization: Use AI-driven chatbots to offer product suggestions based on user queries or preferences in real time.

Mobile App:

• Push Notifications: Send personalized alerts for sales, restocks, or relevant promotions based on app activity.
• In-App Personalization: Offer tailored product suggestions within the app based on customer browsing or purchase data.

How GenAI is Shaping In-Store and Online Shopping Experiences

As retailers adopt more advanced omnichannel strategies, GenAI is emerging as a powerful tool for transforming customer experiences. Unlike traditional AI, GenAI can create dynamic, real-time content and interactions tailored to each shopper across both digital and physical touchpoints. Here’s how GenAI is helping retailers move from reactive to proactive personalization:

1. Hyper-Personalized Recommendations: GenAI analyzes customer preferences and behavior to generate real-time product suggestions, curated collections, or even personalized shopping guides delivered through apps or digital displays in-store.
2. Virtual Try-On: GenAI powers virtual try-on tools, allowing customers to visualize products before purchasing.
3. Dynamic Content Generation: GenAI can create personalized landing pages, emails, and promotional banners on the fly, adapting to individual shoppers’ interests across web, mobile, and in-store displays.
4. Smart Inventory Management: It can help retailers track demand in real-time and optimize stock across locations, ensuring customers can check availability online and pick up in-store with confidence.

Kickstart Your Personalization Journey with Systems Plus

Retail today is all about delivering experiences, not just transactions. Omnichannel personalization helps brands connect the dots across channels, ensuring every customer touchpoint feels relevant. By using data smartly and tailoring interactions, retailers can increase sales and build meaningful relationships that last. The key to retail success today? Make every interaction count- and make it personal.

At Systems Plus, we help retail brands implement omnichannel personalization using cutting-edge Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) and unified marketing platforms like Salesforce Data Cloud, Bluecore, Segment, Treasure Data, and Zeta. Whether you’re just getting started or scaling personalization across channels, our retail technology solutions are built to deliver results! Visit our website or schedule a demo with our team to learn more.