Personalisation for a great in-store experience

Summary

Part 6 of 6 in a series on transforming in-store customer experience.

E-commerce platforms have trained customers to expect recommendations, offers and service tailored specifically to them, and that expectation is increasingly carrying over into physical retail. Shoppers who feel like just another face in the crowd are less likely to return, while those who feel individually recognised and understood are more likely to build lasting loyalty to a brand.

A major consumer electronics retailer brought personalisation into its physical stores through scheduled, one-on-one appointments with trained specialists, allowing customers to browse and shop with someone who understands their specific needs rather than navigating the store alone. Research into shopping preferences among younger consumers underscores just how relevant appointment-based, personalised service has become.

Beyond scheduled appointments, additional strategies help retailers make personalisation part of everyday store operations — training employees to recognise and address customers by name, creating exclusive events that deepen individual engagement with the brand, and taking time to understand what a customer actually wants before presenting them with tailored options.

• How appointment-based specialist shopping builds personalised in-store relationships
• Practical strategies for making personalisation part of daily store operations

As the closing instalment in this series, personalisation ties back to the broader theme that a great in-store experience is now retail's most important brand differentiator.