Looking to increase repeat purchases from your Shopify store?
Brand loyalty has changed.
Customers are more conscious of their buying decisions than ever before and they’re not afraid to switch to a competitor if they think they’ll get a better experience.
Here’s the deal:
Only 38% of shoppers are loyal to 5 or fewer brands versus 22% in 2023. The average customer relationship is more valuable — and more vulnerable — than ever before.
But all is not lost.
Personalized marketing is a game-changer for Shopify stores. Helping brands build meaningful connections with their customers and keep them coming back for more.
In this guide, you will discover:
- Why Personalized Marketing Matters For Brand Loyalty
- The Current State of Brand Loyalty In Ecommerce
- How Shopify Stores Can Leverage Personalization
- The Best Personalization Strategies That Actually Work
Why Personalized Marketing Matters For Brand Loyalty
Customers aren’t interested in generic marketing messages anymore.
They want to know that brands see them as individuals. They want to know that your products are special and have been handpicked just for them.
And when you get personalization right? It’s magic.
Working with an experienced Shopify development agency can help you implement personalized marketing solutions. Your Shopify services can build the kind of experience that truly drives loyalty, including retaining that personal touch, even when you’re talking to thousands of customers a day.
The numbers don’t lie:
Personalized marketing leads to a 47% improvement in customer loyalty. That’s a huge increase, not just a blip on the radar. It can have a transformational impact on your bottom line.
It’s not just about loyalty though. Personalization impacts customer satisfaction, spend, retention, and many other important metrics.
Neat, right?
The Current State of Brand Loyalty In Ecommerce
Ok, let’s take a look at where we are right now.
The landscape is drastically different from a few years ago. Ecommerce customers are more discerning than ever before.
Customers are only willing to stick with the brands that they know they can trust, and that they know will give them the best experience. A loyalty stat from earlier in this guide confirms this: 38% of shoppers are loyal to 5 or fewer brands now. Loyal to your Shopify store, but that’s 38%.
Competing for that top spot in customers’ minds is fierce.
The pandemic may have come and gone but 81% of customers still expect personalized experiences. The vast majority of brands, though, are not delivering.
That’s where Shopify comes in.
Personalization helps you win in this environment. If you can offer more relevant, engaging experiences than your competitors, you’re going to gain a huge advantage. Because let’s face it, everyone is sending the same generic emails and displaying the same homepage to every visitor right now.
Customer acquisition costs are through the roof. If you can convert more of your new leads into paying customers, then all the better. But if you can also keep the customers you already have?
In the long run, retention is more profitable than acquisition.
With retention comes the ability to increase average order value. Existing customers will buy more from you if you make it easy for them to discover new products they actually want.
A big part of that comes down to personalization.
How Shopify Stores Can Leverage Personalization
Shopify gives you access to all kinds of great tools to help you personalize your customer experience.
Here’s what you should be doing…
Product Recommendations That Convert
Product recommendations are one of the simplest forms of personalization.
If you’re new to personalization, start here. They are incredibly effective at boosting conversions.
When you display products that are relevant to a customer’s previous browsing and purchase history, they are much more likely to add another item to their cart.
Shopify has all kinds of built-in functionality and apps that let you set this up really easily. You can show recommended products on product pages, in the cart, and even in your email campaigns.
Email Marketing That Feels Personal
Bombarding your audience with the same mass email blasts just doesn’t work anymore.
Customers can see right through generic emails. No one is ever going to click on an email that says “Dear Subscriber”.
Customers expect to receive emails that are relevant to them as an individual. With Shopify you can segment your audience based on their purchase history, browsing behaviour, cart abandonment, lifetime value, and much more.
You can then send targeted campaigns to each segment. Segmenting dramatically improves open rates, click rates, and conversion rates compared to “spray and pray” style campaigns that go out to your entire email list.
Dynamic Content Based on Behavior
If you want to level up your personalization game, look into dynamic content.
Dynamic content changes what a customer sees based on their behaviour.
Returning customers could see different homepage content than first-time visitors, for example. Or a customer who abandoned their cart might see a special offer when they return to your site.
Behavioural triggers like this create more relevant and interesting experiences for each customer.
The Best Personalization Strategies That Actually Work
Ok, now let’s get into some specific personalization strategies that work well for Shopify stores.
Use Customer Data The Right Way
Data is the lifeblood of personalization.
It’s great to collect all this information on your customers, but the key is to actually do something with it. Track which products are most commonly viewed, how long customers spend on each page, which emails they open and click on, and what they buy.
Then use this data to inform your decisions about what to show them, when to reach out, and what offers to present.
The important thing to remember here:
Be transparent with your customers about how you’re collecting data. People are much more likely to share their information if they understand how it will benefit them.
Segment Your Audience Properly
Customers aren’t all the same.
Some people buy frequently. Others only purchase during sales. Some are big spenders. Others are more budget-conscious.
Segmentation allows you to group customers with similar characteristics so you can market to them more effectively. The best-performing Shopify stores create segments based on purchase behavior, product preferences, geography, and engagement level.
You can then tailor your messages and offers to each group in particular.
Automate Without Losing the Human Touch
Automation is key for scaling personalization.
You can’t manually personalize every customer interaction in a growing Shopify store. That’s why you need to automate.
But, of course, you still have to do it right.
Automated messages should still feel personal. Reference their specific actions. Use the customer’s name. Make recommendations based on their behavior. The best automated campaigns don’t feel automated at all.
Conclusion
Building brand loyalty with personalized marketing is no longer a luxury.
Customers are more discerning than ever before, and the experience has to be better than it ever was before. That’s where personalized marketing comes in.
69% of brands are increasing investment in personalization despite economic uncertainty. Why? Because it works.
Shopify stores that invest in strong personalization strategies have higher conversion rates, increased average order values, better retention, and more repeat purchases.
Start small, and pick one or two personalization strategies to begin with. Get them dialled in and working really well. Then scale from there.
Use customer data to inform your decisions. Segment your audience for better targeting. Automate while maintaining a personal touch. Test. Learn. Iterate.
Your customers want personalized experiences. Give them what they want and reap the rewards in your loyalty metrics.
