[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2019\/08\/21\/individualization-vs-personalization\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2019\/08\/21\/individualization-vs-personalization\/","headline":"Individualization vs personalization: Why personalization isn\u2019t actually personal at all","name":"Individualization vs personalization: Why personalization isn\u2019t actually personal at all","description":"When it comes to individualization vs personalization, there's a big difference - especially when it comes to the customer experience.","datePublished":"2019-08-21","dateModified":"2023-04-07","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/emily-kelly\/#Person","name":"Emily Morrow","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/emily-kelly\/","identifier":216,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e1a6b9e9410da52a3baabbac612ba6017cee3e29053c47dc554eabe78303e0da?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e1a6b9e9410da52a3baabbac612ba6017cee3e29053c47dc554eabe78303e0da?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/thumbnail-d1f94fb62df05fbd3f17653f5eecc2f1.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/thumbnail-d1f94fb62df05fbd3f17653f5eecc2f1.jpeg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2019\/08\/21\/individualization-vs-personalization\/","about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/marketing\/customer-engagement-marketing\/","name":"Customer Engagement","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Customer_engagement","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q5196451"]},"Customer Journey",{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/marketing\/","name":"Marketing","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Marketing","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q39809"]}],"wordCount":504,"keywords":["Personalization","Personalization In Retail"],"articleBody":"There’s a lot of confusion around the topic of individualization vs personalization, but it’s important to know the difference.It wasn\u2019t that long ago that personalization was the \u201cnext big thing\u201d in marketing and customer engagement. Instead of broadcasting a generic message and hoping consumers would piece together the parts that were pertinent to them, we could now address our audience by name, and feature content and products that fit their general demographics.Personalization was the first step forward towards a new type of customer engagement – engagement based on customer experience.But now, with hindsight being what it is, businesses are coming to a funny realization: personalization isn\u2019t really that personal at all.Dear [First Name], we need to rethink individualization vs personalizationSure, I\u2019d rather receive an email addressed “Dear Emily” instead of \u201cDear Valued Customer.\u201d But the personalization of old doesn’t go far beyond that. Indeed, it was just the next step in more traditional audience segmentation.Today, businesses live or die based on the customer experience they’re able to deliver, and customers have shown they want and expect those experiences to be curated and tailored to them.More and more, you\u2019re finding companies not only showcasing their product line on beautifully designed websites \u2013 but also offering \u201cpersonalized quizzes\u201d designed to guide customers to the products that meet their specific, unique needs (sometimes with their names printed right on the product labels!).Moving away from personalization to get more\u2026personalIronically, companies are moving away from personalization in order to have more personal, human conversations with their customers. It\u2019s a naming issue, really. People want \u2013 and organizations want to deliver \u2013 personalized experiences, now more than ever. But capital-P Personalization isn\u2019t enough anymore. So, what is?It\u2019s called \u201cindividualization.\u201d Where personalization was the next iteration of audience segmentation, individualization is an alternative to segmentation as a whole.Rather than communicating with customers or leads based on whichever group (or segment) they fall into, it\u2019s about connecting with them as a person, with unique needs, preferences, and habits that may or may not be representative of others in their segment.It\u2019s about seeing your customers as people first.And it isn\u2019t easy.Individualization: The basicsIndividualization requires a single view of your customer across multiple channels and departments. And it requires their trust. Reaching customers on that level means collecting personal data \u2013 and walking the line between personalization and privacy.The good news is, consumers today are digital natives. They understand the trade-off, and many are willing to share their data \u2013 IF you are able to provide a worthwhile experience in exchange. That means hyper-individualized marketing and communications, not just creepily accurate ads on their Facebook or Twitter feeds.And when companies deliver, they’ll see the rewards – in the form of customer loyalty, brand advocacy, and higher customer lifetime value.  Your competitionwants your customers.Is your brand built to keep them?Unlock strategies to power your enterprise HERE."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2019","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2019\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"08","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2019\/\/08\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"21","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2019\/\/08\/\/21\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Individualization vs personalization: Why personalization isn\u2019t actually personal at all","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2019\/08\/21\/individualization-vs-personalization\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]