Showing how personalization can be a win-win for consumers and marketers

High-consideration purchasing decisions are rarely impulsive. They unfold over time and involve hesitation, research, emotion, and trust.

In many ways, consumers have leveraged the benefits of shared data to create journeys for these decisions that are specific to them, highlighting unique appeals and even addressing hesitations. Not only do these kinds of tailored experiences sell, but they’re becoming expected in the vast consumer ecosystem.

To showcase this type of journey, we built a demo that features a fictitious health and wellness company called Relira and its GLP-1 drug, GloPex. The demo shows how personalization can be a win-win for consumers and marketers.

To break it down, we’ll compare an experience lacking in personalization with the highly personalized one in the demo.

Sans personalization

1. Initial visit and avatar selection

A potential customer visits the fictitious Relira website to learn about GLoPex. They scroll and explore, considering whether it might be right for them.

The user selects an avatar that vaguely resonates with them, but nothing is meaningfully stored or captured. (The avatar connected to the user will cease to exist once the user ends the session, and the next visit will start from scratch.)

2. The coupon offer and reminders

The customer reaches the coupon page, where all users see the same discount. All visitors, whether first-time or repeat, are treated the same. Nothing about this static journey is unique or strategic.

The customer fills out the form for a coupon, but when it’s time for follow-up, everyone receives the same reminder, whether they’ve redeemed the coupon or not. Frequency and channel aren’t adaptive, and the brand may look careless and lacking in consumer-centrism.

3. Future visits and messaging

We could merely copy and paste the previous paragraphs here, because without personalization, going back to the website resets the experience. Users will again select the avatar, see the same coupon code, etc. The journey feels fractured and potentially frustrating.

Our demo of a personalized experience

1. Initial visit and avatar selection

A potential customer visits the fictitious Relira website to learn about GLoPex. They scroll and explore, considering whether it might be right for them. The visit is logged as an insightful visit.

The customer selects an avatar or interacts with preference-based content, which becomes data and signals intent. But the selected avatar also becomes a visual companion throughout the journey. Future communications will continue to showcase custom selections, meaning emails feature the chosen avatar, creating a connection.

This goes far beyond data capture as we typically see it and moves seamlessly into the realm of visual storytelling that makes the journey unmistakably owned. It informs and will be used to shape future messaging, tying the customer to the brand in a tangible way.

2. The coupon offer and reminders

When the customer reaches the coupon page, incentives can be customized to vary based on engagement and messaging can align to the persona selected. In the GLoPex journey, this means testing discount levels (15% vs. 20% vs. 25%) based on engagement signals and optimizing which offer converts different segments. The system is personalizing value propositions in real-time.

The coupon redemption status is tracked and monitored in real-time, meaning messaging, tone, and urgency can be adjusted. Various channels to reach the user can be utilized.

And here's where visual personalization becomes powerful: Follow-up emails don't just say "Remember your coupon." They show the selected avatar selected alongside messaging like "Imagine how you'll feel after 3 months on GLoPex." The visuals reinforce the emotional connection made during the first visit, keeping the customer’s future self top of mind throughout the consideration phase.

3. Future visits and messaging

The customer logs in later or signs up for email, and anonymous behavior is grafted to the user profile. Their previous selections are carried forward and messaging reflects these same selections. Users continue to progress on the purchasing path.

Over time, some customers redeem. Others don’t.

In our personalized journey:

• Discount levels are tested and adjusted.

• Messaging evolves and further nurturing can be developed.

• Conversion timing is analyzed.

• Channel success can be measured and analyzed.

• Thoughtful accelerations can be made.

The bottom line

Personalization is more than swapping headlines or inserting first-name tokens. That may have been where we started years ago, but we have evolved beyond simple decorations.

Personalization is remembering, adapting over time, coordinating channels, using decision management, and orchestrating the unique path for the consumer.

Without personalization, brands run nothing more than a campaign. With personalization, brands take consumers on a journey that feels tailored and intentional. Retention and upsell can continue on the path, rather than starting over each time.

This type of journey is becoming a marketing requirement, and it's industry-agnostic. Whether you're in healthcare, financial services, or retail, your customers expect experiences that recognize them, remember them, and evolve with them.

Not to mention that without personalization:

• There’s no visibility into drop-offs in the funnel.

• Offers aren’t optimized.

• Analytics are absent.

• Future nurturing will engage everyone the same.

• Emails feel generic.

• Omnichannel marketing of any kind is a distant thought.

If you’re ready to see our demo in action, schedule time with our team or meet us at Adobe Summit in Las Vegas to experience this level of personalization for yourself and talk about building your unique customer journey.

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