In today’s digital-first world, consumers expect more than generic messages. They want personalised, relevant, and timely communication. This growing expectation has pushed marketers to shift from broad campaigns to individualised digital experiences—a strategy that treats each user as unique. With data-driven tools, brands can now tailor messages based on user behaviour, preferences, and habits to foster stronger relationships and drive business growth.
This article explores the importance of individual experience in digital marketing, supported by real-world data, tools, and strategies that make personalisation scalable and impactful.
What is Individual Experience in Digital Marketing?
Individual experience means crafting digital marketing strategies based on each user’s needs, behaviours, and preferences. Unlike traditional segmentation, this approach focuses on real-time user-level customisation. It includes:
- Behaviour-based website content
- Product recommendations
- Personalised emails
- Location or time-based offers
- Retargeting ads based on browsing history
This level of customisation helps make the customer feel recognised, valued, and understood.
Why Individual Experience Matters
1. Consumers Expect It
According to a report by McKinsey & Company (2021), 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalised interactions, and 76% feel frustrated when this doesn’t happen. This means customers are not only open to personalisation—they demand it.
2. Better Results
Personalised marketing leads to stronger engagement. A study by Epsilon (2018) found that emails with personalisation can generate 6x higher transaction rates than non-personalised ones.
3. Builds Loyalty
Salesforce (2022) reported that 84% of customers say being treated like a person, not a number, is key to earning their loyalty. Individualised experiences foster trust, leading to long-term customer relationships.
How to Deliver Individual Experiences
1. Collect and Analyse Data
Creating personalised experiences starts with data. Marketers need to understand:
- Website behaviour (using Google Analytics)
- Purchase and browsing history (from CRMs like HubSpot)
- Social media interaction (using Hootsuite)
- Email response rates (via Mailchimp or Klaviyo)
This data reveals what customers like, how they interact, and when they’re most engaged.
2. Segmentation and Micro-Targeting
Though the goal is individualisation, marketers can begin with micro-segmentation. For example:
- Users who buy tech products weekly
- Visitors from a specific region
- Repeat customers with high spending
Grouping similar behaviours helps build personas for more targeted outreach.
3. Use Dynamic Content
Using tools like Optimizely and Adobe Target, marketers can create pages that adapt in real-time. For instance:
- Show a specific offer to returning users
- Recommend products similar to past purchases
- Tailor banners based on location or device
This increases user engagement by making the content feel more relevant.
4. Personalised Emails and SMS
Email remains one of the most effective channels. Using automation platforms like Mailchimp and Klaviyo, marketers can:
- Address recipients by name
- Offer birthday or anniversary deals
- Remind users about abandoned carts
- Share content based on previous behaviour
These efforts significantly increase open rates, click-through rates, and conversions.
Case Studies: Who’s Doing It Right?
Amazon
Amazon is a leading example of personalisation. Every user sees a unique homepage with product recommendations based on their past searches and purchases. This personalisation has helped Amazon become the world’s most valuable brand, valued at $574 billion in 2023 (Statista, 2024).
Spotify
Spotify personalises music experiences through “Discover Weekly” and “Wrapped” playlists. These features are powered by machine learning and user behaviour data, contributing to its success in retaining over 602 million users as of 2024 (Spotify, 2024).
Netflix
Netflix’s algorithm recommends shows and movies based on viewing history, resulting in over 80% of watched content coming from these recommendations (Netflix, 2023). This approach not only increases user engagement but reduces churn.
Challenges of Personalised Marketing
1. Data Privacy Concerns
With laws like GDPR (Europe) and CCPA (California), marketers must handle user data responsibly:
- Gain clear user consent
- Provide opt-out options
- Maintain data transparency
Ignoring these can lead to legal issues and damage brand trust.
2. Data Integration and Accuracy
Many organisations struggle to merge data across platforms (CRM, e-commerce, social media). Without a unified view, personalisation becomes ineffective or even harmful (e.g., showing a sold-out item).
3. Over-Automation Risks
If done poorly, personalisation can feel robotic. Brands must balance automation with human tone, ensuring messages feel thoughtful, not forced.
Recommended Tools for Personalised Marketing
| Tool | Function | Link |
| Segment | Customer data platform for user tracking | Visit Segment |
| HubSpot | CRM, email personalisation, analytics | Visit HubSpot |
| Dynamic Yield | AI personalisation engine | Visit Dynamic Yield |
| Optimizely | A/B testing and dynamic content | Visit Optimizely |
| Klaviyo | Email and SMS marketing | Visit Klaviyo |
These tools help collect and activate user data to deliver dynamic, one-to-one experiences at scale.
The Future: Hyper-Personalisation and AI
Looking ahead, digital marketing will move beyond standard personalisation into hyper-personalisation, where brands use AI to predict needs and actions. Technologies like:
- Predictive analytics
- Natural language processing (NLP)
- Real-time decision engines
- Voice assistants
…will make interactions even more tailored and seamless. Think of shopping assistants that talk to you based on your previous questions or AR experiences that help you try on clothes virtually.
Note
In a world full of digital noise, the brands that win are those that connect personally. Individual experience in digital marketing is no longer optional—it’s a strategic must. It strengthens relationships, increases revenue, and builds lasting loyalty.
To succeed, marketers must combine the power of data, the precision of tools, and the warmth of human insight to speak directly to every customer. Because in the end, marketing isn’t about selling to a crowd—it’s about connecting with a person.
More Read
References
Epsilon. (2018). The power of me: The impact of personalization on marketing performance. https://us.epsilon.com/power-of-me
McKinsey & Company. (2021). The value of getting personalization right—or wrong—is multiplying. https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/the-value-of-getting-personalization-right-or-wrong-is-multiplying
Netflix. (2023). How Netflix’s recommendation system works. https://help.netflix.com/en/node/100639
Salesforce. (2022). State of the Connected Customer, 5th Edition. https://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-the-connected-customer/
Spotify. (2024). Q1 2024 Financial Results. https://investors.spotify.com/financials/press-release-details/2024/Q1-2024-Financial-Results/default.aspx
Statista. (2024). Most valuable brands worldwide 2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/264220/brand-value-of-the-most-valuable-brands-worldwide/
