Personalisation is key for most modern customers – study

Better navigation and relevance are key priorities for first-time customers when it comes to personalisation, according to a new study.

Figures from McKinsey & Co reveal 71% of buyers want offerings to be tailored to them, while 76% said they became “frustrated” when it wasn’t.

The research goes even further by pinpointed the exact kinds of content that customers want to be personalised, with ease of navigation and relevancy of products or services ranking highest.

Three-quarters wanted the tailoring to make it easier for them to make their way around an in-person or online store, 67% wanted the offerings to be appropriate for them and 66% said they wanted messaging to be customised for them personally.

What’s behind the figures?

People and businesses have become more connected than before over the last two years. New digital avenues for attendees have made it easier connect and interact with each other, while also increasing the amount of data available to tailor content and offerings.

Groups and channels on social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter quickly became a hub for industry buzz. Meanwhile, advancements in event technology were happening at a rapid pace. 

Organisers recognised the need to create similar, niche community platforms having the desired functionality to engage their members. This meant providing tools to enhance personalisation, helping buyers and sellers connect and sharing content and industry updates around the year.

Audiences now want to continue exploring opportunities beyond the limited timeframe of physical shows as they begin to return in a digitally enhanced format – Smart Events.

They are also eager for more educational content and engagement opportunities around the year, as our last week’s chart analysis showed. This has encouraged organisers to create focused communities that allow people to connect anytime, anywhere – while also making those connections relevant.

What does it mean for event organisers?

Year-round communities are a great source of content and social interactions. They offer ample opportunities to nurture quality leads, generate revenue and increase audience satisfaction. 

For most organisers, this model has become a part of their roadmap for future engagement strategies. It’s crucial to equip these communities with powerful tools that will create value-driven outcomes for attendees and exhibitors. These tools include:

1) AI matchmaking: Intelligent AI algorithms to connect users with relevant people, products and content. 

2) 365 marketplace: Year-round product discovery platform where buyers and sellers can connect, explore products and conduct business deals.

3) Content hub: Share educational resources and industry updates to help users make a more informed decision about different brands and products.

4) Sponsorship opportunities: Increase revenue through digital advertising, lead generation programmes etc and boost exhibitor ROI.

Wondering where to begin? Learn how to create a 365 community for your events. Need a quick overview of the tech requirements to set up an online community? Download our 365 Community Technology checklist now.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article and found it useful. At ExpoPlatform, we want to help you build better events and communities. Please get in touch and ask for a demo here. Thank you.