Data, with its certitude, measurability, unvarnished truths. Design, with its strategic approach, laser focus on the end user, and creative leaps. When the two come together, it’s a potent combination.
It’s an information age and as we continue to unlock new sources of digital insight, designers and brand marketers are finding myriad ways to cultivate, curate and leverage this information to provide ever better personalised customer experiences. So how does this personalisation imperative play out in our communications, products and services? What’s still to do? And where will it lead?
I spoke to some of New Zealand’s leading design, digital and data people to find out what’s behind the subtle art – and hard science – of turning ones and zeros into wonderful CX.
IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU
Welcome to the age of personalisation. You see it everywhere, and even when you don’t, it’s still there. It’s the perfect movie suggestion that kicks off Friday’s Netflix binge. It’s the EDM addressed to you by name and filled with things you’re already thinking about buying. It’s the direct message at the right time and the right place that cuts through the noise. It’s the timely offer that bridges the sea of consumer choice.
Personalisation can imbue a customer experience, or product, with meaning and emotion, and create powerful attachments. From the Amazon homepage pre-populated with all your favourites, to the Reader’s Digest sweepstakes letter addressed to you specifically, marketers have long known about the power of personalisation in producing more valuable customer interactions.
In 2014, the Rethinking Retail report, released by Infosys, found that
