Emotional Personalization: The Secret to Boosting eCommerce Sales

Personalization has become a must-have for eCommerce businesses looking to stand out and drive sales in an increasingly competitive landscape. According to a McKinsey study, companies excelling at personalization make 40% more income from those activities versus competitors.

But there’s an advanced level beyond basic personalization - emotional personalization. This is because 90% of our financial decisions are based on emotions and just 10% on logic, according to research by Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman, as highlighted by City National Bank.

Harness the power of emotions in eCommerce

Emotional personalization involves using technology to detect the emotional state of each online shopper and customizing their experience accordingly. For example, if a shopper seems stressed or impatient, the site might simplify navigation or recommend more straightforward purchase options. For happy, relaxed shoppers open to discovery, the site could suggest additional items or new releases.

How emotional personalization drives eCommerce success

Emotional personalization creates a tailored experience that resonates better with customers. Shoppers feel understood and are more likely to make purchases when the site seems to “get” them. Emotional personalization can lift metrics like conversion rate, average order value, and customer lifetime value. Per a loyalty study, “70 percent of emotionally engaged consumers say they spend up to two times or more on brands they are loyal to, while only “49% of consumers with low emotional engagement say the same.”

Top ways to detect shopper emotions

Here are some of the most effective methods for identifying visitor emotions:

1. Analyze clickstream data - Rapid, erratic clicks can signal impatience or frustration while leisurely browsing indicates openness and enjoyment. Smart analysis of these digital body language cues can reveal how website visitors are feeling as they navigate.
2. Use sentiment analysis on chat transcripts - Tools like natural language processing can detect sentiment and emotion in customer service chat logs. This gives invaluable insight into pain points causing frustration and successes evoking happiness.
3. Track social media mentions - Monitor Social Media listening tools go beyond brand mentions to hashtags, images, video and conversations that reveal customer emotions. Harness the treasure trove of feelings that customers now express through social media.
4. Survey customers - Asking visitors direct questions through surveys and polls can provide insight into their mindset and emotional state. Well-crafted emotional measurement questions can uncover how website experiences make customers feel.
5. Leverage AI and machine learning - Advanced algorithms can analyze behavioral signals and predict emotional states. AI takes emotion detection to the next level by combining cues for deeper insights.

Power emotional personalization with clickstream data

Clickstream data provides a wealth of signals to uncover visitor emotions and intents. Here are 5 examples of how clickstream can inform emotional personalization:

1. Rapid searching or filtering can indicate impatience - Frantic clicking and quick search abandonment are digital body language cues that a customer is in a hurry. Meet them with instant recommendations and easier ways to find products.
2. Browsing high-consideration categories suggests care and research - For big ticket or complex items, customers want to learn. Share more detailed information to build confidence.
3. Abandoning cart repeatedly shows hesitation - When data shows customers consistently bail before checkout, respond by easing their doubts. Reviews, guarantees, and seamless checkout calm fears.
4. Viewing many items hints at excitement and engagement - Customers exploring broadly have interest and time. Recommend more items to deliver and keep them captivated with more discoveries.
5. Leaving a site quickly from certain pages shows dissatisfaction - When analytics surface pages that consistently lose visitors, uncover design issues, performance delays, or lacking content. Then optimize - learn more about Macrometa’s site assessment to give your performance a boost.

Process clickstreams in real-time with the Macrometa GDN

To leverage clickstream data, eCommerce businesses need the ability to ingest and process huge volumes of events in real time. Ecommerce & retail solutions powered by the Macrometa Global Data Network (GDN) are ideally suited for this data load with infinite scale and millisecond latency at the edge.

Macrometa eCommerce & retail solutions allows businesses to consume clickstream events as they occur and immediately detect patterns to inform personalization. By handling clickstream data at the edge, the Macrometa GDN enables emotional personalization that is instant and responsive.

With a combination of streaming data and search capabilities, Macrometa empowers eCommerce businesses to take personalization to the next level. By incorporating emotional signals into real-time search and recommendations, businesses can boost conversion rates and provide customers with more relevant, satisfying experiences.

Contact a solutions expert today to learn more, or schedule a demo to see it in action.