he customer is always right’ was
the mantra in business for years.
Now the truth is that ‘The customer
wants true personalisation, not lip service.’
From
a
business
perspective,
personalisation starts with fragmenting your
market from one size fits all to one size fits
many and, ultimately, one size adapts to fit
the complexities of each individual prospect
or member.
Brand strategist Morgan Holt put it
like this: ‘True personalisation is when
consumers elect a preference and build
products and services around their needs.’
The level of personalisation that is
possible in today’s world is vast. Large
international companies and brands are
adapting, innovating and re-shaping to
deliver more individual experiences with
their products. Small businesses, such as
many in the fitness industry, are therefore
being faced with the challenge of keeping up,
just to meet the expectations of consumers.
From
websites
remembering
our
purchasing history, to advertising banners
that reflect our online browsing behaviours,
we experience continual personalisation in
the online world – whether we ask for it or not.
Examples of personalisation offered by
the ‘big players’ include:
‘T
In a globalised and
technologically savvy world
the need for the personal
touch has never been greater.
WORDS: JUSTIN TAMSETT
The 30-second article
• Fitness businesses now need to offer
genuinely personalised experiences
• Market segmentation allows you to
more effectively target and service a
niche group
• Re-package your generic memberships
into personalised programs addressing
customers’ ‘wants’
• Communicate with members on
their terms, use their names and
express thanks
• Make members feel special!
• M&M’s that can be branded with your
name, image and choice of colour
• Nike’s online trainer customisation
service NikeiD, which has seen the
company cited as a trailblazer in fashion
personalisation
• Coca-Cola’s name-personalised bottles
of Coke
• Interflora’s online service which allows
customers to design their own bouquet
by ‘dragging and dropping’ images from
over 70 flower and foliage options
• Whisky Blender, a Glasgow-based
company, allows customers to create
their own blend from up to seven varieties
of the spirit, and to then design their
unique label for the bottle – all online.
Thanks to offerings like these – often
enabled by combinations of big budgets
and technological advances – the consumer
NETWORK WINTER 2014 | 15