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Are in-store personalization tactics becoming less creepy?

Written by Guest contributor

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MarketingCharts staff Through a special arrangement, presented here for discussion is a summary of a current article from MarketingCharts, a Watershed Publishing publication providing up-to-the-minute data and research to marketers. In its second annual “Creepy or Cool?” survey, RichRelevance finds continued opposition to several forms of in-store personalization. Indeed, only about half of respondents consider it “cool” to receive a digital coupon for a product that they looked at but didn’t purchase (51.8 percent) or to receive personalized product recommendations on a print or e-mail receipt (49.8 percent). Digital screens in dressing rooms that show products complementing the item being tried on are equally as likely to be considered “creepy” (41.9 percent) as “cool” (41.5 percent), per the survey’s more than 1,000 adult respondents. And while location-triggered personalized content and discounts delivered to mobile devices are slightly more likely to be perceived as “cool” (39.9 percent) than “creepy” (37.3 percent), a sizable chunk (22.8 percent) aren’t sure. [caption id="attachment_49819" align="aligncenter" width="500"]Click for full size Click for full size[/caption] The personalization tactics that are the most unfavorable to consumers are:
  • A salesperson making more helpful suggestions because they can see what the shopper has previously browsed and bought on their site and in the store (31.9 percent “cool” versus 45.9 percent “creepy”);
  • A salesperson greeting the shopper by name on the selling floor because their mobile phone signals their entrance (18.2 percent “cool” compared to 64.3 percent “creepy”);
  • Facial recognition technology identifying the shopper as a high-value one and relaying the information to a salesperson (13 percent “cool” versus 66.8 percent “creepy”).
Millennials (18-29) found facial recognition more “creepy” than those surveyed on average and rated a salesperson greeting them by name about the same as others. But they were generally more open than other respondents to all other tactics. For the most part, the personalization tactics considered the most “creepy” last year continue to be viewed that way this year. Comparing this year’s versus last year’s, the trends indicate:
  • A slight move towards “cool” rather than “creepy” for scanning products on mobile devices to see reviews and recommendations;
  • Location-triggered mobile alerts are seen as less “cool” this year; but
  • Shoppers are slightly more favorable to salespeople greeting them by name on the selling floor due to a mobile signal, and to facial recognition technology identifying a loyal shopper.
 

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