Personalized Guided Discovery: The Next Stage of Optimized Customer Experiences

Connect Shoppers with Products They’ll Love

of shoppers have left a retailer’s website because they could not easily find what they needed.

of online shoppers enter a website without knowing what to buy ahead of time.

Consumers’ expectations aren’t the only drivers behind

a need to improve the online shopping experience:

• Without the personal touch of a sales associate,

shoppers are left to identify and decide what product

will best meet their needs. Yet, 80 percent of online

shoppers enter a website without knowing what to

buy ahead of time.

• Nearly three quarters of shoppers have left a retailer’s

website because they could not easily find what they

needed. The inability to easily and quickly find desired

items caused them to abandon the search or visit a

competitor’s marketplace instead.

• When faced with a wide array of purchasing options,

shoppers are less likely to complete a purchase

than when selecting from a small volume of options.

This is a challenge for online retailers that tend to

showcase their entire catalogues and leave

customers to identify what they want.

73%

The Path to Product Discovery Consumers’ expectations for an exceptional brand experience are on the rise. To stay

competitive, retailers need to optimize the experience to make customers feel like they

are receiving special treatment tailored to their individual needs and interests.

Enter Guided Discovery, a shopping experience that empowers customers to engage with brands to discover the products and content that align with their tastes and needs. This is a tremendous opportunity for brands to implement a more personal and interactive approach to online shopping.

Traditionally, in-store sales associates have led the charge to create engaging and memorable shopping

experiences. In addition to helping consumers narrow down a wide selection of products to suit his or

her needs, store associates deliver personalized attention for an interactive and entertaining experience.

The next evolution of the customer experience will be to use Personalized Guided Discovery to recreate

the in-store associate experience online.

As more customers turn to mobile and online commerce, it’s increasingly important for brands to guide shoppers along the path to purchase—providing the equivalent of a helpful in-store associate, compelling content and entertaining methods that guide and delight customers during the shopping journey. This is the key to cutting through the noise online, capturing shoppers’ attention and creating a distinctive experience.

80%

Many smart brands have already realized the opportunity in product discovery, and have initiated efforts to create meaningful interactions with shoppers online. These initiatives include the use of filtering tools, and in some cases, function-based guided selling solutions, that aim to customize the ecommerce experience. While these reflect a rudimentary approach, they act as a foundation for where personalization is headed next—Guided Discovery.

Tackling Product Discovery Today

FilteringWithout the in-store associate available to

guide shoppers online, brands have adopted

filtering tools to narrow down products a

customer is searching for online. Typically, this

method requires a shopper to know what he or

she wants to buy.

For example, a retailer might allow a shopper to

filter a search for a pair of dress shoes by color,

fit, style or designer. This will narrow down the

number of products a customer views online,

but what about the customer that has no

specific requirement or intention of buying?

Filtering as a standalone tool lacks the predictive

component that can personalize products based

on what the shopper is looking for and what similar

individuals have purchased in the past. At best, the

filtering method curates products that resonate with

the individual as long as he or she knows what to look

for. At its worst, product filtering leads the shopper to

a frustrating, dead-end search.

In this case, filtering tools struggle to guide the shopper through the purchasing journey. Instead, they create a frustrating and endless search for products that risks leaving shoppers with a negative experience.

Guided SellingGuided selling solutions strive to go one step further

than filtering. With a greater focus on interactivity,

guided selling tools introduce functional and need-

based questions to determine recommended

products.

For example, guided selling engages shoppers by

asking functional questions about their needs, but

like filtering it lacks behavioral modeling or predictive

analytics. As a result, brands can only deliver an

experience based on features like fit, size, color and

product attributes.

Still, 63% of retailers in the US rate guided

selling among one of the most important digital

functionalities able to increase loyalty and conversion,

but without predictive functionality, guided selling is

more about the product than it is the customer.

Brands miss an opportunity to recreate the experience

of a friendly sales associate that seeks to understand

the customer’s specific needs and interests, which

guides them in finding the products that are most

personally relevant to them.

What type of shoesare you looking for?

What type of shoesare you looking for?

What colors do you like?

What colors do you like?

What is the occasion?

What is the occasion?

What is your shoe size?

What is your shoe size?

What are your favorite activities?

Concerts Theater DancingCasual GetTogethers

AnythingOutdoors

Which of these styles do you like?

How would you consideryour personal style?

Trendy Casual Classic ChicWithout the predictive functionality, filtering and guided selling are more about the product than the customer.

Enterprises that predict

will win, retain and serve

customers better than

those that don’t.”

“FORRESTER RESEARCH SAYS:

Enabling Guided Discovery with Predictive AnalyticsPredictive analytics and behavioral modeling are critical for Guided Discovery to deliver its full value. Thankfully, advances in data-driven technologies make it feasible for any brand to tap into the power of data. Instead of relying solely on basic search filters or function-based guided selling tools, brands can shape customer experiences with analytics on what individuals with similar preferences have purchased or a shopper’s style preferences, for instance. This is akin to the difference between asking a shopper what size they wear versus modeling behavior around a lifestyle question such as what are their favorite activities. Personalized Guided Discovery combines both to build a true

persona of the shopper and personalize results to their specific taste.

Forrester Research says, ‘Predictive analytics has never been

more relevant, and easier, than it is now. Big data, gobs of

compute power and modern tools are making predictive

models more efficient, accurate and accessible…Enterprises

that predict will win, retain and serve customers better than

those that don’t.”

Predictive analytics has created a world of possibilities. While some brands have considered building discovery solutions in-house, they lack the reach and expertise of established solutions and incur exorbitant costs. Companies that want to

gain a competitive edge will tap into market leading

personalization solutions that leverage predictive analytics with behavioral modeling to bolster the customer journey.

What type of shoesare you looking for?

What type of shoesare you looking for?

What colors do you like?

What colors do you like?

What is the occasion?

What is the occasion?

What is your shoe size?

What is your shoe size?

What are your favorite activities?

Concerts Theater DancingCasual GetTogethers

AnythingOutdoors

Which of these styles do you like?

How would you consideryour personal style?

Trendy Casual Classic Chic

For retailers, now is the time to consider Guided Discovery to interactively engage consumers and intelligently guide them down the path to purchase.

Bolster Your Existing Personalization Approach Brands with fully integrated personalization

solutions in place can easily add a Guided Discovery

tool. With a quick and easy deployment, brands

can immediately reap the benefits of increased

conversion rates and average order values.

Advanced technologies can enrich customer profiles

with answers from the questions, fine-tuning other

areas of personalization across the brands website

and other channels.

Leveraging Guided

Intuitive Integration Guided Discovery tools can easily integrate into a retailer’s broader personalization strategy by acting as an extension of existing solutions or a standalone tool that could be a stepping stone to more personalization methods.

Stepping Stone to Future Personalization Success Retailers still on the fence about piloting

personalization solutions, or those with limited

resources, will find Guided Discovery an easy and

flexible introduction to enhancing the customer

journey. These tools offer the opportunity to

boost the level of personalization in the customer experience with quick and easy

deployments that require little work on a

website’s backend.

The advantages of personalized Guided Discovery brings the best of in-store experiences online, while easing the purchasing process and reducing the stress of gift giving or product search.

Meanwhile, brands enjoy a flexible solution that will

generate revenue no matter where they are within

their personalization strategy.

Discovery for Email and SocialMarketers can integrate Guided Discovery initiatives into broader campaigns and personalization strategies. For example, a marketer may consider promoting the tool through targeted email campaigns to drive more traffic to a brand's website. The brand could also retarget shoppers based on session results. Messaging as a quiz in social campaigns can heighten awareness and drive additional website traffic. Regardless of tactic, Guided Discovery tools are easily integrated with other personalization methods to continuously improve how consumers engage with the brand.

Unlike guided selling and filtering tools

Product Finder & Gift Finder act as a friendly sales associate, predicting the products that will best resonate with each individual shopper to guide them down the path of relevant product discovery.

Product FinderCertona recognized the trend toward Guided Discovery early on and developed Product Finder, a tool that integrates predictive analytics and behavioral modeling to engage online shoppers in a more meaningful and interactive experience.

Through a series of visual and interactive functional and

lifestyle questions, Product Finder transforms answers

into insights to create a context-based persona. Product

Finder goes beyond the function or need-oriented

questions favored by guided selling tools. Instead,

Product Finder uses lifestyle questions about a

shopper’s style, tastes and preferences. Using patented

behavior modeling, Certona integrates responses with

what others with similar responses have purchased

or been interested in. Product Finder then curates a

selection of products, content and offers that best

match individual shopper needs and tastes.

Unlike guided selling and filtering models, which put

the work on the consumer, Product Finder acts as the

friendly sales associate to narrow down choices and

encourage brand engagement via discovery. With

Product Finder, shoppers are empowered to engage

with brands and discover new products, ultimately

bringing fun back into the online shopping journey.

Brands benefit from the interactivity, personalization

and predictive modeling of Certona’s solution to

intelligently guide consumers down the path of

relevant product discovery to purchase.

Gift FinderCertona’s Gift Finder utilizes the same powerful predictive analytics to ease the stress of purchasing the perfect gift.

ComScore found shoppers had spent $48.3 billion

online leading up to the final holiday shopping week.

At that time of year, consumers are overwhelmed and

stressed with too many options, services and long,

in-store lines.

A solution like Certona’s Gift Finder could significantly

boost holiday spending by helping customers

discover the ideal gift to match a friend or loved one’s

tastes and preferences. This eliminates the stress

and time-consuming task of gift shopping online

for consumers, and helps retailers stand apart when

competition is at its fiercest.

The Next Stage of Personalization:Certona’s Product Finder & Gift Finder

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How would you describe her style?

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How would you consider your personal style?

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CLICK HERE FOR A VIDEO OVERVIEW

Untapped PotentialRetailers increasingly seek to personalize the online shopping experience to remain competitive. According to

analysts, consumer expectations increased by an average of 20 percent in the five years leading up to 2013, with

many brands unable to close the gap between what they offer and what consumers actually want. Personalization,

mobile payment systems and various other tools have closed that gap considerably, but retailers have yet to tap

into Guided Discovery’s potential online. Digital and physical retailers stand to improve sales by knowing what

consumers want, and guiding them to discover new products. Shoppers value personalized interaction online as

much as they do in-store.

Certona’s Product Finder and Gift Finder solutions connect consumers with the best products, offers and content to ease the online purchasing journey and create meaningful interaction with the customer.

Over the next five years, retailers that integrate Guided Discovery built on predictive analytics and behavioral modeling will generate increased

sales and connect better with consumers, increasing brand loyalty and building better experiences—for both brands and their customers.

Learn more:

certona.com

info@certona.com

858-369-3888

ref. forrester, emarketer, OnePoll, Internet Retailing