Personalize the Shopping Experience

With over 400 locations on five continents at last count, Build-A-Bear Workshops stores can be considered testimony to the success of allowing purchasers to personalize their purchases. Each child selects from a range of items in the store to design their own stuffed animal, and upon completion of the toy, the child signs the animal's birth certificate.
     People love the opportunity to put their personal imprint on their purchases. They buy accessories for their iPods and automobiles. A few years ago, online clothing retailer Land's End told Fortune Magazine that fully 40% of Land's End shoppers are willing to pay more and tolerate longer delivery times so they can specify a blend of precise sizes when ordering. Researchers at Colorado State University found that consumers choose to personalize even if it means accepting design quality inferior to what professional designers would produce. Another study concluded shoppers in a marketing atmosphere filled with fears of privacy being violated still will volunteer ample amounts of information about themselves to a retailer if they see the retailer using this to personalize the shopping experience for them.
     Your shoppers appreciate the chance to customize. But what they like even more is the opportunity to personalize. So present the options to your shoppers in terms of them expressing their personal values. Land's End does best to talk about the luxury that comes when having clothes cut to the customer's highest comfort.
     It's easiest for you to offer personalization when you accept special orders. However, that's not necessary, and accepting special orders does bring up complications—such as how to handle merchandise returns—which you might choose to avoid. Offering accessories as add-on purchases is another approach. And in fact, just having sales staff call customers by name is a bit of personalizing the shopping experience.