Generation Y, Millennials, or Generation Consumer? Whatever you call them, their shopping habits and preferences will reveal a lot about your marketing strategy.

The “always-on” culture of today has created a new type of consumer.

They want it now. They want to hear from people who are important to them.

To use one of the most recent God-awful buzzwords, they are looking for an omnichannel experience that allows all contacts with a company to be seamless.

What’s so great with online shopping?

It’s always there, I believe. Recent research by Tryzens found that 79% of UK customers rated the freedom to shop online at any time the greatest benefit.

You know your children love shopping online. What can you do for them to make it even more enjoyable?

I said earlier that customers want a more personal shopping experience. It’s not always easy to make a difference, but it is possible with some thought.

Consider how you communicate with customers.

Email is likely to be your first choice as an online retailer.

How can you make it more personal?

Email marketing personalisation

Always address your email from the Benefits of big data for online retailers top to the recipient.

Do not start it with “Dear Sir, Dear Customer” or something similar. If Dave is the recipient, say “Hi Dave”. It’s the small things that make the biggest impact.

Next, you need to consider segmenting your email lists.

You can bet that your marketing list may have many thousand people on it.

You can gain a lot of insight by looking at the sales data you have previously and the information that you get from customers when they open an account with your company. These big data can help you to create targeted offers that appeal to specific customers.

An email that includes a tailored offer or content will have a greater impact than an effort to be all things for everyone.

This is a simple strategy, but it’s often overlooked. Lyris recently discovered that:

39% of marketers segmenting their lists saw higher open rates

28% had lower unsubscribe rates

24% reported higher deliverability and more revenue.

It’s time to give your customers a more personal experience.