5 Shopper Personalization Solutions for Brands

Shopper personalization is the next frontier for major brands and brick-and-mortar retailers.

Even when retailers can compete with e-commerce giants on pricing and selection at physical stores, they still fall behind on personalization. Sites like Amazon collect tremendous amounts of customer data, which they can use to automatically create highly personalized experiences and recommendations for online shoppers. But brands with physical stores have a few tricks up their sleeves, too.

More than 70% of retailers now say they’re working to personalize the in-store experience, according to Forrester Research. While product recommendations are the most obvious example, brands like New Balance and Nike are also using data to help in-store shoppers customize products with interactive kiosks. Melissa Shoes USA, a Miami-based brand, has even been piloting an opt-in facial recognition program that recognizes shoppers and notifies sales associates of their arrival.

Here are five examples of hyperlocal vendors offering the latest personalization solutions for brands and retailers right now.

1. Darius for Retail: Continuous shopper engagement
Darius for Retail is a shopper data and personalization solution designed to drive more in-store visits. Developed for supermarkets, retail brands, convenience stores, malls, and stadiums, Darius conducts detailed audits of its clients’ approaches to shopper engagement and then develops shopper marketing strategies that promote engagement and sales growth. Retailers can engage with shoppers in real-time through both digital and non-digital channels. Major retail brands with which Darius has worked include Topshop, Boots, and Forever 21.

2. RichRelevance: Enhancing the customer experience with curated shopping environments
A personalization provider that helps brands individualize their customers’ experiences, RichRelevance is used both in-store and across digital properties. The company uses machine learning and a patented technology that identifies more than 125 pre-built recommendation algorithms to provide personalized recommendations to in-store and online shoppers. Through an in-store POS solution, retailers can identify the items specific shoppers have been coveting online, giving salespeople the chance to shine with relevant product recommendations and cross-selling opportunities. RichRelevance works with major retail brands such as Burberry and Office Depot.

3. Facenote: Using facial recognition to identify customers in real-time
Facenote takes a different approach to shopper personalization than other vendors on this list, offering retailers access to a facial recognition platform that identifies customers in real-time. With a standard webcam, Facenote uses artificial intelligence to recognize customers from the moment they walk into participating stores. Shoppers can then be welcomed by name, and associates on the sales floor can be notified and briefed on each customer’s personal preferences and purchasing histories. Product recommendations can be personalized, and a deep sense of loyalty is fostered. Facenote is conducting a pilot with Melissa Shoes at selected locations.

4. Oracle Maxymiser: Targeting shoppers based on individual needs
Since Oracle acquired Maxymiser, a cloud-based solution that allows marketers to test, target, and personalize what customers see on websites and mobile apps, in 2015, the company has offered Maxymiser’s software to retailers looking to track shopper behavior across multiple channels. Oracle Maxymiser differentiates itself from competing shopper personalization solutions in the way it integrates with retailers’ data management, CRM, and web analytics platforms. Retailers using Oracle Maxymiser include Callaway Golf, Matalan, and Lomax.

5. Revive: Personalizing the makeup-buying experience
Revive puts a modern spin on in-store beauty consultants. Designed primarily for beauty and skincare retailers, Revive is a “digital skincare advisor” that uses technology to analyze selfies and provide shoppers with personalized product recommendations. Retailers can deploy Revive’s technology at kiosks inside physical stores or through their e-commerce channels. Revive’s beauty advisor is fully white-label, recommending skincare and makeup products based on what retailers have in-stock. Retailers can also take advantage of Revive’s augmented reality (AR) feature to let shoppers see what they would look like wearing the recommended products. Revive is used by Beauty Bridge and Biodelly.

Stephanie Miles is a senior editor at Street Fight.