Giving customers what they want requires getting personal

Know thy customer ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 
McKinsey Classics
McKinsey Classics

Brought to you by Liz Hilton Segel, chief client officer and managing partner, global industry practices, & Homayoun Hatami, managing partner, global client capabilities

McKinsey Classics | November 2023

An image linking to the web page “What shoppers really want from personalized marketing
” on McKinsey.com.

Perfecting your approach to personalized marketing

You’ve come a long way, irrelevant pop-up ad. Once a ubiquitous (and always vexatious) interruption flogging some unwanted item, now you are a lean and mean marketing machine—sort of. While companies have gotten better at knowing their customers and what their customers want, today’s digital-savvy omnichannel shoppers demand ever closer attention. Marketers also need to know when customers want something (including before customers know they want it), where they want to hear about it, and how they want to get it—all in a seamless experience that’s direct yet nuanced. It’s no wonder that many companies’ personalized marketing efforts fall short.

Leaders in personalization are continually tweaking and testing their communication efforts with shoppers to strengthen customer loyalty and spur growth. Among their constellation of personalized-marketing efforts, successful companies study individual consumer habits to learn the best time to send a marketing message, explore cross-channel communication efforts to reach customers both online and offline, and use data from loyalty programs to help personalize product offers more effectively.

To help ensure that your targeted communications are reaching your consumers in ways they want, read our 2017 classic “What shoppers really want from personalized marketing,” from McKinsey senior partners Julien Boudet and Brian Gregg and coauthors.

— Drew Holzfeind, editor, Chicago

Get personal
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Related Reading

An image linking to the web page “What is personalization?” on McKinsey.com.

What is personalization? 

An image linking to the web page “‘How generative AI can boost consumer marketing’” on McKinsey.com.

How generative AI can boost consumer marketing

An image linking to the web page “The value of getting personalization right—or wrong—is multiplying” on McKinsey.com.

The value of getting personalization right—or wrong—is multiplying 

Share these insights

Did you enjoy this newsletter? Forward it to colleagues and friends so they can subscribe too. Was this issue forwarded to you? Sign up for it and sample our 40+ other free email subscriptions here.

This email contains information about McKinsey's research, insights, services, or events. By opening our emails or clicking on links, you agree to our use of cookies and web tracking technology. For more information on how we use and protect your information, please review our privacy policy.

You received this email because you subscribed to our McKinsey Classics newsletter.

Manage subscriptions | Unsubscribe

Copyright © 2023 | McKinsey & Company, 3 World Trade Center, 175 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10007


by "McKinsey Classics" <publishing@email.mckinsey.com> - 12:20 - 16 Dec 2023