By Ellie-Rose Davies, Content Executive at IMRG In this blog we reflect on the type of personalisation customers want from retailers and share top tips for making personalisation work in 2025.

But first, why is personalisation important?

Personalisation has become a core strategy for boosting customer acquisition and retention. According to Magda Schmid-Debska, VP Growth & Marketing at PXP, Personalisation isn't just what consumers demand”it's becoming essential for businesses to thrive amid fierce competition. Beyond customer satisfaction, personalisation delivers critical merchant advantages. It serves as a powerful shield against fraud, ensures seamless regulatory compliance, and provides competitive differentiation. For merchants facing challenges or seeking market leadership, personalisation isn't optional, it's imperative, argues Magda. Read on to find out which areas customers enjoy personalisation the most.

Where customers enjoy personalisation

Pre-purchase “ recommendations and pricing

Many retailers are already doing an excellent job at implementing personalisation during the product discovery stage, e.g., through product recommendations. Seray Sezkir, Marketing Specialist at Prisync notes that Retailers can innovate by integrating real-time behavioural insights into their strategies, ensuring relevance at every touchpoint. A great example is ASOS, which blends style quizzes with AI-driven recommendations, creating a seamless and engaging shopping experience that feels curated rather than algorithmic. Seray also gives the example of beauty brands who can use quick surveys for first-time purchasers to gather information about their hair type, condition, and styling preferences to suggest well-priced product bundles. They can also assist customers with customised content about product ingredients and usage until checkout. Beyond this, personalisation can be useful when it comes to pricing; companies implementing dynamic pricing in their stores can adjust prices based on demand, competitor pricing, and customer behaviour, increasing conversion rates, says Seray. In addition to dynamic pricing, dynamic, personalised finance options can help improve performance. Phil Alltoft, Commercial Lead at Novuna Consumer Finance says, Retailers invest significant effort into creating tailored experiences, making customers feel valued throughout their buying journey “ and we believe finance options should be no different. Traditional finance typically offers just two outcomes: accepted or declined. But we encourage retailers to extend personalisation into finance, with tailored decisions that meet individual customer needs. This continued commitment to a more personalised service can increase approval rates, enhance customer satisfaction, and ultimately drive revenue, shares Phil.

When having to make a return

One key reason consumers hesitate to buy is the hassle of returns, from lengthy processes to refund delays. Personalisation can simplify this experience, making returns smoother and driving online growth. Nikhita Hyett, General Manager EMEA, Signifyd explains how this can work: A personalised, checkout-like returns experience, driven by data-led insights into customer identity and intent, presents a new opportunity for retailers to optimise the shopping experience. By leveraging historical, behavioural and transactional data, retailers can implement smart returns decisioning. This allows them to tailor the process, offering instant refunds to their most trusted customers while applying additional verification only when needed. This approach rewards genuine customer behaviour, builds loyalty and helps retailers protect themselves from fraud and unnecessary returns.