How do you feel when you get an email that starts with “Dear Valued Customer”?
Exactly. Your customers feel the same way.
The Expectation Gap
Here’s what your customers experience every day: Netflix shows them exactly what they want to watch. Amazon suggests products they actually need. Spotify creates playlists based on their taste.
Then they open your generic email blast and think, “These people have no idea who I am.”
Personalisation Isn’t Complicated
Good news: personalisation isn’t some crazy tech thing that requires a massive budget or a data science team.
It’s just paying attention.
Send different emails to new customers versus returning ones. Recommend products based on what people have actually bought. Acknowledge where someone is in their journey with you instead of treating everyone the same.
These aren’t groundbreaking tactics. They’re just basic recognition that not all your customers are identical.
The Test
Look at your last email campaign. Did it feel like it was written for everyone or for someone specific?
If it’s everyone, you’re talking to no one.
Generic messages get generic results. When you try to speak to your entire audience at once, you end up saying nothing memorable to anyone.
What Happens When You Get It Right
The businesses that personalise their emails properly see something interesting: their customers actually look forward to hearing from them. Open rates go up. Click-through rates improve. People buy more often because the emails feel relevant instead of like noise.
It’s not magic. It’s just the difference between feeling seen and feeling like another name on a list.
Start Simple
You don’t need to overhaul everything overnight.
Start by segmenting your list into a few basic groups. New customers. Repeat buyers. People who haven’t purchased in a while. Send each group a slightly different message that actually acknowledges who they are and where they are in their relationship with you.
Your customers will notice immediately. Because right now, most of your competitors are still sending “Dear Valued Customer” emails to everyone.
And that’s your opportunity.
