Web designers are always on a lookout for options that can enhance the user experience and the visual appeal of a website. A lot of new philosophies have surfaced over the years related to website design. Personalizing the design of a website is one of the examples. Designers across the world have mixed feelings about the whole personalization process of a website. Some look at it as a success mantra, while others feel that all the research and hassles are not worth it.

Before we move further into details, let’s first understand what exactly is website personalization? Website personalization is another way of offering personalized marketing. In this strategy, the company or brand serves personalized content and recommendations to users. The personalization is based on different techniques like data collection and analysis, user behavior studies, automation and even algorithms in some cases.

Personalization has done wonders for many big guns like Amazon and Netflix. But, that doesn’t guarantee its success when it comes to your own website. In this article, we will discuss the Pros and Cons of personalization in your website design so that you can take an informed decision.

Look who has done it successfully.

Netflix.com

Amazon.com

Let’s start with the positives.

PRO #1

A Personalised Experience For Every User
What could be better than a personalized experience in the world of the web that is brimming with so many websites that provide a generic experience. People feel more connected to your brand and website when they receive a personal experience and are most likely get addicted to it. It can be the game-changing differentiator for your website.

User’s name, specific recommendations based on behavior pattern & past selections, promotional offers matching customer requirements, authority to tweak the look and feel of the website (color scheme, background images, font size etc.) are some of the key elements of a personalized experience.

PRO #2

Inflates Conversion Ratio & Customer Loyalty
Studies have suggested that the brands that offer a personalised experience to its customers enjoy increased revenues. Customers that receive customized experience are less likely to look for other options which means low customer attrition rate and high customer loyalty. Even the conversion ratio is increased substantially as the customers are offered exactly what they need and precisely in the manner they personally prefer.

PRO #3

Offers Consistency Across Devices
A personalized website experience builds consistency even when the customers access the website through different devices. This comforts his experience and pushes the user experience to a new level altogether. Take the example of Kindle, you start reading something on your mobile, you can pick it up from the same place on your tab or laptop later on. Even the look and feel of the app is absolutely same across all devices and therefore the user doesn’t need to adjust for even a bit. This is a prime example of providing personalized website design experience.

Now Let’s dig into the disadvantages.

CON#1

Cost Is Increased Heavily
When you are eyeing to provide a different and personal experience to every user be sure that there would be a lot of efforts and technological implementations involved. That’s why it will be expensive. You will need tools to collect & analyze data, algorithmic technology, automation and a full team to keep generating personalizations. All this will be heavy on your pocket and therefore it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

CON #2

Can Raise Privacy Concerns
Collection of personal information is the base of personalization. A lot of personal information is collected at different levels from the users which is then processed and used to provide customized offerings. This can raise privacy concerns among users. Not everyone will be comfortable with the fact that you know so many things about them. Moreover, they will also be concerned about how you use all the personal information that is collected. It’s best to be upfront and disclose what all information you collect, how you store it, and for what all purposes you use it.

CON #3

It’s A Very Tedious Process
A lot of time needs to be invested in order to create a personalized experience on your website. An immense amount of research and analysis is required to prepare a single wireframe and the process doesn’t stop there. It continues even after the website is launched. Keeping up with user wants and preferences is a time consuming full-time effort. In order to maintain a set of working personalizations, a lot of regular revisions, constant updates and plenty of data storage is required. Personalization looks very attractive but demands a lot of time and intensity.

Conclusion

So we have learned that personalization of website design is really a boon and improves revenue, sales, customer retention, and conversion ratio. However, it’s costly and time-consuming too. So, it’s best to take a midway while creating your website. With the help of a good email or referral program, you can route customers to a semi-personalized page which offers them tailor-made content. While this isn’t a fully-individual experience, the method can still provide desired results without digging a big hole in your pocket.

No need to scratch your head while thinking about the details of designing a website. We are here to help you. You can talk to our design experts and discuss your design requirements in detail. We would be glad to assist you.

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