Personalization has been a key focus for businesses over the past few years, as many businesses look to offer their customers personalized experiences. And new technologies are taking this beyond simple personalized recommendations. Let’s take a look at some of the innovations that could signal next gen personalization.
Customization
As the old adage says, there is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to business. Even when the market is segmented to identify specific consumers, each customer comes with their own individual needs and wants. With this in mind, there has been a rise in technology allowing consumers to customize their experience. For example, when online casino enthusiasts in the UK play Plinko Betfair, they are provided with different options allowing players to customize the gameplay to suit their individual gaming tastes. The user interface prompts players to adjust the number of rows within the slot format to between eight and fourteen rows, and the volatility between high and low. This provides personalized gameplay and functionality making the experience more engaging and immersive.
This same technique is also rising in both in-person and e-commerce retail settings. Brands such as Nike are toying with virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology to allow shoppers to customize base products with different digital design elements. While this is not quite as widespread in physical stores as it is online, the implementation of customization technology provides shoppers with a personalized experience that can be tailored to meet their demand without affecting other consumers or the overall product range.
AI Interactivity
AI has been a buzzword of sorts in technology for the past couple of years. In recent times, we’ve seen AI skyrocket in popularity and implementation. Among other benefits, AI can be used to make products and services more interactive, personalizing interactions depending on the input or perceived behaviors of the user.
One recent innovative application for AI is being spearheaded by Gatorade and Pepsi. At the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Gatorade showed off an AI Hydration Coach, which is able to educate and advise users on the science behind hydration. Pepsi also debuted the Smart Can interactive portal, which has screens wrapped around the can shape for a personalized user experience within Pepsi-sponsored and promotional events.
Biometrics
Biometrics is one of the more controversial approaches to personalization, which uses facial recognition, behavioral patterning, fingerprints, and voice recognition for authentication and recommendation. For example, facial recognition can be used for making payments in stores, which was driven forward in Western society, primarily by JP Morgan. This was evidenced in full force at the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix earlier this year.
In the cosmetic industry, skin color can be identified to provide shoppers with accurate recommendations for products like foundation and concealer, either in person or online. Elsewhere, Macy’s and Walgreens are reported to be trialing the use of emotion analysis paired with facial recognition to personalize in-store physical signage. That said, the collection and processing of biometric data still causes security concerns for some, which will need to be addressed before mainstream implementation can be achieved.
As you can see, customization, AI, and biometric technology have a wide scope of potential waiting to be unlocked. Whether these technologies are widely implemented in the future, we’ll just have to wait and see, with some expected to drop as soon as 2025.
