Personalisation 101: How to Boost Engagement and Retain Customers with Tailored Emails
Let’s face it—no one likes feeling like another name on a massive email list. You know the ones: impersonal, generic, and often utterly irrelevant to what you care about. It’s the kind of email that gets ignored, or worse, sent straight to the spam folder.
But what if, instead, you received an email that spoke directly to your interests? Knew what you liked and didn’t like, what you’ve looked at, and one that might just nudge you over the purchase line. That’s the power of personalisation—it makes an email feel like it’s meant for you.
We’re going to break down exactly why personalised emails aren’t just a nice-to-have but a necessity for any brand serious about building customer loyalty. Plus, we’ll share some tips on how you can start personalising your emails.
1. Why is personalisation so important in email marketing?
So, why does personalisation matter so much more than blasting out generic emails to everyone? Let me explain in numbers. According to studies, personalised emails deliver 29% higher open rates, 41% higher click-through rates and 6x higher transaction rates than one-size-fits-all sends. It’s simple—personalised emails get opened, clicked, and drive action.
They also do wonders for customer loyalty. Studies show that 67% of shoppers have used personal recommendations to shop with a brand they’ve already engaged with and 56% of customers will become repeat buyers after a personalised interaction.
So what’s the key to effective personalisation? Segmentation. This is where you take your email list and divide it into smaller, more targeted groups based on customer behaviour, interests, and data you’ve collected. Segmentation allows you to send highly relevant content to each group, rather than blasting out blanket offers that might not land.
1.1 Segmentation: The foundation of personalisation
When done right, segmentation can help each email feel personal and that the content resonates with the recipient (of course, crafting the email will still be in your hands, but more on that later). Imagine sending a different message to first-time buyers than to your loyal customers who’ve been with you for years. It’s a small change, but it makes all the difference in building deeper connections and driving engagement.
By grouping your audience based on specific traits or behaviours, you can craft tailored messages that hit the mark. This could mean segmenting by:
Purchase history: Show repeat buyers products they’re likely to love, or entice first-timers with special offers.
Browsing behaviour: Send personalised product recommendations based on what they’ve browsed but haven’t yet purchased and “Still Interested?” emails.
Engagement level: Re-engage customers who haven’t opened your emails in a while with targeted win-back campaigns.
Location: Use location data to send emails that highlight store openings, local events, or region-specific promotions. For example, "Exclusive deals for our NYC customers."
Segmentation doesn’t have to be complicated, especially when you leverage tools like AI and automation.
1.2 How to use AI and Klaviyo to supercharge your segmentation
AI can analyse massive amounts of customer data to identify patterns you might miss. For example, it can predict what products customers are likely to purchase next or when they’re most likely to engage with your brand. This takes the guesswork out of segmentation and ensures you’re sending the right message at the right time.
Klaviyo automates this process for you. You can set up flows that trigger personalised emails based on specific customer actions, like abandoning a cart or completing a purchase. It also integrates with AI-powered analytics to refine your segments even further, so you can tailor every email depending on the audience to feel like a personal conversation rather than a mass broadcast.
2. How to personalise your emails for maximum impact
You’ve got the data, you’ve created the segments, but what are you actually meant to do with this information? Personalising your emails needs to go beyond adding a first name to youur subject lines. Let’s break it down:
2.1 Use segments effectively
Here’s how to use data effectively to send your segments targeted campaigns:
New customers vs. repeat customers: For first-time buyers, send a welcome email with a special discount and an introduction to your brand. For repeat customers, focus on loyalty rewards or VIP offers.
Example: First-time buyer email: “Welcome! Here’s 10% off your first purchase.”
Repeat customer email: “Thanks for being so loyal! Enjoy early access to our new collection.”
Demographics (Age, Gender, Interests): You can segment based on a number of demographics. For example, send emails with men’s products to male customers and women’s products to female customers.
Example: A fitness brand sends strength-training gear promos to men and yoga gear to women based on their interests.
Inactivity: Create re-engagement campaigns for subscribers who haven’t opened your emails in 3-6 months.
Example: “We miss you! Come back and enjoy 20% off your next purchase.”
2.2 Dynamic content
Dynamic content allows you to display different email elements based on individual preferences—all within the same email template.
Product recommendations: Let’s say you’re running a sale. You can use dynamic content to recommend products that align with each customer’s previous purchases. One customer might see jackets, another might see shoes, based on their buying habits.
Content personalisation by region: A global company might show different products to customers in warm climates (e.g., swimsuits) vs. those in colder regions (e.g., coats), all in one email.
Example: A November sale email shows swimwear to customers in Australia and winter coats to those in the UK.
2.3 Personalised product recommendations
Take the guesswork out for customers by recommending products they’ll actually want:
Purchase-based recommendations: After a customer makes a purchase, send a follow-up email suggesting complementary products. For instance, if someone buys a camera, recommend lenses, tripods, or accessories.
Example: “You got the camera—now complete the set with these accessories.”
Abandoned cart emails: If a customer leaves items in their cart, send a gentle reminder email, including the items they left behind and potentially a small incentive to complete their purchase.
Example: “You left these behind! Complete your purchase and enjoy free shipping today.”
Image source: Golde
Behaviour-based suggestions: If a customer is frequently browsing a particular category without buying, send them an email showcasing top-rated or new products in that category.
Example: “We noticed you love loungewear—check out our latest arrivals just for you!”
2.4 Personalisation beyond names
There are others ways than using names when it comes to speaking directly to your customers and where they are in their buying journey:
Birthday offers: Send birthday emails with a special gift or discount to make the customer feel valued.
Example: “Happy Birthday! Enjoy 15% off your next purchase.”
Image source: Sephora
Milestone emails: Celebrate customer anniversaries with your brand by acknowledging how long they’ve been a customer and offering an exclusive reward.
Example: “It’s been 1 year since you joined us! Here’s a gift to celebrate.”
Post-purchase engagement: After a purchase, send a thank-you email, but go further—recommend how they can use the product or offer tips and tricks.
Example: “Thanks for your purchase! Here’s how to style your new blazer for work or weekend.”
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, people want to feel understood, and emails are the perfect way to do just that. Personalised campaigns and automation are all about showing your customers you get them. When you focus on making every message relevant and timely, you won’t just boost open rates; you’ll build lasting loyalty. Ready to have your customers coming back for more? It’s time to get personal.
Reach out to us at Melusine.studio if you need help personalising your email strategy.