Walmart, Urban Outfitters personalise customer experience

American retailer Walmart and multinational lifestyle retail corporation Urban Outfitters are among the top five retail brands that personalise the customer experience, as per the second annual Retail Personalization Index. Ebay has been ranked at number 5 on this list by Sailthru, a personalised marketing automation technology provider for retailers.

Brands that have publicly committed to improving customer experiences last year, such as Urban Outfitters, are now seeing  returns on their investments this year as they rose significantly amongst the ranked companies. Urban Outfitters increased its score by more than 30 points compared to last year.

This year's Index proves that personalisation has transcended from a buzzword for marketers to an enterprise-wide priority, said Sailthru in a press release. Using personalisation to guide its business, JustFab, Fabletics and ShoeDazzle, which are all owned by TechStyle Fashion Group, each ranked in the top 20. TechStyle Fashion Group was the only multi-brand retail enterprise with this performance consistency.

"Our company's mission is to reimagine the fashion business, and we are doing so by integrating data science, personalisation and membership commerce," said Adam Goldenberg, CEO of TechStyle Fashion Group. "We've structured the company to foster innovation across those areas, rather than silo it—a reality that many legacy retail brands are working to outgrow."

"Brands are recognising the need to elevate their personalisation strategies and differentiate themselves from Amazon, providing curated and relevant experiences that can't be found on Amazon's domain," said Neil Lustig, CEO, Sailthru. "We're seeing marked progress from the leaders ranked in this year's Index. Many of the investments in customer experiences made by brands within the past year have catapulted them to the top. We are excited to see more companies use personalisation to stand out—and win—in a crowded marketplace."

Sailthru launched its first Retail Personalization Index last year in response to market feedback from retailers seeking a better understanding of what personalisation is and which brands are taking innovative approaches. The Index quantifies how leading retailers are curating their customer experience; determines gaps in the approach to personalisation used by top retailers; and examines the relationship between a tailored experience, customer satisfaction, and retention to drive revenue, reduce customer churn, and optimise engagement.

The retail brands reviewed in this year's research were selected based on a number of criteria, such as brand prominence, reputation, and retailer type. Research on the Personalization Index was conducted between June and August 2018 and scored brands, as selected by Sailthru, on how they personalise the customer experience.