In general, people tend to consider that personalization and customization are the same, but this is not the case, in this post we will explain what the differences are between the two.

In order to understand what aspects separate them, you must first know what unites them.

The economic market is constantly evolving, adapting to new technologies, needs, trends, etc. Previously, brands released a product aimed at meeting a need that, with a previous study, they had discovered. A generic product for a generic need. Henry Ford once said, “All Ford Model Ts are available in any color, as long as that color is black.”

But times are changing and right now consumers want brands to understand them and provide them with a solution with a unique approach, they are more demanding.

To deal with these aspects, brands have begun to personalize and customize. Both are processes of adaptation to a defined type of customer, either in the form of a message or a product, with the aim of improving the shopping experience and consequently increasing sales.

Personalization

Personalization collects customer information, which already exists, because it has previously interacted in some places, mostly digital platforms.

When the company collects all this information, it creates a hypothetical profile of the client. It is as if the client is walking and leaving a trail of footprints, the company is collecting and studying them. When you have this profile, you adapt the shopping experience you want to offer based on the previous behavior of the consumer.

Some of the data that companies obtain are: demographic data when you put the GPS, last visited pages of your browser, etc.

An example that will make us understand it better are the home pages of Amazon or Aliexpress, in them you will always find products related to your previous searches and your tastes.

Customization

Customization is when the information that the company receives about the client has been previously modified by him. Whether through forms, surveys, choices made by the customer, etc.

In this case, it is as if the client who is walking does not leave footprints, but leaves breadcrumbs in the places he wants, and the procedure that follows is the same as in personalization. The company collects these crumbs, studies them, creates a hypothetical profile and offers a pleasant shopping experience for the customer.

An example is Netflix: when you create an account for the first time, Netflix doesn’t know you, so it offers you a survey about the types of series you like to later recommend others that suit your tastes and your experience on the platform is unbeatable. You modify from the beginning the information with which you want to be treated.

Conclusion

The objective of both is the same, that the customer is satisfied with their shopping experience, but the way to achieve it is what differentiates them, while one searches for existing information (personalization), the other asks what they want to obtain the information (customization).

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