Personalisation is one of the most powerful loyalty builders. It means your product can adapt to users and in exchange, they can integrate it as part of their world.
But for that to be true, personalisation needs to be more than just Hi [Name] at the top of a screen. If you're going to ask users to provide information about themselves, you need to make sure you're using that information in a way that provides real value.
Yes, personalisation is more than calling users by their name.
In today’s email, we’ll be unpacking what Netflix can teach us about making your product feel like it was built for each of your users individually.
➡️ Recommend thoughtfully, or don’t
Netflix provides a myriad of ever-changing recommendation sections that evolve depending on the device, time of day, and other factors. "Top 10 for You", "Because You Watched [Title]", etc.
The first step to this is truly understanding the intentions and expectations of users at each touchpoint.
Segment your users, find patterns of behaviour, then think about how you can create a tailored atmosphere for them to get more value out of the experience.
⚠️ Do pay attention to being fully transparent about how you use data. Avoid anything invasive that could make your users feel more creeped out than considered.
➡️ Test, test and test again
Netflix runs around 250 A/B tests a year. That's how they avoid making assumptions. They let data drive their personalisation choices. They constantly gauge how users respond to variations of experiences.
This doesn’t have to be big, complicated tests. Netflix tests thumbnails and buttons like the 'Play Next' button, which they tweaked until it got them a 20% increase in episode completion rates. Consider CTA placement, colours, buttons, and micro-copy.
⚠️ Always be aware of cognitive overload though – never stop considering how much you're complicating an experience by personalising it.
➡️ Respect your users’ time
With personalisation, a good rule of thumb is to only take from your users’ time if you’re going to give them time back.
If you're going to send notifications or interrupt users in any way, make sure you're doing it at the right time. Respect the reason users opened your app, and what might be a good time to be asking them for their attention.
Netflix uses time as a variable in their recommendations. Log in late at night, and they'll suggest shorter programmes or shows you're halfway through rather than hour-long episodes. They respect the time context.
This small shift can make your product slot just that much better into users' lives.
➡️ Collect the right data
In order to power thoughtful personalisation, Netflix collects precise data every time users interact with the product in the slightest way.
When you pause, rewind, or fast forward. What day you watch content. What time. What device. When you pause and leave content. What you search. Browsing and scrolling behaviour. Even thumbnail tracking.
Focus on deciding which data will help you make more relevant personalisation decisions, then systematically accumulate this data.
➡️ The simple path to personalisation
Obviously, Netflix has built their product on a deeply intricate system of personalisation.
But really, it all comes down to a surprisingly simple approach: collect data, analyse it, understand your users, provide value to different groups in different ways, then test relentlessly.
Essentially, you need three things:
- A strategy with metrics and tactics
- A method to test hypotheses quickly
- A culture that encourages risk-taking and intellectual curiosity – the courage to try ideas and think out of the box.
Get personalisation right, and you’ll have made a huge step towards delivering rich, highly valuable experiences your users delight in. 🙌
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