Personalisation (In)effectiveness in email marketing

Abstract

This research explores the effects of personalization in email marketing. Although personalization is expected to positively impact customer experiences through behavioural responses, its effects on consumers' actual behaviour have not been extensively addressed, providing retailers limited guidance on how to develop personalized communication strategies. Two experimental studies were designed to test the effectiveness of personalization. Results show positive effects of personalized messages on retailers' performance while also highlighting instances of reactance. The originality of this paper lies in identifying possible causes of the contrasting effects of personalization on consumer behaviour by investigating them alongside various customers' online shopping decision making phases. It also provides managerial implications by suggesting guidelines on how to implement effective personalization in email marketing.