personalization
per-sun-ul-ih-ZAY-shuhn
/ˌpɜːrsənələˈzeɪʃən/
The process of tailoring a service or product to accommodate specific individuals.
In online shopping, this refers to algorithms showing you products based on your past behavior.
The story behind the word. The root 'persona' originally referred to the masks worn by actors in Roman theater. Personalization is the act of fitting a 'mask' or a specific identity onto a generic service.
Word relationships
- tailoring: Tailoring is a more traditional term often used for physical clothing; personalization is the digital equivalent.
- standardization: Standardization means making everything the same for everyone.
Commonly confused with
- customization: Customization is active (you choose); personalization is passive (the computer chooses for you).
Word family
- personalize (verb): To make personal.
- personal (adjective): Relating to a person.
Collocations
- data-driven personalization
- customer personalization
- website personalization
Example sentences
- "Effective personalization can increase sales by showing customers exactly what they are likely to buy." E-commerce strategy.
Memory hook
Making it 'Personal' for 'You'. The store that knows your name.
When not to use
Do not confuse with 'customization,' where the user makes the changes; personalization is usually done for the user by the system.
Fun facts
- Netflix's recommendation engine is a form of personalization that saves the company over $1 billion a year in customer retention.
Related words
Explore more words
echo chamber, tailored, individualize, algorithmic, privacy, differentiate
Also appears in
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