How many of us remember walking into a holiday gift shop when younger (and before a global pandemic put a stop to the H word), and eagerly searching for a fridge magnet, mug, or pencil inscribed with our name?

Personalization is a tactic brands and businesses have been using for years to hook us into their offerings. The idea is, as consumers, we forge stronger attachments to products that appear to have been created for or tailored to us, personally. For businesses, encouraging these deep connections with customers results in loyalty and greater lifetime value.

In theory, the formula is simple. But in reality, success requires so much more than printing a name on an everyday household object. Instead, brands must allocate large amounts of resources to really understanding their customers, and then develop offerings that suit.

Fortunately, the internet provides a more efficient and effective way to personalize offerings on a mass level. As a result, we’ve seen the rise of businesses, including Moonpig, Getting Personal, and Funky Pigeon, which offer customers a service to personalize common gift items, in order to create something with greater meaning and significance for a loved one.

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