How to Not Give Up on Personalisation as a Business Leader

“What you see is that people just give up. In our organisation, it just doesn’t happen.”

That phrase came from a recent conversation we at Contenzi had with an executive at one of our corporate clients. It perfectly sums up the fate that website personalisation has met in many organisations until recently. It’s seen as something with too little impact and too much complexity. So teams try once or twice — and give up. In most cases, it just doesn’t happen.

But as a business leader, giving up on personalisation is no longer an option.

The reality is that more than 80 percent of global consumers now expect personalised experiences. That’s according to a BCG study published in the Harvard Business Review (November–December 2024). Yet, two-thirds of people say the personalisation they experience is either inappropriate, inaccurate, or both.

So the customer need is clear. Why, then, do we still tell the same story to everyone who visits our website?

Contenzi was created to solve this exact challenge.

The good news is that today, personalisation doesn’t have to be hard. It doesn’t have to be risky or expensive. And it definitely doesn’t have to be something you try once and abandon. Here are a few practical tips to help you and your team move forward with personalisation — and enjoy doing it.

Keep it simple

Pick the low-hanging fruit first. At Contenzi, we often see teams jumping straight into complex use cases that never go live. Don’t make it harder than it needs to be. Start with something straightforward. For example, show different content to someone visiting your homepage for the first time versus someone returning. One small change can already make the experience feel more relevant — and that’s real personalisation.

Measure what matters

Focus on the four or five key metrics that matter most to your business. As a business leader, you already know what those are. Use them to evaluate the impact of personalisation.

If your website is mainly informational, look for improvements in time spent or the number of return visitors. If your site supports ecommerce, track the effect on online revenue or average order value. You don’t need dozens of dashboards — just a clear view of the results that matter.

Stay on brand

Make sure personalisation happens within your brand guidelines. AI-based solutions can give you a lot of freedom to try new ideas, but they don’t always respect how your brand should look and feel. That can be risky.

Instead, work within a clear brand-safe framework. Use components and messaging that already reflect your identity. That way, you avoid premature failures and build trust as you scale personalisation.

Work together

Make personalisation a shared effort. Give your team access to the tools and results. If only a few people know what’s being done or what’s working, progress will be slow. But if everyone involved can see what’s live and what’s improving customer experience, you move faster — and with more confidence.

It also helps shift the conversation away from different “data realities” and back towards action. What are we actually doing to meet our customer’s needs?

Final thought

Here you go. Four simple ways to get started with personalisation — and avoid giving up.

Because in the end, personalisation is not just about tools or technology. It’s about having a clear plan, building momentum, and making real progress with your team. Done right, it doesn’t just deliver results. It’s also fun.