Site Impact: How Brands Can Get Personalisation Right

When it comes to personalisation, do you understand your audience’s interests? 

Research from MarTech data intelligence firm Site Impact has found that, while most consumers notice personalised marketing, very few feel that brands understand what they actually want. 

The company’s 2026 Personalisation Reality Check Report, which surveyed 800 US adults, looked into where consumers tend to draw the line between personalisation that feels useful and personalisation that feels invasive – finding that only 27% of respondents say that brands understand their interests ‘very well’.

“Consumers don't mind personalisation. They mind bad personalisation,” says Jennifer Gressman, CEO of Site Impact. “One search or one click doesn't define intent." 

“The brands that stand out use current, permission-based data to deliver relevance instead of repetition. Consumers don't reward brands for knowing everything. They reward brands for getting the moment right," she adds.

Repetitive and uncomfortable: How brands get it wrong

Getting personalisation right can be highly rewarding for a brand – but getting it wrong can be disastrous. 

The majority of consumers (61%) say they react negatively when a brand’s marketing follows them across social media, websites and email and 55% say they feel uncomfortable when marketing references something specific about them.

In fact, 43% of respondents reported that they have stopped buying from a brand entirely because its personalised marketing felt “repetitive, too personal or off-base”. 

When personalised marketing does feel useful, however, nearly half (46%) of respondents say that they visit the brand's website, while 42% say they consider making a purchase. 

This, the report suggests, could mean that consumers are not completely rejecting the concept of personalised marketing. Instead, they just have higher standards for it. 

“Personalisation only works when the data reflects where the consumer is today. One interaction rarely tells the whole story,” Jennifer says. “A search, a click or a site visit can signal interest, but it doesn't automatically mean someone is ready to buy.

“When brands continue marketing based on outdated or incomplete information, consumers experience it as noise rather than relevance.”

How effective can personalised marketing really be?

As the holiday season approaches, many brands are looking to ramp up their personalised marketing campaigns and strategies.

Research from Attentive has found that customers are beginning their holiday shopping as early as the summer – which goes against traditional brand expectations that consumers begin to plan their purchases around Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 

The same research found that consumers are most likely to engage with marketing that has been personalised to their interests and shopping behaviour, with 90% of respondents saying that they respond to price drops on products they’re interested in and 73% respond to relevant product recommendations.

AI could be a key way to drive effective personalisation, suggests Jema Birkmeyer, Vice President of Strategic Sales at Attentive. 

“The retailers that win this holiday season will be the ones using AI to understand and deliver on individual customer preferences, serve timely, personalised experiences across every channel and strengthen relationships well before promotions begin,” she says.