Personalization has become a buzzword, almost to the point that people no longer react upon hearing it. This is due in large part because of the frequent use of the word to describe impersonal interactions.

Our own VP of Global Marketing, Sarah Engel, sat down with Multichannel Merchant’s Managing Editor Tim Parry at this past eTail West conference, to discuss consumer interactions and how they should influence the way retailers are viewing their data in order to generate relevant information in the hopes to ignite brand loyalty.

Throughout this conversation, Engel highlights a key pain point retailers stumble upon when attempting to create personalized connections. She says “the biggest issue facing retailers is not ‘how do we personalize?’ or ‘how do we interact with our customers better?’ The biggest issue is that all their data points are in silos throughout their system.”

As we’ve said before, true personalization can only be offered when all data channels are connected - giving retailers a single and complete view of each customer. This is the only way to truly deliver on customer expectations and create personalized interactions. Consumers don’t experience shopping in the same separate channels in which retailers segment them internally; instead, they see shopping as one continuous encounter with brands - whether they interact online, through mobile or in-store.

View the full interview below to learn additional insight on how omni-channel experiences can lead to the ultimate personalization here:

For more on the new reality of retail, please check out The 2016 Merchant Manual. From the top 4 trends that merchants must embrace in the year ahead, to the newest metrics by which retail success will be measured, this is your guidebook for making 2016 the best year of your career.