Most brands say they want to deliver a personalized customer experience. Fewer have the data, systems, or execution to make it work.
Real personalization isn’t just adding someone’s name to a subject line. It’s understanding where they are in the customer lifecycle, what they’ve browsed or bought, what channels they use, and how to respond in real time, at scale.
The good news? It’s not guesswork. Brands like ALDO, City Beach and Krispy Kreme are already doing it, turning fragmented journeys into cohesive, high-performing experiences.
Here are six real-world lessons from retail leaders who’ve made personalization practical, measurable, and profitable.
Lesson 1: Unify Data Before You Personalize
Brand: ALDO
Many brands try to personalize without a connected foundation. ALDO experienced this first-hand: marketing and commerce operated separately, meaning customers often saw inconsistent offers whether online or in-store.
Their solution was clear: integrate SAP Emarsys with SAP Commerce Cloud (and SAP Customer Activity Repository) to centralize customer behavior, product, and transaction data. This single source of truth enabled real-time, cross-channel personalization based on accurate inventory and browsing history.
This drove powerful results for ALDO:
- A scalable platform architecture for both e‑commerce and retail, enabling personalization at scale.
- Stronger loyalty through more relevant product recommendations and triggered campaigns.
“SAP Emarsys Customer Engagement helps us meet our customers where they are with what they want. We can increase loyalty and retention by delivering personalized, real‑time engagements at scale.”
Lesson 2: Automate Journeys Based on Lifecycle, Not Just Campaigns
Brand: City Beach
Blasting the same messages to every customer doesn’t build loyalty. City Beach recognized that engagement looks different depending on where a shopper is in the lifecycle, from first-time buyer to frequent VIP.
Using SAP Emarsys, they launched automated journeys mapped to specific customer stages: welcome flows, loyalty triggers, post-purchase campaigns, and reactivation series. Each program was designed to move customers forward, not just drive a single conversion.
And because these journeys ran automatically in the background, their team could scale personalization without manual effort.
Results they saw:
- 35% of total revenue now attributed to automated programs built in Emarsys.
- Lifecycle campaigns consistently outperform one-off promotions.
“Our strategy centered around leveraging valuable customer insights and robust first-party data to drive better personalized experiences for our customers. This experience-first approach led to increased uplift across purchase frequency, store visitation, and conversions.”
Lesson 3: Bridge Online And Offline For Omnichannel Consistency
Brand: Krispy Kreme ANZ
Consumers don’t think in channels – they think in experiences. But many brands still treat online and offline touchpoints separately, leading to inconsistent messaging and missed opportunities.
Krispy Kreme ANZ solved this by connecting in-store and online data through SAP Emarsys. They launched six automated programs, including a welcome series, product recommendations, and browse/basket abandonment, all driven by real-time behavior. Whether a customer walked into a shop or clicked an email, the experience stayed consistent, personal, and timely.
Results they saw:
- 53% increase in leads
- 70% year-over-year growth in website clicks
- 19% increase in digital revenue
”It’s really easy to understand, the amount of data that we’re able to extract from SAP Emarsys, the data dashboards as well, are super helpful for us to then analyze and implement new journeys or really optimize our current ones.”
Lesson 4: Let Loyalty Data Drive Personalized Journeys
Brand: City Beach
A loyalty program is more than points, prizes and repeat purchases – when used right, it’s a powerful source of customer insight. City Beach recognized this and began using loyalty program data within Emarsys to create more relevant messaging and offers.
Reward tiers, purchase habits, and loyalty balances were used to tailor communications, from email to mobile wallet, making every message feel like it was designed just for each customer. They also connected loyalty data across online and in-store channels, ensuring continuity of experience.
Results they saw:
“The SAP Emarsys platform and loyalty solution offered versatile ways of connecting with our customers across dynamic touchpoints. This also provided valuable insights into customer behavior both online and in-store through enriched first-party data.”
