12-16-2005, 01:22 PM
Quote:Online retailers are selling more merchandise than ever this holiday season, but one thing few if any of them can do is distinguish between the purchases shoppers make for themselves and those they buy as gifts.
That's important because retailers often use past purchase behavior to "personalize" content on their Web sites and suggest other items for consumers to buy. But doing that accurately requires more information than retailers typically have.
...As a result, much of what passes for personalization today isn't very personal. One of its most popular forms continues to be one that requires less sophistication: the email message. Retailers can target customers based on previous purchases -- offering shoes that match a handbag, for example -- or offer a discount on an item left behind in a shopping cart...
full article: http://www.internetweek.cmp.com/showArti...=174901314