Scaling Personalisation With Intent

Personalisation Used to Be Simple

Think back to the 1950s. A door-to-door salesman knocks and greets you by name. He knows your address and even has a vacuum cleaner that might be just what you need. At the time, this felt personal. It made people feel understood.

Fast forward to today, and with all the data and technology we have, why have so many brands not moved beyond a first name in an email? In some ways, we’ve even gone backwards. Instead of meaningful conversations, brands send generic, one-size-fits-all messages that don’t connect with anyone.

The Shift to Intent-Based Personalisation

Real personalisation is about understanding intent. It’s knowing what people are actually looking for, what matters to them and when they’re ready to act.

Think about your own online behaviour. You search for things, click on links, browse certain pages more than others. Every action tells a story about what you’re interested in. Yet so many brands miss the opportunity to use that insight properly.

Take online shopping. Instead of a random sales email, imagine getting a message that says:

“We noticed you love khaki jeans and we’ve just added a new collection with 20% off.”

Or if you’re job hunting:

“We see you’re looking for flexible working, career growth and, most importantly, a dog-friendly office. This role could be perfect for you.”

That’s when personalisation feels real. When a brand gets you, you’re far more likely to engage with them.

Scaling Personalisation Without Losing the Human Touch

You might be thinking: That all sounds great, but how do you do that for thousands of customers at once?

The answer is automation. Most businesses already have the data they need, they just don’t always know how to use it properly.

Start by working backwards:

1. Who do you want to talk to?
2. When should you be talking to them?
3. What do you actually want to say?

From there, focus on the data that matters. If you’re trying to sell jeans, you need to know someone has bought jeans before. If you’re sending job recommendations, you need to understand what’s important to that person in their next role.

Make Your Marketing More Human

Next time you think about personalisation, don’t just rely on first names. Think bigger. It’s not about knowing someone’s details, it’s about knowing what makes them tick. When done right, personalisation builds real relationships at scale, without losing the human touch.