Personalization is powerful. In ecommerce, it influences nearly every facet of the buyer journey — from product discovery to purchase.
In Salsify’s “2026 Consumer Research” report, personalization consistently emerges as a core theme, with the data highlighting how much consumers value commerce experiences tailored to their unique needs and product information that addresses their specific challenges.
Learn how personalization builds trust and drives conversions, and why relevant, accurate product content anchors it all.
Personalization: Bridging the AI Trust Gap
AI-powered shopping is gaining popularity as more consumers utilize AI recommendation tools and assistants to discover products and inform their purchasing decisions.
However, AI is also creating a world where consumers can’t completely believe what they read or see. In this trust vacuum, personalization is emerging as a critical authenticity signal.
In Salsify’s “2026 Consumer Research” report, which surveyed nearly 3,000 shoppers across the U.S., U.K., and Canada, 25% of shoppers said a personalized explanation for why a product fits their needs would make them trust AI recommendations enough to buy the product.
Personalization ranked just as high as customer reviews and ratings for this question, confirming it’s a key trust driver that supports more confident, AI-influenced buying decisions.
From this perspective, personalization is no longer an optional, “nice-to-have” capability for brands — it’s non-negotiable for powering conversion-driving commerce experiences.
How Personalization Accelerates the Buying Cycle
Salsify’s research indicates brands that want to build a strategic advantage should lean into personalization across the shopper journey, from discovery to decision.
Shoppers research products across multiple channels before buying. Salsify consumer research found:
-
In many cases, shoppers are using between two and six channels as part of the buying process; however, inconsistent and generic content causes confusion and friction, potentially contributing to cart abandonment and returns.
-
38% of shoppers surveyed said inconsistent product information across different websites would lead them to abandon a purchase.
Personalized product experiences have the opposite effect. They help shoppers find the right product faster, understand why it fits their needs, and make a more informed purchasing decision.
Personalization Also Drives Purchase Frequency
Personalization isn’t just valuable for trust-building; it also influences buying behavior.
According to Salsify’s “Ecommerce Pulse Report: Q4 2024,” 37% of shoppers buy more often due to personalized product recommendations. Personalized offers and discounts also increase purchase intent.
This is particularly true for Gen Z and millennials. They love personalized recommendations: this demographic makes up half of the 37% of shoppers who buy more frequently because of personalized recommendations.
The key takeaway here is clear: Invest in personalization, and consumers are likely to make repeat purchases.
Product Content Is the Foundation of Personalization
Accurate, relevant, and timely product content drives both trust and personalization. Across Salsify’s survey, shoppers repeatedly indicated why:
-
49% of millennials and 50% of Gen Zers, respectively, said high-quality product content (e.g., images and descriptions) made them trust a brand.
-
45% of shoppers have returned an item in the last year due to incorrect product content.
-
31% say detailed product descriptions and specifications build trust.
-
25% say personalized explanations for why a product fits their needs build trust.
The data strongly suggests that creating more personalized commerce experiences starts and ends with high-quality product content.
So, brands that are currently managing their product experiences across several fragmented systems need to move toward a central source of truth.
How Salsify Helps Brands Deliver Personalized Experiences at Scale
As shoppers become more selective, trust-driven, and AI-influenced, personalized experiences will set the best brands apart.
The Salsify PXM platform helps brands unify product experience management, integrating all their data in a single place.
Brands can use Salsify PXM to centralize product content, ensure accuracy, and flexibly scale product experiences across diverse channels — whether they sell via online marketplaces, retail, or their own direct-to-consumer (D2C) site.
Within the Salsify PXM, content can be optimized, localized, and personalized by audience, region, or channel.
Salsify Intelligence Suite powers these experiences, harnessing advanced AI capabilities to surcharge digital shelf workflows and make AI-driven personalization possible.
With Intelligence Suite, which is part of Salsify's workbench, brands can:
-
Generate and optimize product descriptions at scale.
-
Translate and localize content across global markets.
-
Apply brand and retailer rules automatically.
-
Extract structured data from existing assets.
-
Audit product content and validate accuracy to drive consistency across channels.
Personalization Builds Relationships
Intelligence Suite weaves together AI automation and human-powered actions into an integrated business process. A human is always in the loop, enabling brands to deliver personalized commerce experiences while maintaining control.
As Salsify’s research shows, personalization will be the calling card for brands in 2026. Brands that deliver it will build trust, stand out on the digital shelf, and position themselves for long-term growth and profitability.
.svg)
