From Burberry monogrammed capes to Coke bottles emblazoned with names, the must-have items of the past year have been personalised.

Our desire to add a personal touch to our purchases is spanning all aspects of life. We can now customise the car we drive, the paint in our homes and the photos we post on social media.

Ben Perkins, head of consumer business research at Deloitte, says: “We were talking about personalised products being the next big thing in the 1970s but only now do we have the technology to do it at scale.”

Perkins says mass personalisation will become a reality – more than a third of shoppers said they were interested in customised products in the latest Deloitte Consumer Review.

Bespoke fashion

Fashion is one of the areas in which personalisation is already taking off; 19% of shoppers have already made a personalised fashion purchase, according to the Deloitte report.

Luxury retailers are leading the the way, returning to the tradition of bespoke design. Dapper gents can customise their Prada brogues, chic ladies can design Hermès scarves and the must-have product of autumn/winter 14 was Burberry’s monogrammed poncho, seen on everyone from Cara Delevingne to Sarah Jessica Parker.

“We were talking about personalised products being the next big thing in the 1970s but only now do we have the tech to do it at scale”

Ben Perkins, Deloitte

However, personalisation is not just reserved for those with designer budgets. Mainstream giants Nike, Adidas and Converse have all launched highly successful online customisation tools that allow shoppers to design their perfect trainers.

Retailers are also using personalisation to add theatrical flair to stores. Shoppers at Topshop’s flagship Oxford Circus store added patches, studs and distressing to denim, had their initials embossed on jewellery and printed their own T-shirts at a personalisation event earlier this year.

SELFRIDGES_Personalised_Nutella_Jar

Meanwhile, Selfridges has made personalisation a permanent feature in its shops. The department store offers services including printing Christmas sacks with children’s names, monogramming the latest Mulberry creation or its most popular initiative last year – customising Nutella jars.

Selfridges expects bespoke wrapping paper and cards and its personalised Moët photobooth to be big hits this Christmas. It has also brought fragrance specialist Haeckels into its store to make scents to specification.

Great expectations

Unlike those relative newcomers, Photobox has been personalising products for more than 15 years. The group, which also owns Moonpig.com, customises everything from photobooks and fridge magnets to wedding invitiations.

Pascale Gramond, group director, products and innovation of Photobox, says shoppers are forming greater expectations and craving uniqueness as personalisation matures. 

“We need to give customers a wide choice for every occasion. When it comes to personalised products you usually have something in mind. We need to help you translate your story,” she says.

There is also a demand for new products, according to Gramond. Photobox has recently moved into home decor, selling cushions with images of grandchildren, pets or mementos of favourite holidays.

Photobox_personalisation

Another popular new feature has been polaroid-style prints. “Even in a commoditised business like prints, you can come up with innovative products,” says Gramond.

“Photobooks are usually put in a shoe box and never looked at. This is for putting on the wall and sharing with your friends. It’s helping a younger audience take pleasure in printing again.”

Gramond believes that people take a greater pride in products they’ve created. And there are financial benefits to personalisation for retailers.

Deloitte found that 71% of consumers interested in personalised products are prepared to pay a premium. There is a strong case for letting shoppers take the design reins and add their personal touch to purchases.

3D printing

Retailers have dabbled with 3D printing but the technology is yet to take off with consumers.

Asda launched an in-store 3D printing booth where customers could create miniature models of themselves, while Amazon partnered with specialist Sandboxr to create 3D action figures.

Argos meanwhile launched a dedicated customised jewellery site that allows shoppers to design and order a range of 3D-printed bling.

Despite these trials, 3D technology is yet to gain widespread appeal. Deloitte’s Perkins believes the technology may hold real benefits to retailers but the impact could be in areas the consumer does not see, such as product components.

“Businesses can postpone production until the latest point possible, which will reduce the number of SKUs they hold. This could really help increase efficiency,” he says.

Perkins believes the next five years will be critical for 3D printing. “It will either really gain traction or be consigned to the scrapheap of failed ideas,” he says.

Customer experience conference

To hear more on personalisation attend the Retail Week Customer Experience event. Held on October 21 in London, sessions will include ‘Are customers getting enough value for giving up their precious information?’ and ‘Democratising data: Do you have a data-powered culture?’

Speakers include Hotel Chocolat founder Angus Thirlwell, Ao.com boss John Roberts and new Majestic Wine chief Rowan Gormely.

To read more from our personalisation special click on the below links

The best examples of how retailers are customising shopper experiences

How to strike the right balance between cool and creepy

Watch: Find out what is coming next in personalisation

Comment: How new technology is making shopping personal again

Why retailers should invest in personalisation and how to measure success

Why retailers are personalising customer loyalty schemes