Personalization
in Practice

01 | Personalization Along Real Usage Situations
02 | Orientation & Exploration
03 | Comparison & Narrowing
04 | Decision & Purchase
05 | Reordering, Service & Retention
06 | Personalization Beyond the Frontend
07 | Control, Transparency, and Explicit Preferences
08 | Measurement, Learning, and Continuous Improvement

Personalization only works when it improves decisions.

Many personalization approaches operate at the surface level: recommendations, incentives, and individualized content. What is often missing is a connection to the actual usage situation. Especially in B2B contexts, this does not create clarity – it adds complexity.

What matters is not where personalization is delivered, but when and why it is applied. Real impact emerges when personalization supports concrete situations: orienting, comparing, deciding, reordering, or validating a decision.

This e-book shows how personalization can be implemented as the practical extension of a decision architecture – aligned with real usage situations, guided by clear principles, and focused on complex, non-impulsive purchasing decisions.

The goal is not more personalization, but better decisions. Scalable, transparent, and effective.

Personalization Along Real Usage Situations

Modern personalization is not organized around pages, components, or campaigns.
It is organized around situations.

Usage situations describe the context a user is in, the uncertainty they are facing, and the decision they need to make. This perspective is especially critical in B2B e-commerce, where purchasing processes are rarely linear and typically involve multiple roles, approvals, and information needs.

Typical usage situations include:

• Orientation and exploration when requirements are still unclear

• Comparison and narrowing when multiple options are available

• Decision-making and validation prior to purchase

• Reordering, service, or post-purchase follow-up

Personalization becomes effective only when it recognizes these situations and supports them deliberately – rather than applying generic content adaptations across the board.

Orientation & Exploration

The orientation phase is often the most underestimated moment in e-commerce. Users know they have a problem – but not yet what the right solution looks like.

In B2B environments, this phase is especially pronounced. Products and services are complex, variants are numerous, and requirements are often project-specific. Conventional personalization that immediately prioritizes products or prices falls short at this stage.

Effective personalization in the orientation phase follows a different objective: it reduces complexity without prematurely narrowing down options.

B2B example:
An industrial customer is searching for a new conveying solution but is unfamiliar with the relevant product lines and technical specifications. Instead of pushing products right away, the system prioritizes explanatory content, comparison aids, and industry-specific entry points. Only as interaction deepens does the focus gradually shift toward concrete solution options.

Good personalization starts with context. In early stages, it prioritizes use cases, typical requirements, and domain-specific relationships – rather than products or prices. This creates confidence and leads to more robust decisions.

Comparison & Narrowing

Once a basic understanding has been established, the comparison phase begins. Users have identified multiple options and need to assess which of them best meets their requirements.

In B2B e-commerce, this phase is rarely emotional – it is analytical. The focus is on specifications, compatibility, availability, risk, and organizational fit. Effective personalization supports precisely this evaluation process.

In the comparison phase, personalization creates structure. It highlights relevant criteria, makes differences transparent, and helps narrow down options in a meaningful way – without prematurely limiting choice.

B2B example:
A procurement manager compares several product variants for different use cases. The system prioritizes comparison tables, emphasizes relevant technical attributes, and presents reference projects from similar industries. The selection becomes clear, traceable, and robust.

B2C contrast:
While B2C decisions are often influenced by social signals or trends, B2B decisions are driven by technical comparability and factual alignment.

Decision & Purchase

In the decision phase, the orientation built earlier converges. Users want confidence that their choice is viable – technically, economically, and organizationally.

Personalization delivers value at this stage by creating certainty. It supports the final decision with relevant information, clear rationale, and consistent presentation – tailored to role and context.

In B2B environments, this often means bringing multiple perspectives together: technical suitability, commercial conditions, delivery capability, and contractual models.

B2B example:
A project owner is about to place an order for a complex solution. The platform provides a personalized decision summary: selected configuration, delivery timelines, service options, and documented decision criteria for internal approvals. The decision becomes both secured and accelerated.

B2C contrast:
While speed is often the primary focus in B2C, B2B decisions prioritize traceability and justification.

Reordering, Service & Retention

After the purchase, personalization does not lose relevance; it changes its purpose. The focus shifts from selection to reliability.

In B2B e-commerce, reorders, spare parts, consumables, and service offerings are critical touchpoints. Personalization supports continuity and operational efficiency in these moments.

It recognizes recurring needs, simplifies reordering, and provides relevant service information, aligned with usage context and customer history.

B2B example:
An existing customer regularly orders spare parts. The system prioritizes compatible components, displays maintenance intervals, and offers structured reordering processes. Operational effort decreases, while supply reliability increases.

B2C contrast:
While retention in B2C is often driven by emotional engagement, B2B retention is built on reliability and process stability.

Personalization Beyond the Frontend

Effective personalization is not tied to interfaces. It emerges where decisions are prepared, evaluated, and passed on – often outside traditional web frontends.

In B2B environments in particular, additional channels play a critical role: customer portals, self-service applications, sales enablement, and service and after-sales processes. Personalization ensures consistency and continuity across all these touchpoints.

It guarantees that relevant information is available regardless of channel and that decisions are based on the same foundations – whether in the online shop, in conversations with sales, or in service interactions.

B2B example:
A sales representative accesses the same decision model as the customer using the portal. Configurations, preferences, and prior considerations are transparently traceable. Advisory interactions become consistent, efficient, and seamlessly connected.

Control, Transparency, and Explicit Preferences

Modern personalization depends on acceptance. That acceptance emerges when users understand how decisions are made and when they can influence them.

Explicit preferences play a central role in this, especially in B2B contexts. They allow automated decision logic to be guided deliberately without sacrificing efficiency.

As a result, personalization becomes predictable and reliable. Users can set priorities, adjust criteria, and receive outcomes that are transparent and traceable.

B2B example:
A customer defines technical minimum requirements, preferred delivery models, and service levels within the portal. These preferences directly influence recommendations, configurations, and decision support – clearly and controllably.

When users can define priorities and exclusion criteria, personalization remains effective and predictable. Automation is complemented, not replaced.

Measurement, Learning, and Continuous Improvement

Personalization does not create value in a single moment. It unfolds over time. It accompanies decisions, recurs in similar situations, and becomes more precise with every interaction.

In B2B e-commerce, the focus is less on short-term effects and more on sustained improvement. Effective personalization becomes visible when decisions are easier to make, coordination cycles are shorter, and confidence in the process increases.

Rather than optimizing isolated KPIs, different questions move to the forefront:

• Do users reach a sound decision more quickly?

• Do decisions require fewer post-corrections?

• Is the need for explanation and alignment between business units, procurement, and technical teams reduced?

These signals reveal whether personalization truly supports decision-making or merely reacts to behavior.

Based on this insight, a continuous learning process emerges. Usage situations provide feedback, decision logic is refined, and preferences become more precise. Personalization evolves step by step, not abruptly, but in a controlled manner.

It becomes a reliable capability: learning, adaptable, and robust enough to scale with new requirements, product portfolios, or business models.