The news: The vast majority (83%) of US adults want personalization, and 74% are more likely to make purchases when they get it, per Amperity’s 2026 State of Personalization in Retail report. However, over half (57%) still report largely generic experiences, indicating a gap between what consumers expect and what they get.

Consumers want to be remembered and recognized, not just targeted, meaning personalization is about continuity and customization across interactions.

• Two-thirds (67%) prefer for retailers to remember them, their preferences, and past purchases when shopping online or in-app.
• Nearly two-thirds (63%) say their favorite retailers are the ones that remember their shopping behavior across multiple channels.

This contrasts with feelings about customization in ads, which US consumers feel largely negative toward, per Verve. This division in opinion, where personalization is alienating in marketing but favored in retail, could indicate that the latter offers immediate utility—such as tailored product recommendations or faster checkout—that enhances the shopping experience.

Zooming in: Where consumers get personalized content is key. Email is the No. 1 channel for tailored offers and recommendations among 71% of US consumers, outranking websites (35%), mobile apps (34%), and even social media (17%). Two of the most important factors in email communications are relevance and timing, per Amperity.

To successfully appear in inboxes, brands should invest in identity resolution and A/B test when emails should be sent. Consumers are fairly evenly split on whether they want to get offers and recommendation emails right after signing up (32%), after an initial purchase (29%), or a few buys later (25%).

Recommendations for retailers: Close the gap between aspiration and execution. Consumers have made their expectations clear, but retail efforts haven’t translated into consistent, meaningful personalization.

• Integrate in-store purchase data with email and app engagement data to follow consumers across channels in their shopping journey.
• Make tailored shopping experiences feel immediately useful, such as with loyalty offers, so targeted content feels helpful rather than invasive.

This content is part of EMARKETER’s subscription Briefings, where we pair daily updates with data and analysis from forecasts and research reports. Our Briefings prepare you to start your day informed, to provide critical insights in an important meeting, and to understand the context of what’s happening in your industry. Non-clients can click here to get a demo of our full platform and coverage.