Personalization Done Right: Building Trust Without Overstepping
7/17/2025 Kelsey Vogel
Personalization has long been hailed as the holy grail of curating an exceptional customer experience (CX). It promises relevance, convenience, and emotional connection — delivered at scale. Done right, personalization deepens loyalty, drives engagement, and boosts conversion. However, as brands race to harness data and AI to tailor every touchpoint, there’s a growing risk of personalization that crosses the line from helpful to unsettling.
You know it when you feel it: A product you’ve only discussed out loud suddenly shows up in your social feed. An app greets you by name before you log in. A chatbot references a recent (and private) customer service call. These moments often don’t spark delight — they spark suspicion.
As a brand, how can you walk the line between personalized and invasive? Here we’ll unpack why personalization can sometimes feel intrusive — and how to ensure you strike the right balance.
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should
The Qualtrics XM Institute’s 2025 global study reports that 64% of consumers prefer brands that tailor experiences, yet only 33% trust companies to use their data responsibly. Why? Many brands overreach, using data in ways that feel too personal, out of context, or unexpected.
The issue is not just what data is used, but how and when. Timing, tone, and transparency matter. Consider these two examples:
- Unsettling: You browse a health-related product on a third-party site, then receive an unsolicited email from a pharmacy with a discount for that same item.
- Helpful: A fitness app you opted into reminds you to hydrate after logging a workout and suggests your usual recovery drink.
The first example may feel invasive. The second feels smart — because the user expected it, consented to it, and sees value in it.
Why it matters
Over-the-top personalization doesn’t just create discomfort, it erodes trust. And in a privacy-conscious world, missteps can have serious and lasting consequences. According to a 2024 survey by Gartner, 53% of customers — including consumers and B2B buyers — reported that personalized interactions during their most recent purchase journey actually had a negative impact, with these customers being 44% less likely to buy from the same brand again.
Customers are increasingly savvy. They know when their data is being used, and they expect it to be handled with care. If brands want to build long-term relationships, they need to earn that trust, not exploit it.
How to get personalization right
Getting personalization right starts with shifting the mindset from “How much can we personalize?” to “How can we use what we know to create value and earn trust?”
Consider these six principles to help guide your organization toward ethical and effective personalization:
- Earn it, don’t assume it — Customers are more open to personalization when it’s based on a relationship they initiated, not one that feels scraped together behind their backs. Invite them to share preferences or create profiles, and then reward that trust with relevance.
- Be transparent — Tell people what data you’re collecting and why. Make privacy policies accessible, and explain in plain language how personalization works. Transparency turns discomfort into understanding.
- Design for context, not just identity — Personalization isn’t just about who someone is, it’s about what they’re doing and what they need now. Don’t blast messages based solely on past behavior. Instead, ask: What’s most helpful at this moment?
- Relevance over recency — Don’t assume a click equals interest. If someone buys baby clothes, that doesn’t mean they want parenting tips forever. Prioritize ongoing patterns and preferences over one-off activity. People evolve, and so should your personalization.
- Use the right tone — A robotic “Hi [First Name]” is barely personalization, and a hyper-familiar tone (“We saw you looking at engagement rings…”) can feel invasive. Personalization should feel human, but be respectful. Tone is especially important in such sensitive categories as healthcare, finance, and life events. When in doubt, aim for helpful and humble.
- Give control — Empower customers to adjust their personalization settings. Let them choose what they want to see, how often, and through which channels. A simple “What would you like to hear from us?” prompt can go a long way. Giving control to your customers turns personalization into a partnership, not a push.
The human side of personalization
Great personalization isn’t about being clever with data — it’s about being considerate with it. It’s about building trust, respecting boundaries, and creating experiences that feel helpful, not haunting. In a world where every brand is chasing customer intimacy, the winners will be those who remember the human side of personalization. Not every interaction needs to be deeply personalized, but each one should feel intentional, respectful, and earned.
The most powerful personalization doesn’t shout, “Look what we know about you.” It quietly says, “We get you.”
Kelsey Vogel is a Lead User Experience Researcher at Iridio℠ by RRD. Representing a strategic expansion of creative, data and analytics, technology, and media activation within RRD, Iridio is an integral part of RRD’s legacy and commitment to delivering performance-driven solutions that meet the evolving needs of our clients. To learn more, contact RRD’s CX research team at research@RRD.com.