You're struggling to humanize automated messages in E-Commerce. How can you maintain that personal touch?

In a digital-first world, automation is essential—but it shouldn’t feel robotic. One of the simplest yet most effective ways to maintain a personal touch is through personalized greetings. Instead of a generic "Dear Customer," try addressing your shopper by name and referencing their recent activity or purchase. It shows you see them as more than a transaction. Even in automated flows, a warm, conversational tone goes a long way. Use language that feels like it’s from a real person, not a script. Customers remember how you made them feel—make sure your messages reflect care, not just convenience. Because in the end, personalization isn’t about data—it’s about empathy.

This is a point I consider very important. Connecting with people is essential! I would start by infusing your automated messages with a touch of warmth, using casual and friendly language as if you were chatting with a close friend. Next, I’d personalize the content by including the customer’s name and referencing their past interactions or preferences to make them feel seen. Adding a bit of humor or a relatable anecdote can also break the ice and make the exchange feel more human. Finally, I’d leave space for genuine interaction, like inviting them to reply with questions or feedback, so the conversation doesn’t feel one-sided.

In a world full of noise, personalization is your competitive edge. Addressing a customer by name in powerful. But real personalization goes deeper than just “Hi [First Name].” When I built national sales enablement programs across 30+ markets at Progress Residential, we learned that meaningful personalization isn’t just about data—it’s about understanding the customer and engaging them to help them find the right solution by using custom value propositions. Tailoring how to solve an individual product and showing relevance by leveraging CRM notes to help build trust. Personalization, when done right, turns automation into connection.

Contextual Relevance: Use customer data to reference recent interactions or purchase patterns, ensuring each message feels tailored and timely. Conversational Tone: Write in a natural style that mimics a casual conversation rather than a formal, automated notice. Empathy and Adaptability: Incorporate language that expresses understanding and concern while providing clear & supportive paths. Dynamic Messaging: Adjust responses based on real-time customer behavior—whether it’s a post-purchase thank you, a re-engagement prompt, or a problem-solving outreach. Continuous Refinement: Regularly analyze feedback and engagement data to fine-tune your messaging strategy, ensuring your communications remain authentic and engaging.

When setting up eCommerce communications for our 3PL and Shipping clients we always try to communicate in the actual language of the receiver if we have this information. Within the EU in particular, with multiple different languages we will send the message in English and the language of the country of destination of the package.

This is one of the trending topics right now. Without a doubt, an intriguing challenge that deserves attention. I recommend infusing every touchpoint with subtle personalization cues that resonate with your audience’s values and behaviors. By calibrating your brand’s unique voice through nuanced tone, empathetic phrasing, and timely context, you’ll transform cold automations into warm conversations.

Tone isn’t just a detail—it’s the entire message. When we built flows for clients at Magecom, the difference between “Your order has shipped” and “Great news—your package is on its way!” wasn’t just wording. It was how customers felt reading it. We’re not talking to browsers—we’re talking to people. And people respond to warmth, clarity, and care. If your automated messages sound like a help desk manual, they’ll be treated like one. But if they sound like you, that’s when they start to matter.

Hire real people instead of chat bots. There is nothing more frustrating to a customer than not being able to speak to a real person when they need help.

When providing confirmation of dispatch emails we will provide links to the carrier tracking page or to the white labelled tracking page that we have created for the eCommerce site. Many carriers only provide tracking details in one language. We have provided the option to translate the tracking events and comments that are normally provided by the carrier. Features to allow the receiver to communicate changes of delivery address also Add Value. A personalised white label tracking page can Add Value by allowing the e-retailer to "promote" their other services or products around the tracking information. Specific contact information relevant to the nature of the interaction with the client can also be provided.

How to Keep Automated Messaging Personal and Effective 1. Review Regularly – Audit your messages often to keep them fresh and relevant. 2. Stay Updated – Follow new tech and communication trends to stay ahead. 3. Tweak & Test – Continuously refine tone, timing, and content based on feedback. 4. Keep It Human – Personalization isn’t set-and-forget—add empathy and relevance every time.