What does personalisation mean?
Personalisation is the practice of adapting a product, service, communication, or digital experience to the preferences or circumstances of an individual person. The term is especially common in commerce and technology, where a business may offer personalised recommendations, tailored advertisements, customised products, or interface settings chosen by the user. It can also refer to adapting services to individual requirements, such as a vehicle configured for a particular driver or a message designed for one recipient. Personalisation suggests attention to individual differences rather than treating everyone identically, although critics may associate it with extensive data collection and targeted marketing. In British English the word is normally written with an s, while US English generally uses a z. The concept is closely related to customisation, though customisation often implies direct modification by the customer, whereas personalisation can be carried out by the provider through data or preferences.
nounThe process of adapting something to suit the preferences, characteristics, or circumstances of an individual. It often refers to tailoring products, services, communications, or digital experiences for particular users.
- The process of making something personal or tailored to an individual, especially by adapting products, services, content, or experiences to particular preferences.
"The company offers extensive personalisation, allowing customers to configure their vehicles to individual requirements."
"Personalisation of the interface makes the application easier to use for people with different needs."
"The newsletter's personalisation allows each subscriber to receive relevant local information."
The word is normally uncountable; the plural is uncommon but may refer to separate acts or instances of personalisation.
"The three personalisations were designed for audiences with different requirements."
Personalisation comes full circle: its ultimate Latin root, persona, originally meant the mask worn by an actor.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does personalisation come from?
Personalisation is a chiefly British formation from personal combined with the suffix -isation; the corresponding US spelling uses -ization. Both ultimately connect to Latin personalis, derived from persona, a term associated with an actor's mask and, by extension, an individual's character or role. The modern sense of adapting something to individual preferences developed during the late 20th century alongside personalised consumer products and services.
Related word forms
How personalisation is actually used
The term is especially common in British English, although it is also used in US English; American publications more often spell it personalization. It is usually neutral or promotional in modern commercial and technological contexts and can sometimes suggest intensive data-driven tailoring.
Easily confused with personalisation
Personalisation and personalization are the same word in British and US English respectively, differing only in spelling.
Personalisation means tailoring something to an individual, whereas personification means giving human qualities to something nonhuman.