The power of customisation

Personalisation is no longer a luxury. It’s an expectation. Across retail, F&B, and attractions, guests increasingly seek products that reflect who they are. When done well, customisation doesn’t just boost spend, it deepens emotional connection and transforms commerce into experience.

For years, our industry focused on service and hospitality, and more recently on quality and sustainability. Still important, of course, but the real differentiation now lies in the product itself.

Visitors don’t just want to be helped; they want to experience something and take something home that feels personal. From F&B to retail, the visitor no longer wants to be a customer, but a co-creator.

From customer to co-creator

Some brands understood that decades ago. Take Burger King, whose slogan 'Have it your way' was one of the first signals that people want to feel something is made especially for them.

From embroidered aprons in Italian alleyways to your name printed on your favourite team’s jersey, the desire to own something unique, to see a bit of yourself in what you buy, has been around for centuries.

What’s new is how we deliver it today: not through mass production, but through flexible manufacturing and immersive storytelling. Products with names consistently appear in the top five of retail sales across parks and attractions. That’s no coincidence.

A fully customisable ‘Have-it-your-way’ NYC Subway-style pop-up experience where visitors step into Kiehl’s world through personalised touchpoints, photo moments and interactive brand storytelling

Research shows that only 12% of visitors would buy the same product without their name on it.

Personalisation too often gets stuck in the gimmick phase — think cheap pens and keychains on spinning racks. But the real power lies in emotion. A souvenir is never just an object; it’s a piece of feeling, a tangible moment.

Like a friend who once bought “the best wine ever” at a small Italian vineyard — until his father found the exact same bottle at a supermarket. Instantly, the magic was gone. The experience wasn’t in the bottle; it was in the story.

Customisation works similarly: the story is the product. It doesn’t need to be large or complex; sometimes a simple add-on like a personalised bag tag makes a big difference. For example, Louis Vuitton's monogrammed tags, which customers can design, boosted sales and loyalty.

Or take NikeID, where 'Just Do It' suddenly took on a new, more personal meaning — no longer just a slogan, but an invitation to make something your own.

These small immersive touches turn a standard product into something meaningful. And the effect lasts: visible success, both in guest experience and commercial results, tends to grow organically from there.

What matters is to embed it intentionally into your retail strategy — even in small steps. Waiting “until the right moment” won’t work; it will never truly integrate. Only when customisation becomes part of your brand DNA and visitor journey can it be genuinely immersive.

The rewards of customisation

Over the past years, the quality, design and sustainability of souvenirs have improved drastically. That’s the foundation.

Become a superhero and print your own HeroCard (driving-license style) instantlySource: ThisPlays International

The next step is adding personal meaning. It requires a new mindset — less stock-driven, more on-demand and experience-led — but the payoff is clear:

The rewards of customisation

• Higher conversion: personalised products sell faster and more easily.
• Higher margins: guests pay more for something that feels like theirs.
• Stronger emotional bond: personal items create lasting loyalty.
• Organic marketing: people love to share their personalised purchases.
• Less waste: on-demand production reduces leftovers and inventory.

Customisation fits seamlessly within today’s immersive experience economy. Visitors no longer want to watch; they want to participate.

A photo moment that instantly creates a customised keepsake, a pop-up corner where guests design their own items, or a drink with their name printed on the glass, that’s where commerce and emotion meet.

Have it your way is more relevant than ever. For today: Just do it.