Consumers spent $35.3 billion online between November 1, 2011, and December 26, 2011, according to market research organization, ComScore. This represents a 15 percent increase over 2010. As a growing number of consumers turn to online holiday shopping, a post-holiday problem for marketers emerges: How do you maintain customer relationships year-round without allowing a gift-giving "micro-moment" to skew consumer recommendations? The key is to personalize each interaction with consumers. For smart retailers, this means understanding a number of variables that create a dynamic and accurate consumer profile.

If you have ever purchased a gift online, you know that not all retailers are as smart as we would like them to be. To illustrate, I visited the site of a top online retailer to purchase a yoga mat for a friend for Christmas. Since making that purchase, I continue to receive recommendations for yoga mats. There are a few things to note. First, as much as I would like to say I do, I have very little interest in yoga. Second, I just purchased a yoga mat that met my gift-giving needs. And third, adding insult to injury, the retailer continues to recommend the same yoga mat I already purchased.