Optimizely introduces new personalization capabilities for web and mobile

Personalization is the single most important capability for future marketing efforts, according to several recent studies.

For one, customers have come to expect personalized messages and experiences, growing frustrated and increasingly blocking those that are not. And just as important, personalization is effective: It can substantially increase clicks, open rates, and conversions.

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Yet few companies do much, if any, personalization today.

Optimizely, best known for its A/B testing capabilities, wants to change that. The company is introducing Optimizely Personalization, which will help companies personalize their websites and mobile experiences.

The product aims to democratize personalization capabilities by making it easier to implement and use, without requiring technical expertise.

“We’ve talked to people who may have seen some success in ads and email, but web and mobile have been a struggle,” said Jon Noronha, a senior product manager at Optimizely, “There’s an ease of use gap right now. It takes a lot of resources to implement and scale today.”

The company sees personalization today like A/B testing was in 2009-2010. Testing tools were relatively new then. They had demonstrated ROI, but were still primarily used by larger enterprises. Now personalization is similarly proven, but underutilized.

“We brought it to the masses,” said Noronha.

The new service has four core components:
1. Connecting data
2. Discovering audiences
3. Optimizing experiences
4. Measuring impact

Optimizely’s new offering captures a wide range of behavioral data as users interact with the website. But companies also have lots of valuable customer data already. That data is mostly locked up in different first- and third-party tools, but Optimizely plans to make that data actionable with one-click integrations.

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The tool also provides segment discovery capabilities, helping marketers gain audience insights they might not find on their own — that sock-buyers often also browse coats, for example. The new offering also provides measurement so marketers know what’s working and how well.

Optimizely Personalization is rolling out a private beta this week and will be generally available in the fall. The company posted details about the announcement on its blog.