Optimizely Zaius
The leading provider of digital experience platform solutions is only getting stronger. Optimizely (formerly Episerver) acquired Boston-based Zaius, a prominent customer data platform (CDP). This strategic move has shown Optimizely’s commitment to empowering organisations to unlock their digital potential. By integrating Zaius’s cutting-edge technology into Optimizely’s Digital Experience Platform (DXP), it has revolutionised how organisations harness customer data to drive more personalised and effective digital experiences.
Centralising Customer Data
Zaius created a niche for itself with a customer data platform that allows enterprises to map out their buyers’ preferences. By consolidating customer information scattered across multiple systems into a single customer profile, Zaius creates a better understanding of customers and website visitors. This unified profile makes it easier for marketers to identify customers with similar interests and deliver personalised promotions or suggestions.
Optimizely, a leader in digital experience platforms, saw the huge potential in incorporating Zaius’s technology into its existing features for managing websites and marketing campaigns. Optimizely Zaius has the addition of 50 pre-built connector apps, including Shopify, Snowflake, and Zendesk, which streamlines the harmonisation of digital data, enabling organisations to create a unified view of customers faster through one-click integrations.
Understanding Customer Behaviour Through AI:
Optimizely’s DXP focuses on the creation and optimisation of digital experiences. Zaius’s CDP, with its capabilities for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), introduces a new level to customer understanding. Marketers can take advantage of the Optimizely Zaius features such as a segmentation engine combined with behavioural data and transactional insights to gain a deeper understanding of customers. This synergy is driven by AI and ML predictions which empowers businesses to anticipate customer needs, enhance personalisation, and create impactful digital experiences with ease.
Optimizely’s product suite includes tools for testing different versions of website promotions, providing valuable data on buyer behaviour and interests. The Optimizely Zaius platform is giving organisations a more complete understanding of buyer behaviour. This strategic move has positioned Optimizely as a comprehensive solution for enterprises seeking to optimise their digital strategies.
Raising the Bar For Marketing Teams
In addition to gaining advanced customer analytics through AI, Zaius’s technology employs machine learning to generate predictions, such as forecasting which products a customer is likely to purchase next and recommending merchandise for promotional campaigns. These AI-generated insights promise to help enterprises achieve a more significant return on their marketing investments, aligning with Optimizely’s vision for data-driven decision-making.
Optimizely’s Chief Executive, Alex Atzberger, highlighted the importance of first-party relationships and data in the digital landscape, “being able to bring data across assets, behaviours and customers into a single view is necessary to drive the right outcomes.” This underscores the strategic importance of Optimizely Zaius in maximising ROI through data integration and harmonisation.
Optimizely has significantly expanded its AI capabilities, incorporating machine learning and artificial intelligence throughout its entire product suite. The introduction of Optimizely One, the world’s first marketing operating system, further shows the increasing relevance of AI in the marketing landscape. The inclusion of the Generative Opal AI assistant marks a significant advancement, enabling automation across various parts of the marketing lifecycle including image creation, tagging, content translations, and more. This automation of customer data management, experimentation, content creation, and workflows, is contributing to a more streamlined marketing process and intensifying the competition for digital industry leadership.
How Does The Platform Stand Out?
Optimizely Zaius propels Optimizely into a competitive section of the marketing software segment, where major players like Salesforce.com Inc., Microsoft Corp., and SAP SE have introduced their own customer data platforms in recent years. Despite the intensifying competition, the acquisition positions Optimizely Zaius as a formidable player, equipped with a robust customer data platform.
Since the acquisition, Optimizely redesigned their old CDP to become Optimizely Data Platform (ODP) This tool not only captures valuable customer information but also nurtures evolving profiles with each interaction. ODP empowers businesses to make informed, data-driven decisions in their marketing and digital strategies, which enhances the overall efficacy of their online activities.
Marketing teams can now access a holistic 360-degree perspective of customers with a blend of both first and third-party data. What distinguishes it from other platforms on the market is the huge amount of integrations available, ensuring that all data is consolidated to one place. This consolidation eliminates the need to navigate between different software and logins, ultimately optimising the synergy of your organisation’s data ecosystem.
5 Reasons You Need To Invest In This CDP:
1. Holistic Customer Understanding:
The customer data platform, renowned for its ability to consolidate scattered customer information, now seamlessly integrates with a leading DXP so organisations gain a unified view of customers, including their preferences, behaviours, and transactional insights.
This holistic understanding makes it easy to create highly targeted and personalised digital experiences, fostering stronger customer connections.
2. Accelerated Data Harmonisation:
With Optimizely Zaius, customers can access numerous pre-built connector apps which helps to streamline data harmonisation across various systems, including popular platforms like Shopify, Snowflake, and Zendesk. A one-click integration speeds up the process of creating a cohesive and comprehensive customer profile.
3. AI-Driven Insights for Informed Decision-Making:
ML capabilities help create advanced AI insights which improves decision-making processes. Predictions, such as anticipating the next product a customer is likely to buy or emphasising specific merchandise in promotional campaigns, provide valuable guidance.
AI-generated insights enable organisations to optimise marketing investments, increasing the likelihood of higher returns and improved overall performance.
4. Comprehensive Testing and Measurement:
Optimizely’s suite of tools for testing different versions of website promotions goes hand in hand with the Zaius capabilities. Enterprises can conduct more in depth tests, measuring how well each variation resonates with customers which gives valuable data on buyer behaviour.
5. Faster Adaptation to Market Changes:
It is clear that any organisation that has an online presence is operating in a volatile market, with consumer trends and market conditions evolving rapidly. The ODP equips enterprises with the agility to adapt to these changes swiftly. Real-time data insights enable organisations to identify emerging trends, customer preferences, and market shifts. This knowledge empowers businesses to adjust their strategies promptly, ensuring they stay relevant and competitive in an ever-changing market.
The Optimizely Zaius acquisition opens new avenues for organisations to unlock their digital potential. By combining the strengths of a leading digital experience platform with a cutting-edge customer data platform, organisations can expect to enhance customer engagement, streamline their data processes, and gain a competitive edge in the ever-evolving digital landscape. This new customer data platform is not just about features; it’s about empowering organisations to thrive in a digital era where customer-centricity and data-driven decision-making are paramount.
Start Your Journey With the Optimizely Zaius Experts.
Optimizely Zaius represents an important step towards transforming how organisations leverage customer data for digital experience optimisation. By combining Optimizely’s expertise in digital experience solutions with Zaius’s cutting-edge customer data platform, it promises to deliver seamless integration, enhanced AI capabilities, and a comprehensive understanding of buyer and website visitor behaviour.
If your organisation is looking for a powerful solution to unlock digital potential and drive meaningful customer experiences, get in touch with an Optimizely expert today. Here at Ultimedia we are the first Optimizely Partner in the UK and Middle East. Our team of specialists are dedicated to empowering brands to unleash their digital capabilities, ensuring they reach their objectives and maximise the full potential of the Optimizely platform. Contact us today to start your journey to digital success.
