Optimizely and Microsoft Collaborate to Bring Enterprise-Grade Experimentation and Personalization

Dynamics 365 integration enables customers to increase agility and confidently innovate digital experiences

Optimizely, the global leader in progressive delivery and experimentation, announced at its annual user conference, Opticon, an integration with Microsoft Dynamics 365 to enable brands to be more agile and competitive in today’s increasingly digital business environment. The new integration enables experimentation and personalization for the first time in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Commerce retail and content management platforms using Optimizely’s industry-leading experimentation platform.

Purchasing behaviors have shifted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and research indicates they are unlikely to revert back. Seventy-five percent of consumers have tried a new shopping behavior in the past three months, from ordering ahead online for home delivery to trying a new brand, with most intending to continue these behaviors beyond the crisis. Of note, consumers expect they will continue to make more purchases online than in-store even after the pandemic subsides (McKinsey, 2020).

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For the first time, Dynamics 365 Commerce customers can leverage enterprise-grade experimentation in the Commerce platform, making it simple for teams that support their brand’s e-commerce strategy—including product, web development, marketing, and growth teams—to test, analyze, and personalize experiences across all digital touchpoints rapidly with trustworthy data. Customers will benefit from easy experimentation setup using the visual editor within Dynamics 365 Commerce. Experimentation results are available in the Optimizely platform and clearly illustrate insights to inform business decisions.

For example, customers can personalize and test e-commerce fragments such as elements on a web page carousel and CTA buttons from within the Dynamics 365 Commerce platform, and then optimize related design and user flows for key metrics. Customers can also experiment with personalized front-end styling, content, and layouts based on regional brand promotions and customers’ previous purchases. Optimizely Results, powered by Stats Engine, provides real-time experiment data and results in an easy to digest dashboard, making tracking traffic and key events like click-through, add-to-cart, and checkout data, simple.

“E-commerce brands are operating in unprecedented times that require them to observe, analyze, and iterate at a heightened level compared to before the pandemic,” said Byron Jones, VP of Product and Partnerships at Optimizely. “Our experimentation platform takes the guesswork out of how to delight customers with personalized touchpoints, nurture new opportunities, and continue innovating your customer experience through our seamless integration in Dynamics 365 Commerce.”

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“We’re providing a significant benefit for Dynamics 365 Commerce users to easily and rapidly experiment everywhere within their e-commerce experience, and fast-forward their digital sales strategies to seize opportunities in today’s reimagined business environment,” said Balaji Balasubramanian, general manager, Dynamics 365 at Microsoft. “By integrating Optimizely’s leading experimentation platform, our customers can now confidently deliver value and remain agile at every customer touchpoint as their omnichannel experiences continue to rapidly evolve.”

The Optimizely for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Commerce extension will be available to customers beginning Fall 2020 in Microsoft AppSource, the marketplace for tailored line-of-business solutions from Microsoft partners.

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