What’s Next for Adobe Journey Optimizer? – Adobe Summit Recap

It has been almost 2 years since Adobe launched Adobe Journey Optimizer (AJO). Since its creation, AJO has provided the functionality to manage inbound customer engagements as well as outbound omnichannel campaigns, all in a single application. During Softcrylic’s time at Adobe Summit 2023, we were able to witness some new AJO features, hear various use cases from other brands, and provide feedback and recommendations on the product.

There were several new product announcements, but I am most excited about these three AJO announcements that I believe will benefit businesses and marketers using the product:

In-App Push Messaging

Customers can now receive notifications inside of the application during their session. Adobe is adding this new feature to campaigns and is scheduled to roll out the beta for journeys next month. This is a win for mobile app personalization!

An Adobe buzzword that is commonly used to describe AJO is “powerful listening tool.” With a feature such as in-app messaging, this is truly believable. Message triggers can be selected from a full dropdown to deliver a variety of personalized experiences for app users. Instead of sending a push notification to a wide audience and hoping that the message will lead to conversion, in-app messaging leads to more targeted and specific actions. AJO will be listening for these triggers, which means you’ll have the ability to send suitable content that is based on recognized behaviors and interests.

There are numerous ways marketers can leverage in-app push messaging:

• Promotions and offers – customers can be presented with a promotion that is presented when they open the app after a set number of days, after viewing certain products, or have reached limitations on their account and need to upgrade.
• Gamification – provides customers with exciting messages that celebrate their successes and challenge them to complete other actions.
• Onboarding – send personalized welcomes and gather additional information about the customer.
• News and updates – release latest news and announcements about a brand, products, or new features.

Journey Experimentation

Testing is a critical element of personalization. Adobe recently launched content experimentation in campaigns and will now be offering this functionality inside journeys. It is no surprise that customer journeys are unique and may change sporadically. This is a step in the right direction for understanding what is working and what can be improved upon when it comes to customer conversions.

Within the main journey, users will be able to select the type of experiment they would like to conduct. The experiment can test anything from formatting and images to copy and subject lines. The size of the audiences can also be split either evenly or modified based on percentages.

AJO practitioners will have the ability to really understand what resonates well with their audience. Informed decisions will drive the evolution of customer journeys that are highly engaging and relevant.

Playbooks

Creating a new customer journey can be very intimidating, especially when it may be your first time. This new feature is one that I am most excited about because I know the impact that it can have on a business that recently implemented AJO.

The startup process will be a lot more seamless. Playbooks will provide industry, persona, and objective focused pre-built journeys that serve as templates. Once a journey type is selected, AJO will ask a few questions and then generate the bare bones of the journey. The uncertainty of starting from scratch won’t be as prevalent because the nodes will be populated and flow in a way that makes you feel like you have a partner working alongside you.

Softcrylic had the honor and privilege of participating in a Customer Advisory Board (CAB) meeting for AJO while at Summit. We were provided with an excellent walkthrough of this new feature. You could feel the excitement in the room for something this helpful. Some brands commented that they’ve found their initial AJO stand up difficult solely because they weren’t sure where to start.

According to Adobe, users can consider Playbooks like a Journey Manager role that helps break down silos. I’m curious to see how this new feature will evolve. My wish list item is utilizing Playbooks to be customizable for teaching purposes. For instance, as a consultant I’d love to be able to create a custom Playbook for my clients in order to make the journey creation process more functional versus technical.

Overall, in-app messaging, journey experimentation, and playbooks are fantastic additions to AJO! Customer expectations are shifting from transactional to more dynamic and personalized. We can engage with customers and provide better experiences if we have the proper tools at our disposal. Summit was a great place to hear and learn about these new features that will benefit businesses in the ever-changing digital arena. I’m looking forward to seeing what Adobe will unfold in the next year to come and how brands will uniquely cater to their customer base using AJO and the Adobe stack.