Google Optimize & Optimize 360 are being sunsetted
After months of rumour and speculation, Google has announced they will be sunsetting their AB testing tools:
‘Google Optimize and Optimize 360 will no longer be available after September 30, 2023. Your experiments and personalizations can continue to run until that date. Any experiments and personalizations still active on that date will end.’
Since Google launched the capability over 5 years ago, millions of websites have deployed these tools. For some it was an easy way to get started with optimisation & experimentation but many large enterprise organisations also choose to use them, with a view to utilising the data in Google’s ecosystem. At Creative CX we’ve frequently spoken to IT and procurement teams who wanted to assess whether they should move from one of the more sophisticated paid platforms, to the Google solution. Often with that Google audience data as a driving factor (and of course the cost).
What are the options?
With this change announced by Google there will be many businesses looking at what their options are over the months ahead. We’d highly recommend speaking to a specialist.
As a technology agnostic business we’ve implemented and worked with a wide selection of the solutions available in market. Across our current clients there are 8 different testing platforms in place.
Over the years we’ve helped many businesses to select and onboard the right solution for their needs. In some cases that has been a detailed RFP process, where requirements are gathered from across the business, combined with assessments of the underlying architecture and future roadmaps, to produce a scorecard and selection process. For some businesses a more informal process with some of our specialist consultants has been enough to select the right tool to move forward.
No matter the scale of your process, some key elements are essential:
Your technical architecture
The front end and back end of all your digital properties are often unique and also evolving over time. Some tools will make it easier to interact with these components and ensure your experiment ideas are not limited by technology and data. Our team of experienced developers and architects can help you understand the best fit for your current and future stack.
Your experimentation velocity and complexity
Most tools do a pretty good job of enabling simple AB tests, such as copy changes, image updates, etc. Beyond that level of complexity we start to see differentiation in the way businesses can implement more sophisticated experiment concepts, especially personalisation and recommendation capabilities. Experimenting in the back end is also one of the common reasons some businesses have already moved to tools that enable server-side testing. This is a particular area of speciality for Creative CX, who have been leading the way server-side/FullStack capabilities are onboarded and utilised for many years.
User roles and level of engagement (the people part)
Like with any tool, the capability is only realised if we put it in the hands of people who are appropriately trained and motivated to use it. Experimentation is no longer just in the hands of a small group of technically minded enthusiasts. Businesses need engagement from across the whole organisation. Considering how they will use it to make their day to day life easier is a critical part.
Next steps
Creative CX’s vendor selection process has been tried and tested for businesses across different verticals and of different sizes. Our frameworks and processes can help give you the confidence to select the solution that best suits your needs (and ambitions).
Get in touch to discuss your options with one of our experts.
