In 2022, the Road to Adaptive DX Continues

As I reflect on the last year, and even the last 18 months, what strikes me is how every individual, company and customer has needed to adapt. We saw companies offering new services or products, offering curbside pick-up or shifting from physical, in-person to digital events and even launching direct-to-consumer (D2C) experiences.

With the acceleration of digital transformation, and the proliferation of our digital lives, companies have needed to invest in their digital experience (DX) to meet the ever-changing needs of their customers. In fact, the only certain in life is change. The companies that recognize and act on this by turning their customer experience (CX) into DX, which are increasingly becoming synonymous, will achieve success and stay adaptable.

The biggest mistake companies make on their path to becoming adaptive is not mapping to outcomes. A DX is not simply a new website; it’s prioritizing outcomes. We recently surveyed over 1,000 business executives across ecommerce, marketing and IT functions. The data was telling. It showed that nearly three-fourths (74%) of executives believe their digital team is focused too much on the process and not enough on the outcomes, and only 34% of respondents said driving outcomes will be a top objective for their company in 2022.

I’m seeing a digital outcome gap between the companies that understand DX is synonymous with CX and those that do not. The companies and executives who understand how to engage customers and meet their growing expectations by focusing on outcomes, experimentation and testing – instead of making assumptions – will future proof their organization, lower the cost of retaining customers and remain relevant. These are the outcomes that matter to the business.

As organizations look to unlock their digital potential to deliver outsized outcomes, though, a few challenges remain. Tools and technology not optimized for their potential is one impediment. Technology alone is not the solution to business challenges, but it must be implemented properly, integrated with other systems and embraced culturally. This is certainly an area for business to focus on. Another key element to becoming an adaptative business lies in experimentation and testing. According to our survey, 89% of respondents plan to run more experiments in 2022 to help improve DX.

At Optimizely, we’re committed to helping companies test, experiment and learn even more, through one platform where digital marketing teams and product leaders can collaborate to establish their digital presence and create new products. Being truly adaptable is impossible when an organization works in silos.

DX is the soul of a brand and the engine of a business and determines the customer’s experience. As CX and DX converge, leaders must continue to rethink the way they’ve traditionally operated. To succeed is to deliver outsized outcomes, and to deliver outsized outcomes is to continue to experiment, optimize and be an adaptive business.