Articles - Page 129

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/andycohen">Andy Cohen</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/deane"> </a>is the founding architect of Sitecore XM Cloud. He is VP/Chief Architect at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.altudo.co/">Altudo</a>, and a CMS Critic contributor. <hr /> When people talk about personalization, they often mean “the right content to the right person at the right time.” That idea is now past tense.I have watched this shift play out up close, from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/sitecore">Sitecore’s</a> early rules-based personalization, through <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/contentstack">Contentstack’s</a> use of edge-based personalization in a composable architecture, to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/optimizely">Optimizely’s</a> launch of Opal, a system of marketing AI agents. Personalization no longer stops at swapping content on a page. It now reaches into the interaction itself, and soon, into the relationships agents form with one another.<h3 id="when-agents-adapt-to-us">When Agents Adapt to Us</h3>That shift, from “what” to “how,” is where the major CMS players are already moving, and you can see it in the different bets they're making:<ul><li>Contentstack has put its weight behind <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/livin-on-the-edge-contentstacks-new-adaptive-dxp-might-just-rock-your-world">EDGE</a>, which they call a hyper-personalization platform. It blends their headless CMS with a real-time CDP, AI, and automation. The goal is simple but ambitious: deliver one-to-one experiences in the moment and at scale. Because it is composable, brands can adapt interactions without locking themselves into rigid patterns. What strikes me about EDGE is that it reframes personalization as something continuous, not a campaign you set and forget.</li><li>Optimizely has taken another route with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/optimizely-opal-gets-supercharged-for-agentic-ai-powering-infinite-use-cases-for-marketers">Opal</a>. Instead of a single assistant, Opal is built as a collection of agents that act like members of a marketing team. There is a campaign manager agent, a personalization advisor, a market researcher, and more. With the 2.0 release, Optimizely put the emphasis on letting these agents collaborate and run multi-step workflows across content, data, and experimentation. I have seen teams spend weeks coordinating those same steps manually. Opal hints at a world where marketing execution is handled by an ensemble of digital teammates who can plan, act, and adjust together.</li><li>Sitecore has focused on bringing assistance directly into daily work. Through <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.sitecore.com/products/sitecore-stream">Stream</a>, they have introduced AI copilots that support authors and marketers in real time as they draft and optimize campaigns. On top of that, Sitecore’s partnership with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/sitecore-sharpens-ai-focus-with-strategic-partnership-and-new-leadership-appointments">Gradial</a> shows how agentic workflows can extend into campaign execution. It is not just about smarter editors or quicker drafts. It is about agents that can carry intent through to delivery and adapt along the way. For a company that has lived for years in the world of static content publishing, that is a meaningful step forward.</li></ul>None of these approaches feels like a gimmick.They are different answers to the same problem: personalization is no longer about what content you are shown, it is about how the interaction unfolds. Whether that happens through hyper-personalization at the edge, through orchestrated marketing agents, or via copilots and execution partners, the shift is real and already in motion.<h3 id="what-nondeterminism-really-means">What Nondeterminism Really Means</h3>Most software behaves like math: 2 + 2 always equals 4. Generative AI does not. Ask it to draft a thank-you note and you will get three different answers, all plausible, none identical. That variability is what we call nondeterminism.It is the very thing that makes AI feel creative, but also the reason it needs personalization to stay useful. As <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://parivedasolutions.com/perspectives/managing-the-non-deterministic-nature-of-generative-ai/">Pariveda Solutions points out</a>, nondeterminism is what makes AI flexible and creative, but it also introduces governance challenges that remain unresolved. In my own work with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/getting-loud-with-xm-cloud-sitecore-reports-100-growth-of-its-ai-powered-cloud-based-cms">XM Cloud,</a> I have seen how unpredictable outcomes can be a feature if the system adapts well – and a liability if it does not.<h3 id="when-agents-adapt-to-each-other">When Agents Adapt to Each Other</h3>The next frontier is agents adapting not just to us but to each other. Nondeterminism multiplies when two autonomous systems interact. They need ways to converge on workable outcomes.Sometimes that looks like adjusting communication style, where one agent is structured and terse, another free-form and verbose. Sometimes, it means learning to accept differences in task style, such as fast approximation versus cautious step-by-step reasoning. Other times it's about role negotiation: who leads, who validates, who escalates.And sometimes it is memory. Agents do not just adapt in the moment; they remember. That memory can look like a grudge. A search agent that hallucinated last time will get fact-checked the next. A procurement agent that botched a deal may face stricter oversight. Even first impressions stick. If an agent’s very first hand-off is sloppy, the other agent may never fully trust it, no matter how good the later work becomes.Humans behave the same way. In corporate life, one bad kickoff meeting can color a partnership for months. Agents will carry those patterns too.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.deepset.ai/blog/ai-agents-and-deterministic-workflows-a-spectrum"> Deepset calls this the “spectrum of determinism to nondeterminism</a>.” I call it relationship management.<h3 id="everyday-illustrations">Everyday Illustrations</h3>Picture a grocery agent told to buy apples if they are $0.99 a pound. A deterministic system comes back empty because they are $1.09. An adaptive one checks with you, “They are a little higher today. Should I buy anyway?” That is useful, until the store’s own agent learns to nudge yours into paying even more.Or ride-hailing. You set a $20 target. The price surges to $23. Do you want your agent to decline, wait, or decide on its own? What happens when the ride-share’s agent starts upselling yours into priority pickup at $28?Or travel. You say, “Book me a flight under $500.” The system finds none. A flexible agent returns with, “There is one at $525 with better times. Should I grab it?” Helpful, but it shows how quickly rules can bend.In the enterprise, this gets thornier. Procurement policies might cap software licenses at $50 per seat. A deterministic agent halts the deal. A personalized one negotiates to $55 and closes it. That looks like a win until you realize the vendor’s agent deliberately anchored higher, knowing yours would flex upward.Healthcare raises the stakes even more. You ask for an appointment with your doctor next week. A rigid agent says none available. A personalized one offers a nurse practitioner tomorrow or a specialist in two weeks. That looks like a better experience, but it could also push you toward higher-margin services instead of the care you really wanted.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.salesforce.com/blog/deterministic-ai/">Salesforce has written about this exact problem</a> of when to script agents tightly and when to let them roam. I see it every day in delivery projects. Too rigid and you frustrate users. Too loose and you open the door to manipulation.<h3 id="agents-that-carry-“you”-with-them">Agents That Carry “You” With Them</h3>Now push it further. Imagine your agent not only executes tasks but carries your personality footprint into every interaction. If you are cost-sensitive, it pushes harder. If you are time-poor, it pays more for speed. If you are detail-driven, it double-checks everything.What if you could swap personas entirely?<ul><li>"Frugal Andy" does the grocery shopping</li><li>"Executive Andy" books the flights</li><li>"Playful Andy" explores games and hobbies.</li></ul>Your agent would not only personalize to you. It would personalize as you.But there is risk in this. If the other agent knows who you are or which persona you are using, it can adapt back. That can be powerful when aligned with your goals, but it can also be exploited. Imagine a vendor agent that recognizes executive mode and steers you toward premium packages.This is not hypothetical. Optimizely’s Opal agents already act like different team members depending on context. Contentstack’s Brand Kit lets you define voice profiles and store guidelines so that every AI-generated artifact reflects your identity. Sitecore’s Stream copilots are designed to guide content creators in real time, aligning their work with brand and role expectations.These are early signals of a future where agents carry pieces of us, including quirks, preferences, and even biases, into every exchange.<h3 id="why-this-matters">Why This Matters</h3>This is why nondeterminism is not a flaw but the feature. Deterministic systems did not need personalization. There was only one output. Nondeterministic systems can go in many directions, and personalization is what prevents chaos.The best metaphor I know is jazz. Musicians improvising do not know exactly where the others will go. They adapt, they respond, they personalize their playing to the group. The music works not because it is scripted but because the players trust each other enough to bend and flex.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/seizing-the-agentic-ai-advantage">McKinsey has argued</a> that this adaptability is the defining advantage of agentic AI. From what I have seen in publishing systems, SaaS cost optimization, and large-scale CMS migrations, I agree. The resilience comes not from rigid plans but from the ability to adapt in context.<h3 id="what-leaders-should-prepare-for">What Leaders Should Prepare For</h3>Leaders should focus on their readiness in key areas. For example, trust frameworks must extend beyond human-agent interactions into agent-to-agent ecosystems. Standards cannot stay as fixed APIs; they need flexibility built in. Identity management has to protect personality profiles and alter egos from misuse. And agents must be able to remember not just what they did for us, but how they worked with others.<h3 id="the-future-of-personalization">The Future of Personalization</h3>Personalization started with content. It evolved into experiences. Now, it is moving into interactions – first with humans and then with other agents.If we get this right, nondeterminism will not be something to suppress. It will be the source of resilience, adaptability, and creativity. The companies that thrive will not just personalize their websites. They will personalize their agents. Those agents will adapt to us, and to each other, in ways that reflect who we are or even who we choose to be.And like humans, they will remember. First impressions will matter. Grudges may form. And relationships between agents will start to look a lot like relationships between people. <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.61%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/storyblok-joyconf-2025-logo.jpg" /><h4 id="storyblok-joyconf-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Storyblok JoyConf 2025</a></h4>October 14-15, 2025 – Amsterdam, Netherlands November 4, 2025 – New York, NY November 6, 2025 – Los Angeles, CAJoin us at JoyConf 2025, where the future of content meets the people shaping it. Built for developers, marketers, and digital innovators, this free conference goes way beyond product updates or yet another strategy playbook. It’s where you’ll get inspired, get real, and get connected – to ideas, to the community, and to what’s possible when you build joyfully. Whether you're building lightning-fast frontends or launching cross-channel campaigns, this is where content becomes connection and collaboration becomes second nature. Come for the talks. Stay for the community. Leave with joy. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Save your spot.</a> <img style="width:28.9%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/sitecore-symposium-2025.jpg" /><h4 id="sitecore-symposium-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Sitecore Symposium 2025</a></h4>November 3-5, 2025 – Orlando, FLAt Sitecore Symposium, you’ll learn how to meet your customers where they are – across channels, moments, and touchpoints that didn’t exist a year ago. You’ll hear how the boldest brands in the world are transforming content into outcomes and creating experiences that are fast, relevant, and human. Join 1,500 marketers, digital leaders, and technologists in Orlando to see what’s possible when personalization scales, AI accelerates creativity, and trust becomes your competitive edge. This is the Third Wave of the Internet. And this is your moment to lead in it. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Get your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:31.44%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/cms-kickoff-2026-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2026"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">CMS Kickoff 2026</a></h4>January 13-14, 2026 – St. Petersburg, FLMeet industry leaders at our fourth annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global CMS event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">so secure your tickets today.</a>

Agent-to-Agent Personalization: Trust, First Impressions, and the 'Grudge' Factor

andycohen

The final version of <a href="http://buddypress.org/2014/09/buddypress-2-1-patsy/" target="_blank">BuddyPress 2.1 has been unveiled</a>, just days after the Release Candidate went live.
Following the same trend as WordPress, BuddyPress also name their major releases. However, instead of famous musicians, they opt for eateries. BuddyPress 2.1, therefore, has been named after  <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patsy's_Pizzeria"> Patsy’s</a>, a classic pizzeria in East Harlem, NYC.
As mentioned in my <a href="/buddypress-2.1-release-candidate-now-available/" target="_blank">previous look at BuddyPress 2.1</a>, this new release brings about a new @mentions interface, better translations and much more. So, let's take a closer look at Patsy.
<h2>More Translatable, More @able</h2>
<img style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/buddyp.png" alt="BuddyPress" /> 
Previously, you needed to know the username of the member you wanted to mention in the activity stream, but not anymore. In BuddyPress 2.1, typing the  <code> @ </code>  key will bring up the new suggestions panel, making it easy to @ the user you intend, by simply choosing them from a list.
Also, the BuddyPress team have worked alongside the WordPress team to get BuddyPress translation files downloading automatically to your WordPress installation. So, BuddyPress is now more translatable – and more readily translated – than ever before.
Another addition is the new URL field type, which allows your users to enter URLs in a number of formats, and ensures that they’re properly linked when displayed on member profiles.
<h2>Something for the Devs</h2>
BuddyPress 2.1 introduces dozens of improvements with developers in mind:
<ul>
<li>Access control in  <code> BP_Group_Extension </code>  has been completely overhauled, allowing plugins to manage access to their nav items on a fine-grained basis.</li>
<li>A new  <code> group_activity </code>  sort order has been added for Groups queries.</li>
<li>A  <code> no_access_url </code>  parameter has been added to  <code> bp_core_new_subnav_item() </code> . This allows you to set the URL that users are redirected to when they do not have permission to access a sub-navigation item.</li>
<li>Extra CSS classes have been added to Profile Field visibility field elements, allowing greater CSS customization.</li>
</ul>
For a detailed look at the hundreds of bug fixes and feature enhancements in BuddyPress 2.1, check out the <a href="https://codex.buddypress.org/releases/version-2-1/">official 2.1 changelog</a>.
Additionally, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/buddypress/" target="_blank">BuddyPress via our CMS Directory</a>.

BuddyPress 2.1 Patsy Released

mike-johnston

<a href="https://www.oxxy.com/" target="_blank"> Oxxy</a> has launched its public beta for the first time, having completed a closed beta phase. 
 As the new website builder on the block, Oxxy describes itself as being part of the new generation of HTML5 website building platforms. 
 The team behind Oxxy have been busy developing a technology with a focus on the web building experience that aims to be simpler and more intuitive than any other platform on the market. 
Here's an introduction video for Oxxy, followed by some highlights of its main features.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cUEwAgtaqyI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h2>Chrome Touch Support &amp; a Smoother Support System</h2>
Alongside standard website building capabilities, Oxxy has a few interesting features. 
 For example,  Oxxy currently has full touch support for Chrome, with all other browsers in the works too. Their focus for the future development in this direction is supporting all popular browsers and multi-touch support.
<a href="https://www.oxxy.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/oxxy.png" alt="Oxxy" /></a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGysWMR_dYY" target="_blank"> The Oxxy style editor </a>  has been moulded and inspired by existing UI/UX experience like Phothoshop, Illustrator and Gimp, making it accessible for beginner and advanced users. The same goes for the workflow in working with elements while building your website pages. Interactivity like selecting multiple elements in the same manner you select and drag around the icons on your desktop, full control over the dimensions of your elements, free style editing with no template-type restrictions over the layout of your pages. 
 For the users who don't wish to arrange/style/design their website, Oxxy offers templates which are built using the very same Oxxy Website Builder. They also plan to introduce a feature for saving sites as templates, to be distributed and perhaps sold in a future template market. 
 In addition to the phone support, their live chat support is integrated directly in the editor. That means that you can chat with the support while building your website without switching browser tabs or windows. This naturally keeps the user focused on their website building experience. 
 Plus, Oxxy provides a free domain with all yearly subscriptions.  
 To find out more about Oxxy, and to take part in the public beta, <a href="https://www.oxxy.com/" target="_blank"> visit their website</a>.

New Website Builder Oxxy Launches Public Beta

The 2014 Sitecore Symposium has come and gone and I'd be remiss if I didn't call it a big success.<figure class="image"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sitecore3.jpg" /></figure>Held this year at the beautiful Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, the symposium kicked off with a <a href="/the-keynote-sitecore-north-american-symposium-symna/">keynote from Sitecore CEO, Michael Seifert </a> where he shared his thoughts on the importance of the customer experience and where the company is headed. (Check out <a href="/the-keynote-sitecore-north-american-symposium-symna/">this post </a> for a more detailed breakdown of the keynote).<figure class="image"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sitecore2.jpg" /></figure>Following the keynote, Sitecore's CSO, Darren Guarnaccia came on stage to help show off Sitecore's soon to be released, version 8. Currently this release is slated for a Christmas release but here's a sneak peak of the new launchpad (pardon the poor quality but it was taken from a screen during the demo).<figure class="image"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sitecore81036x0.jpg" /></figure>As you can see, there have been some significant changes to the look and feel that Sitecore is looking to achieve. They are going for a cleaner, more simple interface and personally, I like it!I took the opportunity following the demo during the keynote to touch base with some of Sitecore's customers to find out what they were thinking after the demo and let me tell you, there are a lot of customers that are eager to move from earlier version to 8 as soon as possible. Quite a bit of buzz was going around the room and there was definitely some excitement brewing.The symposium ran from September 8th to 10th and after all of the various sessions that were attended by the record 1,500+ attendees, Sitecore decided to kick things into fourth gear and host one of the hottest parties I've been to.Sitecore, with the help of some sponsors such as Coveo, took over the extremely tough to get into, Club Marquee where they offered an open bar and dinner buffet, together with one of Time Magazine’s top-rated resident Las Vegas DJs—DJ E-Rock. He’s the DJ of choice for A-list athletes, musicians, actors, and celebrities at nightclubs across the country.Here are some pics we snapped during the party:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/20140909_1935401000x0.jpg" /><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/20140909_1949551000x0.jpg" /><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/20140909_1946031000x0.jpg" /><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/10684147_865328836811953_151724167_n-1.jpg" />In case you can't tell from the pictures, a good time was had by all.  It was incredible and was the most fun I've had in a long, long time. Of the many conference parties I've attended, I'd rate this one as the top so far by a mile. The venue was amazing, the music was fantastic and we had a blast. It takes quite a bit to get this guy out on the dance floor yet DJ ERock managed to make it happen (and thrill my wife at the same time). The party initially was intended to end at 10pm but ended up being extended since everyone was having such as great time.In closing, Sitecore has shown that rather than have a long, drawn out conference it's better to choose quality over quantity. I am looking forward to seeing how they one up themselves next year given the huge success they experienced with this one.

The Sitecore Symposium 2014

BuddyPress are now edging closer to the release of version 2.1, <a href="http://buddypress.org/2014/09/buddypress-2-1-release-candidate/" target="_blank">making the release candidate available</a> for the first (and last) time.
Built by the guys behind WordPress, BuddyPress allows you to create a fully featured social network inside your WordPress.org powered site.
This release candidate means that the final release of BuddyPress 2.1 should be announced any day now. So, now would be a good time to talk about what's new.
<img style="max-width:400px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/disc-1_400x0.png" alt="BuddyPress" />
<h2>New @mentions, Better Security &amp; Tons of Tweaks</h2>
We'll know more about BuddyPress 2.1 once it actually arrived, but for now, here's what we know is in the box:
<ul>
<li>@mentions: Type an “@” when leaving a status update or commenting on an activity item or blog post, and the new suggestions panel will open.</li>
<li>Password Upgrade: Set more secure passwords with the password strength meter on the registration and user settings pages</li>
<li>New Field Type: New “URL” XProfile field type</li>
<li>Performance: Continued performance enhancements, particularly on the Members and Groups directories.</li>
<li>Translations: Higher quality translations (automatically fetched by WordPress), courtesy of our translation volunteers; thanks!</li>
<li>Tweaks: Tons of under-the-hood tweaks</li>
</ul>
For more information on BuddyPress 2.1's features, <a href="http://buddypress.org/2014/08/buddypress-2-1-beta-1/" target="_blank">check out their blog announcement of the first beta</a>.
To grab a copy of the release candidate, <a href="http://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/buddypress.2.1-RC1.zip" target="_blank">click here</a>.
Also, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/buddypress/" target="_blank">BuddyPress via our CMS Directory</a>.

BuddyPress 2.1 Release Candidate Now Available

Perfection is always in your approach. It’s in the manner that you move toward an untouchable ideal. This is what I believe A/B testing is all about, the pursuit of perfection. In the case of A/B testing, perfection would be a conversion rate of 100% — a metric that is completely impossible to achieve.
Any optimization expert’s dream would be to get that rate for the stuff they promote. However, be it <a href="http://medium.com/matter/">longform articles</a>, <a href="/">CMS news</a> or <a href="http://templatemonster.com">ways to create a mesmerizing website look</a> it’s hard to even approach that ideal.
In order to achieve success with A/B testing, one needs to know what to look for. It’s easy to start — what matters, however, is how you decide to continue. Today, we are going to reveal some of the finer points in achieving statistical validity.
It’s A/B testing to the max. Even if that maximum is so miserably unachievable, we’re set on winning anyway.
<h2>The Not-So-Simple Process</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ab1700x0.jpg" />
Running an A/B test effectively requires you to:
1. Define a specific test subject 2. Define testing groups 3. Perform a P&amp;L analysis 4. Design backend environment to support testing (or use an A/B testing tool) 5. Execute the test 6. Analyze data 7. Interpret findings 8. Implement changes 9. Repeat
Each of those steps is very important. A closer inspection is required.
<h2>Being a Control Freak</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ab2.jpg" />
The first and most important aspect of A/B testing is the control group. You’ve got to keep a baseline result in mind to mark any improvement from your test subjects. Pretesting, therefore, becomes vital. This consists of gathering information about your users. Controlling the criteria of your subjects so that they have greater statistical validity.
To begin with, you need to define your ideal test subject based on the data you’ve gathered. Put together a profile of whose personal leanings you want to gauge. Doing so will help you draw meaningful conclusions from the results of your testing.
Next, you need to gather as much data on your test subjects as possible. Such data can be gathered through your site analytics or purchased from a third party data vendor.
The kind of data that you’re looking depends on who you’re dealing with.
B2C environment
<ul>
<li>Age</li>
<li>Geo Location</li>
<li>Race</li>
<li>Gender</li>
<li>Household income</li>
<li>CPC</li>
</ul>
B2B environment
<ul>
<li>Size of business</li>
<li>Geo Location</li>
<li>Industry</li>
<li>Estimated Annual Spend</li>
</ul>
The list goes on, and this kind of info is just the tip of the iceberg. Ideally, you want a profile that consists of between 10 and 20 separate criteria.The more specific you are, the better your results will be. You’ll build your customer profile based on certain criteria, and anyone who doesn’t meet those criteria won’t be included in your test results.
<h2>I’d Love to Change the World</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ab3.jpg" />
Now assuming that you’ve ran the numbers and determined that the potential windfall from testing for conversion improvement is greater than the cost of testing (the P&amp;L analysis), you’ll need to think about what aspect of your site should be altered in your test.
You only want to change one feature of your web page at a time. If you test more than one variable, then you don’t know what’s responsible for the difference in visitor behavior. In other words, the test result you’vegeneratedwon’t be as valid. A/B tests undoubtedly provide the best answers to your questions, but they do take longer because you’re only manipulating one variable at a time.
So what should you change? The most common subjects of scrutiny are as follows:
<ul>
<li>Copy</li>
<li>Color scheme</li>
<li>CTA text</li>
<li>Typography</li>
<li>Security logos</li>
<li>Imagery</li>
<li>Pricing</li>
<li>Etc.</li>
</ul>
Again, the items you’re testing should be subjective to your service offering and to your customer profile. Use the data at your disposal to determine what’s most important to your customers and test your hypothesis. And <a href="http://blog.templatemonster.com/2014/07/09/overlooked-web-elements-that-make-visitors-love-your-site/">don’t forget about the details</a>.
<h2>Running the Test</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ab5.jpg" />
Now you just need to speak to your developers and have them implement the test. Make sure they’re sending 50% of the subjects to either the control version of the site, or the variable. More importantly, make sure they’re tracking thecontrol and testing groups so you can gather data for a statistically valid summary/finding.
Run the test for a significant period of time, enough to gather your preferred test size. The greater the number of subjects, the more accurate your data. So be patient.
<h2>Reading the Data</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ab4700x0.jpg" />
Interpreting results isn’t as simple as picking the winner. The better performer has to reach a level of statistical validity—at least 95%. Beyond that, you need to let the test run its course. Nothing ruins results like impatience.
Interpreting the data is, in all honesty, the arena of experts. It’s easy to pick a winner between the control and the variable, all you have to do is see which converted the most users at a faster rate. What’s not so easy? Determining what you’ve learned about your users. Finding out requires <a href="https://vwo.com/blog/what-you-really-need-to-know-about-mathematics-of-ab-split-testing/">a good deal of math</a>.
The most important thing to remember, however, is that A/B testing is a slow process that results in incremental improvement. Each test is useful, even the hypotheses that fail can still teach you something about your customer’s psychology.
What best practices have you implemented in you’re A/B tests? Share your experiences in the comments.
Image Copyright <a href="http://www.123rf.com/profile_timbrk">timbrk / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

Advanced Guide to A/B Testing: Take Your Site from Professional to Elite

PlushForums Review

Capturing and engaging increasingly shrewd audiences whilst delivering the smoothest user experience is paramount for any website or application.
However, the creation process, especially in a professional environment, has a long list of requirements. For example, local needs such as language and region-specific services need to be met, whilst corporate guidelines like logos, layouts, corporate information on websites, intranets and extranets need to be respected.
This all translates into constant demands from business teams to their development teams to timely produce and deliver solutions which the audiences are expecting, with the best possible user experience.
To cope with this unrelenting demand, both IT and business teams need to work quickly and together to make sure they deliver the right solution at the right speed.
At least, that’s how it should be.
In reality, there are very few vendors who can actually embrace such a united process. The reasons for this are many, but the results are always the same, with even successful projects resulting in a skewed professional relationship between the two teams.
Digital Factory 7 by Jahia presents a pretty comprehensive approach to this dilemma.

<h2>Digital Factory 7: The Three-part Solution</h2>
The approach taken by Digital Factory 7 can be presented in three major parts:
<h3>1) The Development Part</h3>
<a href="http://www.jahia.com/products/studio">Jahia Studio</a> is an exclusive visual User Experience Builder which is suited for developers or solutions builders.
The Studio allows developers to:
<ul>
<li>Visually build complete template structures and layouts for website and/or applications.</li>
<li>Edit sources.</li>
<li>Use snippets.</li>
<li>Fasten and secure dev work (definition editor, code editor, resource bundle editor).</li>
<li>Execute and test code almost in real time (a feature which is typically very rare in java environments).</li>
</ul>
Furthermore, developers can work directly in the Studio or in their IDE or in both at the same time, choosing the most productive tool for the job at any given moment.
Jahia Studio does not intend to replace a Java IDE, but to make developers more productive when it comes to purely the Jahia stuff.
The studio is linked to sources, a SCM (GIT or SVN), as well as the App Store. So, developers can secure their work and push it to the App store whenever a new version is ready.
<h3>2) The Pivot Part</h3>
The Jahia Private <a href="http://www.jahia.com/products/private-app-store">App Store</a> Software is home to information regarding released modules (Jahia building blocks), and compatibility details between a module and Digital Factory versions.
Additionally, the App Store provides approved modules to subscribed Digital Factory servers, and can be either Public or Private.
For instance, a Digital Factory 7 server can subscribe to the vendor main server, to an internal store within its own organization, or to external suppliers/partners’ stores.
Here are some of the advantages the App Store offers:
<ul>
<li>Creation of a re-usable components library.</li>
<li>Better management releases.</li>
<li>Maintenance cost reductions.</li>
<li>Improved risk management (each version is properly tagged and numbered).</li>
<li>No more need for error prone manual exchanges between development and production teams.</li>
</ul>
<h3>3) The Operation Environments Part</h3>
These environments ( test / acceptance / production ) are clients of the App Store, thus allowing production teams to:
<ul>
<li>Be notified of any new events.</li>
<li>Be notified of updates.</li>
<li>Have access details info about modules.</li>
<li>Perform 1-click updates (downloads &amp; deployment).</li>
</ul>
Further to these benefits, Digital Factory 7 environments embed OSGi, which means that administrators can:
<ul>
<li>Hot deploy modules, even in a clustered environment.</li>
<li>Instantly move from one version of a module to the other.</li>
<li>Roll-back to a former module version for the sake of troubleshooting.</li>
</ul>
And that’s how Jahia Digital Factory 7 can help bridge the gap between business and IT departments, facilitating a more controlled app lifecycle, and a far better end result.
To find out more about Digital Factory 7, click here.
Also, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/jahia/" target="_blank">Jahia Digital Factory via our CMS Directory</a>.

Mastering Application Lifecycles with Jahia Digital Factory 7

<a href="http://www.sitesupra.com/" target="_blank">SiteSupra</a> has announced significant price cuts for its Standard and Business packages.
Fresh after announcing new templates and features, SiteSupra has made this move, “in response to market demand”. 
 From here on out, the website builder will be charging just $4.99 per month for its Standard plan, rather than the $9.99 in previously charged. Further to this price drop, SiteSupra has improved its drag-and-drop interface and “liquid” page grid.
<h2>Following Their Vision</h2>
SiteSupra now offers one of the lowest pricing plans for website builders on the market. Their plan is to make SiteSupra more available to students, bloggers, small businesses, and other clients who previously may not have been able to afford a professional website.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sitesupra700x0.png" alt="SiteSupra" />
The Standard package will now cost $4.99 for 2GB of space and 5GB traffic. The Business package includes e-commerce, unlimited traffic and unlimited space, and will now cost $12.99.
Regarding the price drop, Anton Sulsky, SiteSupra CEO, made these comments:
<blockquote>
“We have faced a dilemma for the last six months, but have decided to follow our vision and stay committed to providing the maximum support for small businesses that do not have bottomless pockets. These new prices are valid with immediate effect, and have increased SiteSupra's own web traffic by 35%”.
</blockquote>
For more information on SiteSupra, <a href="http://www.sitesupra.com/" target="_blank">visit their website</a>, or check out my <a href="/sitesupra-review/" target="_blank">full review of their platform</a>.

SiteSupra Announces Major Price Drop

Call Tracking + AI 

Call Tracking + AI that Turns Calls into Leads

#ffffff

Love is in the air, but there are no poems or love notes being exchanged. Instead, the numbers are doing all the talking.
Ever since the release of version 1.6, <a href="http://www.prestashop.com/" target="_blank">PrestaShop</a> has been head over heels in love with statistics. As a result, PrestaShop users have been enjoying some unique stat-based benefits, all from the comfort of their PrestaShop back office (otherwise known as the admin panel).
So far this year, PrestaShop – an eCommerce platform with a <a href="/a-closer-look-at-prestashops-global-community/">buzzing global community</a> – has taken a number of big steps to improve itself, achieving <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/cms-critic-awards/">nomination in two categories for the 2014 CMS Awards</a> in the process.
One of those steps was to make statistics an integral part of the PrestaShop experience. Let's explore how.
<h2>Real-time Margins</h2>
Perhaps the most interesting feature of PrestaShop's statistical relationship, is the real-time profit margin reporting.
The PrestaShop back office dashboard sports a number of useful graphs, including the “Net Profit” graph, which allows you to keep track of your takings in real time.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/profit.png" alt="PrestaShop" />
Merchants with busy online stores will naturally find this feature extremely useful. In fact, since the profit margins change minute by minute, it could even become an addictive graph to stare at.
Not only is this an immensely powerful feature, it's also completely exclusive to PrestaShop.
And yet, the stats love-in doesn't end there.
<h2>Intelligent Merchant KPIs Here, There &amp; Everywhere</h2>
Following the release of PrestaShop 1.6 back in July 2014, PrestaShop users have had the pleasure of seeing Intelligent Merchant KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) on numerous pages within their back office.
These indicators are handy, non-obtrusive metrics which appear on pages such as “Orders” and “Customers”, giving relevant stats where-ever they appear.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/kpi700x0.png" alt="PrestaShop" />
For example, the Intelligent Merchant KPIs found on the “Orders” page display conversion rates, average order values and net profit per visit over the last 30 days, along with abandoned carts per day.
Meanwhile, the “Customers” page offers up gender and age demographics, as well as average orders per customer and newsletter registrations. All highly relevant information, presented in a simple way.
But still, the numeric romance continues.
<h2>Forecasting &amp; Yet More Integrated Stats</h2>
Forecasting is another notable PrestaShop reporting feature.
Located on the back office dashboard, the forecasting graph shows merchants their predicted metrics for traffic, conversions, average cart values, and sales. The forecast for each value is based off of current and previously recorded stats.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/forecast.png" alt="PrestaShop" />
Further to these powerhouse features, PrestaShop also offers statistics via a dedicated “Stats” page, where merchants can study their best-selling products, most valuable customers, newsletter registrations, and much, much more.
The back office dashboard, home to the real-time profit margin graph and forecasting feature, also hosts a wide range of metrics, including online visitors, active shopping carts, and more. You can even integrate Google Analytics to take things a step further.
So, I think it's safe to say that PrestaShop's relationship with statistics is a strong one.
With real-time features and relevant KPIs scattered around the back office, PrestaShop offers merchants a unique statistical experience that is not only pleasing to look at, but also genuinely helpful in terms of increasing revenue and understanding customers.

PrestaShop's Love Affair with Statistics

To a cheering audience at Sitecore's North American Symposium (#SYMNA), Coveo announced they will now be offering a free edition of their popular search solution for Sitecore.
Coveo for Sitecore – Free Edition helps marketers harness the power of search to drive visitor engagement, by enabling them to build and manage compelling search experiences using their familiar Sitecore management console &amp; tools. Dynamic search pages and search-driven content can be quickly configured, delivering an engaging, consistent visitor experience across all browsers and mobile devices.
The Coveo solution ships with a rich JavaScript user interface, enabling Sitecore developers to build custom search experiences using Coveo’s framework and components. Coveo technology can also be applied to existing CRM and knowledge management platforms for a more effective search experience. To ensure each site visitor is always exposed to the site’s most relevant content, messaging and product offers, Coveo for Sitecore – Free Edition provides administrators with an actionable analytics dashboard and tools to easily tune the solution’s relevance engine.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sitecore-coveo.png" />
I asked Coveo’s Chairman and CEO, Louis Têtu to explain why they chose Sitecore as their platform partner of choice and this was his reply:
<blockquote>
“Sitecore to us has been a great bet, they are well positioned in the space with their offering and have a great platform for web content management and from a technology fit perspective they fit well with us. Coveo is both competent in the cloud but also in the .NET environment and Sitecore architecture worked well with our product from the get go.”
</blockquote>
For additional details on Sitecore for Coveo, check out the video below:
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yPTLKR2jvTc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Check out <a href="http://www.coveo.com/en/sitecore-search">Coveo for Sitecore</a> today.

Coveo Announces Free Edition of Coveo Search for Sitecore #SYMNA

<a href="https://www.ecwid.com/" target="_blank">Ecwid</a> has taken steps to improve their order status listings, making them more descriptive.
Powering over 500,000 online stores across 175 countries, Ecwid is a popular eCommerce platform with a growing user base.
The new order status system will help existing and new Ecwid merchants by making order management easier for them and their customers. Let's take a look at how Ecwid hope to achieve that.
<h2>Five Order Status Improvements</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/statuses_header_1700x0.png" alt="Ecwid" />
Ecwid have implemented five changes to their order status system, covering more bases and making situations easier to understand for both merchant and customer. Here they all are:
<h3>1. Two New Statuses</h3>
<ul>
<li>Refunded in the Payment statuses list</li>
<li>Returned in the Fulfillment statuses list</li>
</ul>
Ecwid have decided that ‘refunded’ and ‘returned’ each deserve their own status to allow merchants to better track their sales and react to any possible issues.
<h3>2. “Queued” &amp; “Accepted” Statuses Renamed to “Awaiting Payment” &amp; “Paid”</h3>
These two new names better describe whether the money has been received from customer or not. This update is sure to clarify each status for both the merchant and the customer.
<h3>3. “Declined” has merged with “Canceled”</h3>
Although an order becomes Declined or Canceled under different conditions (declined is set by the payment gateway while Canceled is set manually by store administrator), the store owner sees both as a canceled order. Now, the formerly independent Declined status appears as Canceled.
<h3>4. “Chargeable” Replaced with “Awaiting Payment”</h3>
Ecwid have claimed that the Chargeable status became redundant because it is either Queued or Awaiting Payment. To eliminate unnecessary complexity, Chargeable no longer exists as a separate status.
<h3>5. “New” Renamed to “Awaiting Processing”</h3>
Similar to Awaiting Payment in the payment status list, Awaiting Processing will say much more to merchants and customers about state of the order rather than New.
And that's it. Subtle changes for some, but they will come in very handy for merchants – especially for those with large amounts of orders.
To learn more about these Ecwid changes, check out the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/ecwid-introduces-improved-order-statuses/" target="_blank">official blog announcement</a>.

Ecwid Introduces Improved Order Statuses

For those of you who don't know, Sitecore are currently hosting their biggest event of the year, <a href="/event-preview-sitecore-symposium-2014-las-vegas/" target="_blank">Sitecore Symposium 2014 Las Vegas</a>.
CMS Critic are on the ground right now to cover the event, in the form of Founder and Editor-in-Chief Mike Johnston.
Mike has already <a href="/the-keynote-sitecore-north-american-symposium-symna/" target="_blank"> covered Sitecore's day one keynote by CEO Michael Seifert</a>, and you can follow his live tweets from the <a href="https://twitter.com/cmscritic" target="_blank"> CMS Critic Twitter page</a>, or by using the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SYMNA?src=hash" target="_blank"> #SYNMA hashtag</a>.
The big news from day one though, is that Sitecore 8 is here – and it's looking impressive.
<h2>Sitecore 8: Simplifying the Extraordinary</h2>
According to Sitecore's official <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Platform/Sitecore-8.aspx" target="_blank">Sitecore 8 overview</a>:
<blockquote>“Your organization is unique, your team is unique, your customers are unique. With Sitecore 8 you decide how to customize your Sitecore Experience platform, based on how your business operates and how your customers choose to interact with you. Nothing is limited to out of the box, it’s your platform. You choose.”</blockquote>
Those are bold words for what look to be a bold product. Here are some of Sitecore 8's highlights.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/s8_experience_editor700x0.png" alt="Sitecore 8" />
Sitecore 8 promises to bring strong and tangible operational benefits for marketers. Such benefits include:
<ul>
<li> Automated Testing &amp; Optimization: Marketers can feel confident that the customer experience is being optimized constantly, in real time, through every interaction, over any platform. This confidence travels up through the marketing organization, all the way to the Chief Marketing Officer.</li>
<li> Resulting Focus: Because customer experience testing and optimization occurs effortlessly, marketers can now focus on other critical tasks.</li>
<li> Customized for Each Business: The customer experience can be managed based on how the business runs, not how the software dictates.</li>
<li> Consistent Customer Experiences: Sitecore 8 breaks down the silos among functions, enabling them to work together to create a consistent customer experience.</li>
<li> The Whole Picture: Marketers gain a complete view of how customers are interacting with the company, even in other systems, websites, or with other permission-based, customer- facing functions.</li>
<li> Insight Sharing: Marketers can provide insight about customer interactions to other organizations/functions within the company.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Automated Testing &amp; Integrated Commerce Server</h2>
Sitecore 8's ability to automatically test and optimize customer experiences is perhaps the largest weapon in its renewed arsenal.
With this automated testing and optimization going on, marketers don’t need to set up, run, or monitor testing ever again.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/s8_analytics_dashboard700x0.png" alt="Sitecore 8" /> 
Sitecore will recommend the best content, best segments to target, and the best paths to conversion. Sitecore 8 then automatically writes rules to optimize the new information, leaving marketers to simply review and choose. So, marketing teams can now be absolutely certain that they are providing the optimal experience to every customer, every time.
Furthermore, Sitecore 8 integrates <a href="http://www.commerceserver.net/" target="_blank">Commerce Server</a> with the <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/en-gb/Products/Sitecore-Experience-Platform.aspx" target="_blank">Sitecore Experience Platform</a>.
These combined products provide enterprise-grade commerce capabilities that enable organizations to offer exceptional commerce and customer experiences throughout the customer life cycle, driving both short and long-term revenues. Commerce Server also provides catalog, inventory, and order capture functionality to the Sitecore Experience Platform.
To learn more about Sitecore 8, check out <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Platform/Sitecore-8.aspx" target="_blank">Sitecore's overview of their latest release</a>, as well as their informative <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Learn/Resources-Library/White-Papers/Introducing-Sitecore-8.aspx" target="_blank">Sitecore 8 white paper</a>.
Also, make sure you explore more of <a href="/products/sitecore/" target="_blank">Sitecore via our CMS Directory</a>, and stay tuned for more news and insights from Sitecore Symposium 2014.

Day One of Sitecore Symposium 2014: Exploring Sitecore 8 #SYMNA

As some of you may have seen if you’ve been watching our <a href="http://www.twitter.com/cmscritic">Twitter feed</a>, CMS Critic is on site here in beautiful Las Vegas (thank god because Edmonton has snow at the moment) for Sitecore’s North American Symposium (<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23SYMNA&amp;src=typd">#SYMNA</a> if you want to follow on Twitter).
This morning's keynote kicked off with Sitecore CEO, Michael Seifert taking the stage to discuss the importance of customer experience and to help introduce the new Sitecore 8.
<img style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sitecore2.jpg" />
If you missed our live tweets this morning, I've embedded the best of them below so you can catch up.
[[storify-symna]]
In addition to the keynote, tons of great stories are coming out from this conference. I've provided some links below for those interested, including a great whitepaper highlighting some of the new features in the upcoming release.
Sitecore 8 overview <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Platform/Sitecore-8.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.sitecore.net/Platform/Sitecore-8.aspx</a>
Darren Guarnaccia: Sitecore 8: The art, craft, and humanity of marketing <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Learn/Blogs/Business-Blogs/Industry-Insight/Posts/2014/09/Sitecore-8.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.sitecore.net/Learn/Blogs/Business-Blogs/Industry-Insight/Posts/2014/09/Sitecore-8.aspx</a>
Mark Floisand: Sitecore 8: Simplifying the extraordinary
<a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Learn/Blogs/Business-Blogs/Mark-Floisand/Posts/2014/09/Sitecore-8.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.sitecore.net/Learn/Blogs/Business-Blogs/Mark-Floisand/Posts/2014/09/Sitecore-8.aspx</a>
White paper: Sitecore 8: Simplifying the extraordinary
<a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Learn/Resources-Library/White-Papers/Introducing-Sitecore-8.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.sitecore.net/Learn/Resources-Library/White-Papers/Introducing-Sitecore-8.aspx</a>
For more, stay tuned on <a href="http://twitter.com/cmscriti">Twitter</a> and our blog as we take you through the conference this week.

The Keynote - Sitecore North American Symposium #SYMNA

Hotjar - Spot what confuses

Spot what confuses your users with Hotjar & AI

Explore a wide range of informative articles, insights, and industry updates. Stay informed and ahead of the curve with our diverse collection of news and posts covering the latest trends and developments in the industry. Page - 129

News

Call Tracking + AI that Turns Calls into Leads

Spot what confuses your users with Hotjar & AI