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Opticon 2025: a frontline look at the future of digital experiences

 

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Here’s our take on what made the biggest impact — and what it means for dotcraft and our clients.

Key themes from the event

  • AI is no longer a “nice to have” — it’s central to Optimizely’s vision for digital experience platforms. From multiple recaps: “AI is central to Optimizely’s strategy.” 

  • The spotlight was on Opal — Optimizely’s agent-orchestration platform. No longer just an assistant, but an orchestration layer for content, marketing workflows and optimisation. 

  • Data, governance and platform thinking matter. It’s not just about new features — it’s about the ability to connect data, workflows, teams, and systems. From the event: “Building that foundation takes time … the real prize is a Customer 360 view.” 

  • The transition from “crawl” to “walk” to “run” (to “fly”) when it comes to AI adoption was a repeated message. The takeaway: start small, build reliably, scale responsibly. 

What dotcraft learned – and how we’re thinking about next steps

a) Embracing the infinite workforce

One of the biggest leaps announced at Opticon was how Opal allows organisations to build customised agents (and leverage pre-built ones) to automate workflows such as content creation, experimentation, personalisation, analytics. For example:

  • Pre-built agent libraries for campaigns, SEO, test generation. 

  • Workflow builder (drag-and-drop) to chain agents. 

    For dotcraft, this means our advisory and execution work is increasingly about workflow design, agent setup and less about purely manual tasks. We’re already reviewing client workflows to identify where agent-orchestration brings biggest value (e.g., A/B test set-up, content repurposing, iterative personalisation).

b) Platforms over point solutions

Many sessions reinforced that digital experience success comes from integrated platforms, not disjointed tools. The message: fewer, deeper systems that connect content, commerce, data, analytics. For example: Optimizely reminded audiences that CFOs are focusing on simplifying tech stacks. 
For our clients this means: evaluating how their ecosystems (CMS, DXP, experimentation tool, data warehouse) connect — and whether they’re ready for the next wave of agentic AI. dotcraft will be advising on readiness checklists, migration paths and governance frameworks.

c) The platform updates we’re excited about

Some of the concrete updates from Opticon that we’re mapping into our roadmap:

  • Opal becoming fastest-growing product in Optimizely’s history: over 10,000 daily agent actions across 50+ countries. 

  • Upcoming CMS 13 from Optimizely – built for an AI-first world with visual builders, enriched APIs, asset management upgrades. 

  • Enhanced analytics / data-warehouse integration: Optimizely Analytics (visualisation) and agentic analytics workflows. 

  • Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) as part of the search/experience evolution. 

d) What this means for dotcraft clients

  • We’ll be auditing existing workflows & tech stacks with a lens of “agent readiness”.

  • We’ll curate use-cases where automation + orchestration can free up teams to focus on strategy, creativity and business-impact.

  • We’ll implement change-management frameworks so that the move to agentic workflows is both effective and governed.

  • We’ll partner more closely with Optimizely (and their ecosystem) so that our clients gain early visibility into platform roadmap and can plan migrations/upgrades proactively.

Roadmap for dotcraft & our clients

Here’s how we’re translating our Opticon learnings into action:

  1. Internal enablement — our team is undertaking training on Opal + Optimizely’s new features so we can lead confidently.

  2. Client tech-stack review — for each client, we’ll map their current stack, identify gaps (e.g., data ingestion, identity resolution, CMS version) and present a readiness plan.

  3. Pilot & iterate — we’ll select a high-impact client project to pilot agentic workflows (content generation, test automation, personalised journeys), measure outcomes and iterate.

  4. Governance & culture — define for each client the governance model (who owns agents, workflows, data), change-management plan and continuous improvement loop.

  5. Migration roadmap — for clients on older versions of CMS/Commerce or who have fragmented stacks, we’ll create a staged roadmap over next 12-24 months to move to the next wave (AI-first CMS, integrated DXP).

Why the timing matters

Opticon 2025 made it clear: the shift is happening now. The technologies are no longer experimental — they are being adopted today. As one recap said: “The AI revolution is here, and it’s moving faster than anyone expected.” 

For businesses aiming to stay ahead, this is a moment to act rather than wait.

Attending Opticon 2025 was a terrific opportunity for dotcraft to immerse ourselves in the latest from Optimizely, refine our vision for the next wave of digital experiences, and sharpen our advisory on how clients should prepare. The message is unambiguous: the next generation of digital experience is AI first, workflow-orchestrated, and platform­powered. We’re excited to help our clients make that transformation confidently and effectively.

If you’re a dotcraft client and want to discuss how your roadmap aligns with these themes — from Opal, to CMS 13, to agentic workflows — we’re here and ready to connect.