The Episerver Optimizely Rebrand: What It Means For Your Business

Following their acquisition in October 2020, Episerver announced their rebrand to Optimizely last week with promises of accelerated product development in the digital experience market.  

Episerver, a long-standing leader in digital experience platforms, acquired Optimizely, a leader in testing and optimization, late last year. The recent news of Episerver’s rebrand to Optimizely has taken the tech world by storm. So why did they do it? And what does it actually mean for your business?  

Why they did it

Episerver’s high priority is to advance their leadership in the digital experience (DXP) category. To Episerver loyalists like us, there’s no doubt they’ve developed rock-solid products. But as technology advances, personalization is no longer enough to build and sustain high-performing digital experiences. Businesses need intelligent, real-time data testing to optimize their digital footprint. Enter, Optimizely.  

“Our new name will also be a signal that we’re unique in the DXP category,” says Optimizely’s Chief Product Officer, Justin Anovick. “None of our peers can help their customers create experiences and optimize them at the same time.”  

They chose the name Optimizely to align with such ambitions. Alex Atzberger, CEO, says, “The “Opti” in Optimizely means sight and is found in words like “optimism” or “optimum.” It is about pursuing the best outcomes and making the most out of something”  

This all sounds great… but is it worth the hype? In a word, yes. The star power of Optimizely coupled with the brute strength and potential of Episerver’s capabilities is a hopeful promise of ultra-intelligent digital experiences rooted in data and routed to seamless ROI measurement.  

Our own SVP of Strategy, Chris Osterhout, explains, “With global businesses looking for measurable ROI, the ability to create data-driven adaptations and experimentation is of paramount importance. The consolidation of Episerver under the Optimizely brand removes the guesswork for customers and offers a more holistic end-to-end solution.”  

What it means for you

Here are some top-line need-to-knows on how the Episerver Optimizely rebrand could impact, and potentially benefit, your business.

1. The rebrand will become official September 2021, with consistent support and user experience remaining on all current Episerver products including CMS and Commerce. 
2. A product roadmap is expected to roll out to customers in the next few months with plans for accelerated new product development.  
3. Their first joint product, Optimization-as-a-Service, is available now, which combines Optimizely Web and Episerver Content Recommendations. This and other Optimizely products will need to be purchased separately.  
4. Aside from plans to increase hiring to support growth, no organizational changes are planned at this time. 

For more FAQs about the rebrand, check out Episerver’s FAQs page, or reach out to us!