Why Experimentation Deserves a Seat at the Table

Personalization has dominated the conversation in digital marketing for years — and for good reason. The ability to tailor experiences to specific audiences has driven meaningful results across industries. At Velir, we’ve seen great personalization results for clients like ULI, who saw a $60 increase in lifetime value from personalization, and Suncoast, who saw a 26% increase in new memberships.

But in the race to deliver personalized experiences, there’s a quieter hero that often gets overlooked: experimentation.

A/B testing and broader experimentation strategies might not be as flashy as hyper-personalization. Still, they’re arguably just as powerful — and often far more accessible for small, nimble digital marketing teams.

A Lower Barrier to Entry, a Faster Path to Impact

Unlike personalization, which sometimes requires a complex web of content variations, segmentation rules, and data integrations, A/B testing starts with a simple premise: test one change against another and see what works best.

You don’t need dozens of audience segments or a content library filled with variants. All you need is a hypothesis and a willingness to learn from your users. That makes experimentation a powerful entry point for teams looking to improve performance quickly. Whether testing a headline, a CTA button, or a homepage layout, small experiments can uncover big insights — fast.

Driving Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

One of the most tangible benefits of experimentation is its direct impact on conversion rate optimization (CRO). A/B testing gives you the data to confidently iterate on your site or campaigns. Instead of relying on assumptions or internal opinions, you’re guided by user behavior data.

The result? Better-performing digital experiences that convert more visitors into customers, members, subscribers, or leads — without necessarily increasing your budget or spending.

Experimentation + Personalization = Power Duo

Experimentation isn’t just an alternative to personalization — it’s a complement because testing is one of the best ways to validate your personalization strategy. Before you roll out a new personalized experience to every user segment, test it. See how it performs. Use that data to refine and scale.

Together, personalization and experimentation form a powerful optimization loop: personalize based on what you know, test to learn more, and continuously improve the experience.

Start Small, Learn Fast

You don’t need a massive tech stack or a dedicated optimization team to start experimenting. Start small. Choose a page that gets a lot of traffic. Form a hypothesis based on user behavior. Run a test. And most importantly, act on what you learn.

The best digital teams aren’t just guessing what will work — they’re testing, learning, and improving every step of the way. If experimentation hasn’t been part of your strategy, now is the time to change that.

In a time when digital is evolving quickly. Standing still means falling behind, and experimentation helps you move forward with confidence.

Not sure how to get started with experimentation? Reach out. Our digital marketing experts can help you develop an experimentation strategy and tests you can use to complement your personalization efforts or help you launch them.