We recently worked with one our customers looking to implement personalization within their SDL Tridion environment. The client was looking to use either SDL’s Experience Optimization (XO)*  or Adobe’s Target product.

Both tools are feature packed for creating personalized experiences. In the end the customer chose SDL’s solution, the reasons for doing so were of a technical nature. This is unusual as it’s normally the functionality of the tool that sways the decision for this type of tool. Given the technical nature, I thought I’d share them.

Why SDL XO was chosen over Adobe Target.

1. Adobe Target is a cloud-based tool. The customer preference was to install and maintain the software on-premise.
   1. The client also wasn’t comfortable in sending user data over to Adobe’s servers.
2. XO already integrates into the SDL Tridion CMS, this also includes the Experience Manager inline editing interface. The cost of creating such integration was a major factor.
   1. The XO interface is also unified with the SDL interface so there’s little in the way of training and familiarization required for the client’s internal teams.
3. Target also required that some semantic structure be stored into their system. The client was wary that future redesign and new layouts would require greater overhead for teams managing data and layout across both systems.

* The software formerly known Smart Target