2021 Adobe Summit: The View of a Newbie

The Adobe Summit ran from the 27^th-29^th April with attendance this year being free and virtual, given the current restrictions. Nevertheless, my experience of the Adobe Summit was eye-opening and has definitely given me a lot to think about.

It would help if I gave some context – I am a Graduate Business Analyst within Digital Customer Experience and joined Capgemini earlier this year. I am not an ‘Adobe expert’ (or even remotely techy), but I was given a detailed run through of Adobe and the technological solutions we  offer B2B and B2C clients by Hadleigh Smith (Our Adobe Practice Head). Safe to say my interest was piqued, not only as a consumer, to understand how my data is used for a personalised customer experience, but also as a newbie to the world of Adobe and someone who wants to understand what solutions Capgemini can offer their clients.

The summit offered a host of presentations, detailing the newest and latest innovations Adobe had/were about to release along with user success stories – which made it all easier to understand given my “beginner” status. The presentations ranged from ‘Welcome to Adobe Analytics’ sessions to how AI can be integrated into the current customer experience. And let’s not forget the Opening Key note, where Serena Williams (Athlete, Philanthropist and Entrepreneur) and Shantanu Narayen (Chairman, President and CEO of Adobe), amongst others, delivered truly inspiring talks and insights and the Summit Sneaks session where Dan Levy (Writer, Actor, Comedian, Director and Producer) introduced new innovations and sneaks of what we can expect from Adobe in the future!

There was a lot to learn throughout Summit offering engaging and relevant content to what is happening throughout the digital world. Especially with the use of headless content management systems becoming more prevalent and our collective entry into a cookie-less world, the importance of data use and data security cannot be understated. This was a message that was reinforced throughout Summit, but most importantly (for me anyway) was the increased focus on a customer centric journey and the empowerment of consumers who know exactly what they want, how they want content to be delivered and where they want to receive this content. As a Platinum Partner of Adobe, Capgemini delivered a content rich presentation which was easy to follow, but unfortunately it is no longer available to view. Stanislas de Roys (EVP, Capgemini Invent) and Mike Buob (VP Experience and Innovation) delivered a talk on ‘Data Powered, Personalised Experiences for Today’s Consumer’, which defined trends for Marketing departments grounded in the context of today and addressed the constraints many businesses are currently operating under.

In a world where we are constantly bombarded by content, it is now more important than ever to gain the attention of our consumers. This is something Capgemini helped Follett Higher Education Group do using Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), for its ability to handle continuous updates, increased complexity and performance scalability. Follett Higher Education Group were struggling with static and stale content and prior to their digital transformation, lacked robust CMS. Using AEM, Follett Higher Education Group were able to benefit from modular user interface components and create customised content – which included unique landing pages, customised content for specific campus store websites through the use of primary and secondary school colours and graphics that closely connected with each school and consumers. Post digital transformation, Follett were able to control 80-90% of what their customers could see and make constant updates to their store websites. Further, Follett was able to adapt to pandemic regulations by offering alternative pick-up options and increased promotional events on websites (from 4 in 2019 to 28 in 2020), providing more content to consumers and improved customer experience overall with delivery of relevant and timely content. AEM enabled Follett Education Group to increase their e-commerce sales from 22% in 2020 to 55% in 2021.

My key takeaways include the importance of the experience economy, strong brand creation and the use of data and technology to stay ahead of market disruptions and to create a truly personalised customer experience – with the most important takeaway being  the scarcity of consumer attention, the prevalence of content explosion and the need to deliver a personalised experience.

If I were to describe my learning at Adobe Summit in three ways, I would choose content-rich, engaging and I was definitely left with a hunger to learn more about what solutions Adobe can offer. Don’t take my word for it, read the related blog post for impressions from our Adobe Practice Head, Hadleigh Smith, and our Adobe Experts, Emily Galway and Mayowa Adeyemi.

Ellie Hubbard

Graduate Business Analyst, DCX