Last Thursday, the 49th edition of Dialogue Thursday (DiDo) took place. DiDo is the knowledge event for professionals in conversion optimization, product development and data-driven working. This edition was all about trends in experimentation, data ownership and the question of how to really bring product teams into a culture of experimentation.

Talk 1: Trends in Experimentation: The Curiosity Economy: Why Learning Faster Beats Doing More

Lotte Cornelissen - Managing Director, Online Dialogue

Lotte kicked off the afternoon with a look at the rapidly changing world of experimentation. She showed how we are shifting to a Learning Era: an era when organizations are rewarded for curiosity and the ability to learn faster.

Key trends:

• AI touches every digital touchpoint. Automating feedback loops, faster experiment construction and better personalization. 
• Product teams embrace validation. More and more teams are testing themselves, but are struggling to move from output to outcome.
• Tech stacks explode. With nearly 16,000 martech-tools collaboration between tools becomes more important than ever.

Lotte's message:

“The most innovative teams are not the teams that know the most, but the teams that keep testing and learning continuously.”

Talk 2: Data trends for experimentation: what to expect and to prepare for coming years

Lucas Vos - Senior Conversion Specialist, RTL Netherlands

Lucas showed which data trends will determine experimentation in the coming years. RTL took a big step in this regard: RTL took full control of the data pipeline.

His key insights:

• Having your own data pipeline gives peace of mind and confidence. Direct links to the data warehouse make RTL less dependent on platforms such as Google and Adobe.
• AI can take over a lot of repetitive work, such as standard analyses and automated experiment reports - but only if the underlying data is correct.
• Geopolitics is playing an increasing role. Consider Schrems II and discussions around the Data Privacy Framework. Organizations must be prepared for changing laws and regulations.

Luke's message:

“Make sure you are in control of your data. With a stable, reliable foundation, only then can you really safely scale up with AI.”

Talk 3: How to Help Product Teams Embrace Experimentation

Tom van den Berg - Experimentation Consultant

Tom closed the afternoon with a practical and recognizable talk on how to really get product teams into experimenting. He showed that the key is collaboration, clarity and a culture in which learning is central.

His main points:

• Build team spirit. Work close to the teams, share results, seek out the enthusiasts and invest in the relationship between them.
• Make clear agreements. Establish set rhythms such as stand-ups, shared KPIs and clear to-do's.
• Reward testing assumptions. Focus not only on the winners, but on what was learned.
• Connect to business. Link experiments to key themes and also work with teams you don't speak to as often, such as supply chain.

Tom's message:

“You build a culture of experimentation step by step: through structure, proximity and a shared focus on learning.”

Conclusion

Together, the three talks showed that experimentation (CRO) is evolving rapidly: AI is accelerating the experimentation process, data quality and privacy increasingly determine what we can validate, and successful organizations are building close collaboration between CRO and product teams. If you want to move forward, invest in a culture of learning and informed decisions.

The next edition of Dialogue Thursday will be our 50th anniversary edition. We will announce the date soon!