CRO and Personalisation Pilot Programmes
Why a CRO or Personalisation Pilot?
Personalisation projects have historically been launched as multi-million rollouts: big platforms, big promises and too often, big disappointment. The investment often goes in long before the results come out.
Thereās a smarter way: pilots as part of the RFP journey. Instead of being a side experiment, pilots should be positioned as a practical, evidence-based step once youāve shortlisted a few top vendors. They allow decision-makers to validate claims in real conditions, at lower risk and faster speed.
Not every pilot succeeds, of course. The difference between a ānice experimentā and a board-ready proof of value is almost always the same thing – preparation.
Many teams assume CRO or personalisation requires long, expensive rollouts before delivering results. The reality? You already have enough data to start seeing measurable outcomes. Using website analytics, behaviour data, and consent signals you already collect, pilots can deliver actionable insights quickly. Start small, focus on the right journeys, and expand based on evidence.
Launch Fast, Prove Value, Scale Smart
Many teams assume CRO or personalisation requires long, expensive rollouts before delivering results. The reality? You already have enough data to start seeing measurable outcomes. Using website analytics, behaviour data, and consent signals you already collect, pilots can deliver actionable insights quickly. Start small, focus on the right journeys, and expand based on evidence.
RFPs and Pilots ā Working Together
RFPs have long been the default way to select vendors. They generate requirement lists, scoring grids, and persuasive responsesābut they rarely show you how a partner will perform once real work begins.
Thatās why forward-thinking organisations are reframing the process and making pilots an essential stage. Not as an alternative to RFPs, but as a practical next step once the shortlist is down to two or three vendors.
Pilots move selection beyond promises on paper to evidence in practiceāgiving decision-makers confidence that theyāre choosing the right partner.
Why Pilots Should Be Part of RFPs
The real risk with RFPs is that decisions get made on theory rather than evidence. A polished proposal may look great, but it wonāt reveal how the vendor:
Integrates into your data and tech stack.
Works with your team in day-to-day collaboration.
Handles setbacks and problem-solving.
Delivers value under realistic timelines.
Pilots answer those questions directly. For decision-makers, this means:
De-risking investment before multi-year contracts are signed.
Exposing real-world fit in terms of execution, culture, and responsiveness.
Building stakeholder buy-in through tangible results everyone can see.
Done well, pilots donāt delay decisions. They accelerate confidence in them.
Where RFPs End and Pilots Begin
Pilots are not a replacement but a continuation of the RFP process, moving the decision from paper-based scoring to evidence-based validation.
| Stage | RFP Focus | Pilot Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Initial vendor pool | Collect proposals, evaluate fit, shortlist vendors | ā |
| Shortlist stage (2ā3 vendors) | Score proposals, align on requirements | Run short-term pilots to validate execution |
| Decision stage | Final pricing, contracts | Evidence of real-world performance and team fit |
| Post-selection | Vendor onboarding | Pilot learnings expand into scaled rollout |
What the Data Tells Us
Ad-hoc vs structured pilots: Opportunistic tests usually return just 2ā5% uplift, while structured pilots with clear hypotheses deliver 10ā30% conversion lifts (McKinsey).
Cart abandonment: At 69.9% globally, itās one of the biggest leaks in ecommerce (Baymard Institute). Exit-intent pilots that trigger targeted offers have recovered 15ā20% of abandoned carts.
Geo-targeting: Localised homepage offers can deliver up to a 175% uplift in conversions compared to generic pages (McKinsey).
Returning visitors: Tailored homepage modules for repeat users boosted engagement by 183%, with sustained revenue growth (McKinsey).
These arenāt marginal wins. Theyāre proof that well-prepared pilots aimed at the right use cases can unlock multi-million growthāfast.
Practical Scenarios Where Pilots Fit
Pilots arenāt always appropriate at the very start of an RFP when 8ā10 vendors are in play. They work best once youāve shortlisted to 2ā3 strong candidates.
Scenarios include:
Post-RFP validation: Confirming the strongest vendor through evidence.
Testing high-risk capabilities: CRO or personalisation engines that impact core journeys.
Securing cross-team alignment: Running a pilot that demonstrates impact across marketing, data, and product.
Staged rollouts: Trialling in one region, segment, or channel before expanding globally.
How to Run an Effective Pilot
The mechanics of a pilot donāt need to be heavy. In fact, the most successful are short, focused, and tied to specific outcomes.
- Set clear success criteria ā Define what success looks like before starting. Use measurable KPIs.
- Scope tightly ā Pick 1ā2 high-impact use cases (e.g., homepage personalisation, checkout CRO test).
- Keep timelines short ā Pilots typically run 2ā6 weeks. A 30-day pilot is a proven structure, but treat this as an example, not a rule.
- Run it in real conditions ā Use production (or near-production) environments and real customer data where possible.
- Measure more than results ā Track vendor responsiveness, collaboration, and integration effort alongside campaign outcomes.
And use what you already have
The fastest way to prove value isnāt waiting for perfect infrastructure or shiny new platforms. Existing analytics, URLs, dataLayer variables, and consented signals are enough to run high-impact pilots. By leveraging these assets, pilots can show conversion lift, abandonment recovery, or personalised engagement within weeks.
And critically: donāt start the pilot clock until the pre-work is complete. Too many pilots fail not because of weak ideas or technology, but because they start before the organisation is ready.
Pre-Work Before the Clock Starts
Too many pilots stumble because the ā30-day trialā starts before the organisation is ready. Creative assets are still in production, IT hasnāt enabled tags, KPIs arenāt aligned. By the time setup finishes, the opportunity is gone.
That’s why we decided that with our pilots, the pilot clock doesnāt start until pre-work is complete. This ensures the test period is dedicated to proving value, not scrambling to get live.
Pre-Work: The Four Steps That Matter Most
This isnāt red tape. Itās acceleration.
- Run workshops to refine objectives, KPIs, and compliance considerations.
- Involve IT upfront to surface blockers: no-JavaScript policies, restricted GTM access, consent management.
- Example: A telecom pilot failed to launch because cookie-level access for targeting wasnāt cleared with the privacy team until Week 5. Pre-work avoids these delays.
- Use GA4 to identify high-traffic, high-impact journeys (checkout, homepage, product detail pages)
- Overlay content engagement data, competitor benchmarks, and past experiments.
- Example: When conducting GA4 data analysis for a retail bank, we found 58% of drop-offs occurred between plan selection and checkout. That insight helped shape the #1 pilot use case.
- Validate: Can JS code or tags be deployed on every required page? Are events and cookies accessible? Are devices and browsers supported?
- Go through a technical feasibility checklist before committing to use cases.
- Example: In one BFSI pilot, IT flagged that product pages were served via an iFrame with no GTM access. Adjusting scope early saved 3 weeks of wasted effort.
- All approved copy, banners, and modules ready before Day 1.
- Example: In a POC, creative delays consumed 12 of 30 days. With assets pre-delivered, the same pilot later ran 3x the planned experiments in the same window.
Focus on a small number of journeys where the impact is measurable: checkout/cart flows, returning visitor modules, or homepage personalisation. Feed audiences into personalisation tools or ad platforms quickly to validate hypotheses. Quick wins build stakeholder confidence and provide a foundation for scaling.
Examples of High-Impact Use Cases
1. Cart Exit-Intent Offers
Problem: Cart abandonment averages 69.9% globally (Baymard Institute).
Pilot: Trigger an exit popup with free shipping or a discount for abandoning users.
Evidence: Industry pilots and case studies show exit-intent campaigns can recover 10ā15% of lost sales (OptinMonster).
Ā
2. Region-Specific Homepage Offers
Problem: National campaigns ignore local relevance.
Pilot: Serve city-level promotions on homepage using geo-targeting.
Evidence: McKinsey research found geo-personalisation lifted conversion rates by up to 175% compared to generic campaigns (McKinsey ā The Future of Personalization).
3. Returning Visitor Personalisation
Problem: Repeat visitors often restart journeys from scratch.
Pilot: Show āresume your journeyā modules or highlight favourite categories.
Evidence: Tailored homepage experiences for returning visitors increased engagement by 183%, driving sustained revenue impact (McKinsey ā Model Makeover Telco Case)
Closing
RFPs will always have a role. But the smartest organisations are redefining how they use them, making pilots an essential part of the journey rather than an optional extra.
A well-structured pilot proves not just that a vendor can deliver, but that they can deliver here, with your systems and your people.
By starting with what you already have, pilots demonstrate real results faster, reduce risk, and accelerate decision-making. They prove that CRO and personalisation work in your environment, with your systems and your people, before committing to larger investments.
Thatās the evidence no scoring sheet can provide and why pilots should sit at the heart of modern vendor selection.
Test before you commit.
Add a short pilot into your RFP process.
Explore how we can help you turn proposals into proof and build a pilot into your vendor selection.
About The Authors
Charlie Nicholls
