While most businesses use client-side approaches for A/B testing and personalization, there are a growing number of businesses opting for server-side to test and personalize content. The culture around testing and personalization has evolved as more sophisticated tests and site security are prioritized for those businesses.

With Oracle Maxymiser, marketers can use both approaches simultaneously. Marketers can continue to self-serve and deliver testing and personalization through client-side campaigns but use server-side testing for more significant changes, such as site re-designs, testing new pricing models, search algorithms, or on certain high-security pages.

The difference between server- vs. client-side testing

Let’s take a look at both approaches in more detail. Client-side approaches rely on JavaScript to manipulate the page directly in the browser, so they only work with web-based applications. The areas of your site involved in a test are seamlessly replaced with content served by Oracle Maxymiser during page load. Client-side approaches allow the use of visual editing tools, such as our Campaign Designer, and enable marketing teams to quickly push out tests without having to rely on IT teams or lengthy release processes.

On the other hand, our server-side approach uses REST APIs so you can optimize server to server, without requiring client-side JavaScript. And since this approach is executed entirely by your server code, it will also be the best option from a performance standpoint. Plus, server-side enables developers to test on any application—Oracle Maxymiser decides which version to render for a given visitor.

Internal IT teams remain responsible for creating and delivering the content. All tests are tied to the customer’s application release cycle, but marketers now have the power to manage all their campaigns. This provides the marketer with critical visibility and control over all test and personalization campaigns that are live on their site, mitigating risk, building trust, and driving collaboration across teams.

What marketers can do with server-side UI

The new server-side UI in Oracle Maxymiser gives marketers greater transparency regardless of which approach is used. This means that marketers can deliver testing and personalization through client-side campaigns, while at the same time, are empowered to create and configure certain aspects of server-side campaigns within Oracle Maxymiser using our new server-side UI. Examples include:

• Creation/deletion of experiences and metrics
• Modification of variant weightings
• Use of customer attributes to set up both campaign and content targeting rules
• Scheduling and publishing of campaigns, including the ability to pause, update, and complete campaigns as and when required

While the content is still built by developers, a server-side UI helps bridge the gap between marketers and developers. 

When server-side testing might be right for you

Below are some common use cases to help you make sense of when to leverage server-side testing.

• Algorithms: Optimize back-end algorithms that control pricing, search results, promotions, chatbots, etc.

• Re-designs: Test entirely new site designs or apps before you launch them

• New devices: Optimize on any device or application that is connected to the internet (e.g., set top boxes, kiosks)

• Security: Test on secure pages where it’s not possible to insert third-party JavaScript

To learn more about how server-side testing could help your business, watch our on-demand webinar.

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