If you’ve ever stared at the Adobe Experience Platform (AEP) diagram and thought, “Where do we even start?” – you’re not alone. Most companies don’t purchase the entire AEP stack on day one. They start with a specific business outcome, then add the right capabilities over time as their data, teams, and ambitions mature.
Here’s how that looks in real life, and how Leadous guides the journey from a single use case to a full-fledged, real-time, customer-aware marketing engine. If you already run Marketo Engage, this post outlines your 18-month add-on path: start by enabling Advanced Features to get the most out of your current investment (Dynamic Chat for example), prepare the teams and data for AJO and RT-CDP that power it further (beyond-the-inbox), then layer in Target, Analytics/CJA, Offer Decisioning, and finally AEM and GenStudio.
The Real Use Case: Turning Anonymous Browsers Into Known, Nurtured Customers
The business problem: A brand gets ~400k site visitors per year. They rely heavily on batch email blasts. They have an ecommerce component to their business, and cart abandonment is high. Return visitors are anonymous across devices. Personalization is mostly limited to a “first name” and a hope.
Identify more visitors in real time
- Trigger relevant messaging across email/SMS/web within minutes, not days
- Attribute revenue to actual journeys, not isolated channels
Where we begin: Customer journeys that can move the needle fast, abandoned cart, back-in-stock, and “browse but didn’t buy,” delivered reliably and measured clearly.
PHASE 1: Ship Outcomes Fast With AJO (No RT-CDP Yet)
What we implement:
– Adobe Journey Optimizer (AJO) Select as a standalone engagement layer
– 1–2 server-side data sources for key events (e.g., checkout, cart status), plus a product catalog feed
– Basic identity stitching using hashed email/CRM ID where available
Why this first: Journeys + messaging = visible revenue impact. Even without Real-Time CDP, AJO can orchestrate triggered programs if you can pass the right events and attributes.
Leadous’ role:
– Define the minimal viable XDM schema to support the three priority journeys
– Build payloads and event taxonomies (cart add/remove, checkout start, purchase)
– Create governance: naming standards, environments, dev/QA gates
– Launch three high-impact journeys and stand up reporting that ties to revenue
Typical wins in 60–90 days:
– 5–15% lift in recovered revenue from abandonment programs
– A common event language across web and backend systems
– A “pattern” for cross-team delivery that’s repeatable
PHASE 2: ADD DATA COLLECTION & IDENTITY FOUNDATIONS (SET THE TABLE)
What we add:
– Adobe Data Collection (Tags/SDK) to standardize event capture client-side
– Identity Service (core AEP) to begin stitching known/unknown profiles
– Profile service (limited scope) to store consent, channel opt-ins, and a small set of behavioral attributes
Why now: Clean, consistent, and privacy-aware data capture multiplies the value of every downstream capability. Identity Service lays the groundwork for moving beyond session-based personalization.
Leadous’ role:
– Implement a data layer spec that maps to XDM (and is actually maintainable)
– Configure consent flags and geo rules for compliant activation
– Create a data quality scorecard (coverage, correctness, timeliness)
Outcome: Teams trust the data. New events and attributes enter journeys without chaos. Compliance is provable.
PHASE 3: TURN ON REAL-TIME CDP (FROM TRIGGERS TO INTELLIGENCE)
What we add:
– Adobe Real-Time CDP (RT-CDP) with streaming segment evaluation
– B2C/B2B schema as needed (this example is B2C, but many brands are hybrid)
– Destinations for ad platforms and on-site personalization
Why now: Journeys get smarter when segments update in seconds and when you can unify web, email, and commerce data into a single profile that refreshes continuously.
Leadous’ role:
– Design identity graphs (primary keys, namespaces, deduplication)
– Build audiences (e.g., “High-intent browsers in last 30 minutes who haven’t purchased, suppress VIP customers who just bought”)
– Wire destinations and guardrails: frequency caps, suppression lists, budget controls
Outcome: Real-time segments feed AJO, paid media, and the website simultaneously. You stop re-targeting people who just bought—because your audiences know they just bought.
PHASE 4: OBSERVE AND OPTIMIZE WITH JOURNEY ANALYTICS
What we add:
– Customer Journey Analytics (CJA) to stitch cross-channel data and answer, “Which steps actually drive revenue?”
– Calculated metrics and fallout analysis across web → cart → email → purchase
Why now: You’ve got streams flowing. Now you need to decide with confidence—what to scale, what to stop, and what to test next.
Leadous’ role:
– Model connections between data sets (web, orders, messaging)
– Build dashboards aligned to business questions, not vanity metrics
– Train teams on hypothesis-driven experimentation using CJA insights
Outcome: Marketing, product, and analytics are reading the same book. Budgets shift to what works—faster.
PHASE 5: PERSONALIZATION AT SCALE WITH OFFER DECISIONING
What we add:
– AEP Offer Decisioning to select the best message/promo/content for each profile and context
– Eligibility rules, rankings, and frequency governance
– Multi-surface activation (email tiles, web promo modules, mobile in-app)
Why now: Once you understand journeys and real-time audiences, the next leap is choosing which content to show, and when, in a consistent, testable way.
Leadous’ role:
– Build the offer catalog and decision policies (e.g., margin rules, inventory, tiering)
– Integrate with inventory/pricing APIs to avoid “out of stock” experiences
– Set up A/B/n and multi-armed bandit strategies with clear evaluation windows
Outcome: Channel-wide personalization that respects business constraints and learns over time.
18-MONTH AEP ROADMAP
(Marketo-First, Add-On Path)
You already run Marketo Engage. We’ll compound that value—first by capturing more high-intent conversations (Dynamic Chat Advanced), then by preparing teams and data for AJO (so journeys go beyond email), and finally by expanding into Target, Analytics/CJA, and GenStudio for cross-channel personalization and scalable content.
Months 0–1: Foundations & “Day-0” Readiness
- Current-state audit (Marketo): data model, programs, lifecycle, attribution, email/SMS compliance.
- Governance starter kit: naming, environments, data contracts, QA flow.
- AEP alignment sketch: minimal XDM for near-term events (cart, browse, purchase or the B2B equivalents), identity namespaces, consent approach.
Exit criteria: prioritized use cases + KPI tree, RACI for marketing/ops/dev, agreed data layer/XDM draft.
Months 1–3: Capture Demand with Dynamic Chat (Advanced)
- Deploy Advanced chat: routing, SDR handoff, FAQs, calendaring, and intent tagging.
- Marketo integration: chat-to-programs, UTMs, lifecycle stage updates, progressive profiling, and consent capture.
- Reporting: chat-sourced and chat-influenced pipeline/revenue.
Exit criteria: ≥2 high-intent chat plays live, <60s average response to qualified chat, closed-loop attribution in Marketo.
Months 2–4: Change Management for “Beyond the Inbox” (AJO Prep)
- Operating model shift: from single sends to event-driven journeys; sprint cadence, intake, “definition of done.”
- Enablement: playbooks for journey authoring, audience hygiene, and experiment design.
- Content ops: atomic content model (snippets/offers), approvals, and reuse rules.
- Risk & compliance: consent flags, geo rules, suppression policies ready for omnichannel.
Exit criteria: teams can brief, build, and QA an event-driven journey without heroics.
Months 3–6: AJO Select – First Value, Fast
- Implement AJO Select as the engagement layer.
- Ship 3 priority journeys: e.g., abandon, browse-no-buy/hand-raiser nurture, back-in-stock (or B2B: demo no-show, trial activation, PQL nurture).
- Minimal XDM + event payloads live; revenue and journey performance dashboards.
Exit criteria: 3 AJO journeys in prod; measurable lift in recovery/activation; stable dev/QA/prod workflow.
Months 5–8: Data Collection & Identity Foundations
- Adobe Data Collection (Tags/SDK): standardized client-side capture mapped to XDM.
- Identity Service: begin stitching known/unknown; consent and preferences as first-class profile attributes.
- Data quality scorecard: coverage, correctness, timeliness SLAs.
Exit criteria: consistent events/ids across web, Marketo, and AJO; privacy posture validated.
Months 6–9: Real-Time CDP (Streaming Segments & Destinations)
- Unified profiles: identity graph design (primary keys, dedupe, priority sources).
- Streaming audiences: “high-intent in last 30 min,” “recent purchasers” suppressions, churn-risk triggers.
- Destinations: feed AJO, paid media, and on-site channels with near-real-time updates.
Exit criteria: real-time suppressions active; CPA and wasted-impressions reduction visible.
Months 8–12: Analytics + CJA (Decide What to Scale)
- Adobe Analytics (or uplift) + Customer Journey Analytics: connect web, orders/CRM, and messaging data sets.
- Decision dashboards: fallout, assisted revenue, incrementally views aligned to exec KPIs.
- Experimentation cadence: prioritized tests with clear evaluation windows.
Exit criteria: budgeting decisions guided by CJA; weekly experiment velocity established.
Months 9–12: Target (Personalization Pilots)
- Pilot experiences: homepage hero, PDP promos, or B2B resource hub modules.
- Audience source: activate RT-CDP segments into Target; enforce frequency caps and eligibility logic.
- Measure & iterate: tie Target experiences back to CJA for lift and overlap analysis.
Exit criteria: 2–3 scalable personalization patterns with proven lift and guardrails.
Months 12–15: Offer Decisioning (Scale What Works)
- Offer catalog + policies: eligibility, priority/ranking, margin rules, inventory safeguards.
- Activation surfaces: email tiles (via AJO), web placements (via Target), and SMS.
- Optimization: A/B/n and bandit strategies; content decay and fatigue controls.
Exit criteria: multi-surface decisioning live; improved margin-aware revenue per visit/send.
Months 12–18: GenStudio + Content Supply Chain
- GenStudio rollout: on-brand generation for copy/variations, image assist, and quick localization.
- Workflow integration: connect GenStudio to content ops and AJO/Target placements; approvals and reuse tagging.
- Scale & govern: brand guardrails, legal/compliance prompts, and performance feedback loop into CJA.
Exit criteria: reduced time-to-creative, higher test velocity, and measurable lift from creative variety—without brand drift.
THE ADD-ON PATH AT A GLANCE (CRAWL → WALK → RUN)
This is a pragmatic, value-first sequence for teams that already run Marketo and want to evolve into an AEP-powered, real-time marketing engine—without a risky “big bang.” We start by capturing more conversations in Marketo with Dynamic Chat (Advanced), build the change-management muscle for event-driven work with AJO, and then layer in Adobe capabilities (Data Collection/Identity, Real-Time CDP, Analytics + CJA, Target, Offer Decisioning, and GenStudio). Each step has clear exit criteria, measurable KPIs, and governance baked in so progress compounds instead of creating sprawl.
- Marketo + Dynamic Chat (Advanced)
- Capture high-intent conversations; integrate to Marketo programs and consent
- Close the loop on attribution and routing
- Start with AJO
- Triggered journeys for high-impact use cases
- Minimal XDM + event standardization
- Revenue attribution from day one
- Harden Data + Identity
- Tags/SDK, consent, Identity Service
- Data quality scorecards and governance
- Enable RT-CDP
- Unified profiles, streaming segments
- Real-time suppressions and cross-channel activation
- Measure with Analytics + CJA
- Cross-channel journey stitching
- Experimentation & budget optimization
- Personalize with Target
- On-site/in-app experiences driven by RT-CDP audiences
- Frequency caps, eligibility rules, and lift measurement
- Scale with Offer Decisioning
- Catalog, rules, decisioning policies
- Multi-surface personalization that learns
- Accelerate Content with GenStudio
- On-brand generation, faster test velocity
- Guardrails and performance feedback into CJA
ENGAGEMENT MODEL: HOW LEADOUS MAKES THIS WORK (Without Boiling the Ocean)
Our engagement model is built to ship value early, teach while we build, and keep your team in control. Each phase has clear KPIs and exit criteria, a documented operating model, and governance from day one, so progress compounds without creating tech debt or process sprawl. Leadous pairs your marketers with our AEP architects in a hybrid delivery approach: you own day‑to‑day content and operations; we handle the heavy lifts in data, identity, orchestration patterns, and enablement. Along the way, we install naming conventions, data contracts, consent and privacy guardrails, and a repeatable dev/QA/prod pipeline. Enablement isn’t an afterthought; we run office hours, playbook your best practices, and coach teams to think in experiments, not one‑off sends.
- Value-First Roadmap: We anchor each phase to a measurable KPI (recovered revenue, CAC reduction, LTV lift). If it doesn’t ladder to a KPI, it waits.
- Hybrid Delivery: Your team owns what matters in the long term (content, day-to-day operations). Leadous owns the heavy lifts (data design, identity, orchestration patterns) and upskills your team along the way.
- Governance Baked In: Naming conventions, data contracts, and dev/QA/prod pipelines from Phase 1—so speed never turns into sprawl.
- Change Management: We train marketers on journey thinking, not just “how to click the UI.” Documentation and office hours help maintain momentum.
READY TO START (WITHOUT BUYING EVERYTHING)?
You don’t need every AEP logo lit up to deliver real personalization. You need one meaningful use case, clean events, and an operating model that scales. Leadous gets you there, then helps you add the right AEP products, in the right order, with proof at every step.
Let’s pick your first journey and go. Start by reaching out and having a conversation with a consultant today.
Let us lead you.
