Countdown to Optimize Their Website and App Experiences through Experimentation with Optimizely

Sydney, NSW – 3 March 2022 – Optimizely, the leading Digital Experience Platform (DXP) provider, announced that New Zealand Supermarket Chain Countdown, has chosen Optimizely’s Full Stack solution to power and scale their experimentation program.

Countdown has 180 stores spread across the island nation which collectively sees 3 million customers every week. As part of the Woolworths group, Countdown employs more than 21,000 New Zealanders, making it one of the country’s largest private employers.

As the pandemic pushes more people towards online grocery shopping, Countdown aims to meet this rising demand with continuous improvements to their website and app platforms through rapid experimentation.

Optimizely Full Stack is well suited for the task as it offers omnichannel experimentation with real-time results that enable quick and confident deployment of new products and features. Easy to use feature management also allows for quick component swaps, traffic splitting and feature flags. The ability to integrate with other services also make it a flexible and scalable platform to build upon.

“We needed greater velocity and complexity when it came to our tests, with the ability to run multiple experiments simultaneously without polluting the results. We are also looking to ramp up server-side testing with new product and feature releases across our full website and app.” said Veronica Cowing, Digital Analytics and Optimisation Manager at Countdown. “After completing a vendor assessment, we ultimately chose Optimizely Web and Full Stack for experimentation as it met the criteria that were put forth and then some.”

Previously, Countdown was using a tool that presented several roadblocks for them on their experimentation journey. Veronica commented, “It had many limitations including the ability to run concurrent experiments that are mutually exclusive and the ability to run robust server-side tests.”

“Consideration was also given to new & existing integrations, specifically Optimizely was highlighted as a preferred partner for Tealium and integrates with the likes of Google Analytics and works on angular websites. Then there’s the fact that Optimizely is the leader in enterprise experimentation worldwide with over 9,000 customers, including the likes of Kathmandu in New Zealand,” said Veronica.

With the comprehensive set of solutions from Optimizely that they have invested in, Countdown’s customers will no doubt be presented with an online grocery shopping experience that is progressively easy-to-use, focused on product discovery and secure.

“Customers are increasingly voting convenience above all else, preferring to do most, if not all their shopping online. Businesses are clearly heeding their call with investments in digital transformation and building up a culture of experimentation.” said Paul North, Senior Vice President APJ at Optimizely. “We are more than excited to have Countdown aboard. As with our other partners in the region, there is no doubt Optimizely can help them improve upon and expand their digital platforms and push the bar higher when it comes to the online grocery shopping experience.”

About Countdown

Countdown is New Zealand’s leading supermarket brand, serving more than 3 million customers every week. We’re committed to providing our customers with choice, value and convenience, so they’ll enjoy the best overall shopping experience. With 180 supermarkets across New Zealand supported by 21,000+ team members and a choice of more than 25,000 different products in each of our stores.

About Woolworths Group

Woolworths Group is a food and everyday needs retailer united by the shared purpose of creating better experiences together for a better tomorrow. With more than 1,400 stores across its Woolworths Supermarkets, Countdown Supermarkets (New Zealand) and BIG W brands, B2B business serving wholesale and export markets, and a range of fast-growing eCommerce businesses, Woolworths Group is Australia and New Zealand’s largest retailer. A top 20 company on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), Woolworths Group employs more than 180,000 team members and serves more than 20 million customers a week.