Optimizely in the spotlight

Before working with IMRG, a lot of what we were doing was fairly broad. We were speaking to retailers, but not always to the people actually making the decisions.  That’s been the biggest difference. 

Through things like the Black Friday Leaders’ Lunch and the Directors’ Lunch earlier in 2025, we were in the room with senior retailers. Heads of, Directors, people who actually own the strategy and budgets. 

Alongside that, Fashion & Beauty Connect in 2026 and their webinar have been valuable in a different way. They open up a wider audience, with manager level and above retailers, so you’re building visibility across their whole retail community. 

The format of IMRG activities work well. It’s not overly formal and it’s not a pitch. It just makes it easier to have a proper conversation with potential clients. 

We’ve seen that lead to stronger relationships, and opportunities that have progressed commercially. 

Approach 

Through IMRG, Optimizely became part of a structured programme of events, webinars and other touchpoints. 

This included participation in senior-level sessions such as the Black Friday Leaders’ Lunch and Directors’ Lunch, where they were able to engage directly with Heads of and Directors responsible for strategy and investment. 

Alongside this, broader formats such as Fashion & Beauty Connect and webinars opened up access to a wider audience of manager-level and above retailers, helping to build visibility across different levels of the organisation. 

The roundtable format allowed for more open, informed discussions, supported by pre-event insight into retailer priorities. IMRG’s market data and benchmarking also helped ensure conversations were grounded in what was actually happening across the UK retail market. 

Outcome 

Over time, Optimizely were able to engage a broader range of stakeholders across retail organisations, including key decision-makers. 

The combination of senior events and wider audience formats created a more consistent presence in the market, making follow-up conversations more natural and better informed. 

This has led to: 

• More relevant, higher quality conversations  

• Improved access to decision-makers  

• Stronger progression from initial discussion to commercial opportunity  

• A more consistent and qualified pipeline  

While enterprise sales cycles remain long, the engagement through IMRG has helped Optimizely build relationships that continue to develop over time.