CONVERSATION 2026: Exploring the Future of CRO Through AI, Experimentation and Personalization

How are digital experiences evolving in the age of Artificial Intelligence?

What role will experimentation, personalization and behavioral insights play in the growth of e-commerce and digital platforms?

These were among the key topics explored during the fourth edition of CONVERSATION, the international event dedicated to Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), conceived and organized by JAKALA and sponsored by AB Tasty and Contentsquare. Held yesterday at Assolombarda's headquarters in Milan, the event brought together more than 200 professionals from the fields of digital marketing, UX, e-commerce, product management and experimentation.

Over the years, CONVERSATION has established itself as one of Europe's leading events dedicated to CRO, providing a forum for companies, practitioners and specialists to discuss how the relationship between users, technology and digital performance is evolving.

This year's edition highlighted a key shift in the role of CRO: from a discipline primarily focused on improving conversion rates to a strategic capability for designing adaptive digital experiences powered by data, experimentation and AI.

Today, CRO goes beyond conversion optimization. It focuses on understanding user behavior and reducing friction across digital journeys through the integration of data, experimentation and artificial intelligence. As the discipline evolves, it is playing an increasingly important role in organizational decision-making, helping companies adopt more structured and informed approaches to designing and improving digital experiences.

- Amedeo Guffanti, Digital Activation Global Director at JAKALA

An international perspective on UX, behavioral science and experimentations

Moderated by Bjarn Brunenberg, one of the leading international voices in experimentation and product growth, the event featured prominent experts from across the CRO, user experience, behavioral science and digital optimization communities.

Katie Dove, Managing Director at Irrational Labs, explored the role of behavioral science in designing effective digital experiences, highlighting how understanding human decision-making has become a critical factor in driving user engagement.

Rinaldo Ugrina, UX Expert at Baymard Institute, shared insights and best practices derived from the analysis of thousands of e-commerce experiences, demonstrating how thoughtful user experience design can directly influence purchasing behavior.

Ilie Avram, Head of Sales Italy & Spain at AB Tasty, discussed how artificial intelligence is reshaping digital optimization and consumer behavior, emphasizing that increasingly personalized experiences and tailored customer journeys have become essential drivers of conversion.

Nils Stotz, Head of Product Experimentation at Zalando, provided insights into how one of Europe's leading e-commerce platforms has embedded experimentation into its decision-making processes and organizational culture.

The speaker lineup also included Melina Hess, CRO Manager at DRIP Agency, who shared approaches and methodologies for building scalable experimentation programs, and Karl Gilis, Co-Founder of AGConsult and one of Europe's CRO pioneers, who offered his perspective on the evolution of the discipline and the challenges organizations will face in the years ahead.

Experimentation as a driver of digital growth

CONVERSATION 2026 reinforced a clear message: digital growth increasingly depends on an organization's ability to combine data, experimentation and artificial intelligence to create relevant, adaptive and effective digital experiences.

The event continues to serve as a platform for discussing the trends and methodologies that are reshaping how digital products and services are designed, measured and continuously improved.