From product launches to brand strategies built for scale, here’s what you need to know from this year’s conference.
The Bold Orange team was on the ground at Braze Forge 2025 in Las Vegas last week, and one thing was clear: the future of customer engagement is faster, smarter, and deeply personal. Across keynotes, demos, and brand stories, it became very clear that marketers now have more capabilities than ever to elevate their strategies, personalization, and creativity.
Here are 10 things enterprise brands need to know, and should start acting on:
1) Braze AI Decisioning is Raising the Bar for Personalization
Braze unveiled BrazeAI Decisioning Studio™, a new AI-powered decision engine that delivers true 1:1 personalization at scale. This new solution is the result of Braze’s OfferFit acquisition, and it uses reinforcement learning to continuously test and adapt messaging based on customer behavior, optimizing every interaction (channel, content, offer, timing, frequency) for maximum impact.
With this solution marketers can now train AI to autonomously decide the best outreach for each customer, turning their data into deeper customer loyalty. The platform is in GA, and early adopters, such as Yum! Brands, are seeing huge lifts in conversions and customer lifetime value through ongoing, AI-driven experimentation.
2) Marketers Get AI Co-Pilots for Speed and Scale
Beyond decisioning, Braze announced that it is equipping marketers with BrazeAI™ Agents to supercharge productivity. The new BrazeAI Agent Console™ (currently in beta) lets teams build and deploy custom AI agents to automate complex workflows across Braze—from lead scoring and localization to auto-generating content variants.
Meanwhile, the upcoming BrazeAI Operator™ will offer a conversational interface (think chat with an AI assistant) to build campaigns, analyze data, and handle repetitive tasks via simple prompts. In practice, this means marketing teams can offload tedious tasks such as segment building, QA, even writing personalization syntax to AI and focus on strategy and creativity.
Enterprise marketers should start exploring these AI tools to gain an edge in efficiency and scalability.
3) Real-Time Data Activation Without the Headaches
Another big theme was using data faster. And the product announcements kept coming with the launch of Zero-Copy Canvas Triggers, which let you trigger campaigns directly off events in your cloud data warehouse in real time, with no data replication needed.
For example, you can automatically send a welcome series the instant a first purchase occurs or a loyalty offer the moment a customer hits VIP status.
In parallel, new eCommerce attributes will allow Braze to auto-calculate key metrics like average order value, purchase frequency, or churn risk on the fly.
The takeaway: enterprise brands can finally break free from waiting on data engineering or SQL queries. Your first-party data can be activated instantly for personalization and segmentation, enabling you to respond to customer behavior in the moment. Now is the time to connect those data pipelines and update your campaigns to take advantage of real-time triggers.
4) Interactive Messaging Channels Are a Must
It’s no secret that today’s customers expect real-time conversations, and with that rich, interactive messaging is becoming the standard. Braze’s platform now supports new WhatsApp and RCS messaging features that let users do things right within a message.
For instance, WhatsApp Flows (currently in early access) enable interactive signup forms inside a WhatsApp chat, and RCS Rich Cards provide tappable, carousel-like product showcases in Android messages.
Coming soon are WhatsApp Carousels for swipeable, multi-item offers in a single message.
Enterprise marketers should integrate these emerging channels to meet customers where they are. By letting customers explore, reply, and even purchase within a messaging conversation, you create seamless experiences that drive engagement and conversion. The era of interactive, conversational outreach is here.
5) No-Code Tools Unlock Creative Agility
New no-code content tools introduced at Forge make it easier to move fast without relying on developers. Braze introduced:
- Drag-and-Drop Survey Blocks (now available) to easily embed feedback forms or preference polls in your app or website.
- Drag-and-Drop Product Blocks for email allow you to insert dynamic product recommendations from your catalog in seconds.
- Email also got an upgrade with Gmail “Deal Cards” that surface promo offers at the top of Gmail messages to boost visibility.
These enhancements mean enterprise teams can iterate and personalize campaigns quickly, without developer effort.
Want to gather zero-party data on customer preferences? Spin up an in-app survey tomorrow. Need to feature personalized product picks in an email? Just drag them in.
By removing technical bottlenecks, Braze is freeing marketers to experiment and execute ideas faster than ever before. Brands that embrace these no-code tools will be able to deliver more relevant customer experiences at the speed of marketing imagination.
6) Scaling Email Is Finally Less Risky
For large enterprises, scaling up email programs (newsletters, product announcements, etc.) often comes with a fear of deliverability issues. Braze tackled this head-on with Automated IP Warming, a forthcoming feature that gradually ramps up your email send volumes in a safe, controlled way.
Instead of manually fiddling with segment sizes or riskily “blasting and praying,” marketers can let Braze automatically manage sending speed and audience rollout to build up a strong sender reputation.
The result is high inbox placement and engagement, even as you increase send volumes. Especially for enterprise brands with massive customer lists, this tool is a game-changer for launching new email streams or migrating to new IPs without losing sleep over spam folders.
7) Emotional Value is Driving Performance
A recurring theme from brand speakers was the importance of building relationships over one-off transactions. In fact, one Forge session with McDonald’s was titled “From Transactions to Connections,” underscoring how even global brands are reimagining engagement to be more customer-centric.
Throughout the conference, case studies from large brands such as Blizzard and FOX drove this point home.
- Blizzard Entertainment created personalized highlight videos for over 100 million Overwatch players, turning a marketing campaign into a viral, shareable moment that drove real revenue uplift.
- FOX used first-party data to craft onboarding journeys that guide new users to content that keeps them hooked, improving long-term retention.
Enterprise brands should take note: the more you can make your marketing feel like a service or meaningful experience, the more loyalty and lifetime value you’ll earn. Ask yourself how you can turn your campaigns into true customer connections at every touchpoint.
8) First-Party Data and Team Integration Are Critical
In the age of AI and privacy shifts, first-party data is gold. At Forge, Braze’s product leaders and panelists repeatedly stressed that AI’s effectiveness depends on having the right data foundation. If your customer data is siloed or incomplete, even the fanciest AI will deliver “garbage in, garbage out” results.
Enterprise brands should continue investing in robust first-party data collection and unification (CRMs, CDPs, etc.). Equally important is integrating your teams and technology.
One leadership-focused panel argued that marketing, product, analytics, and IT teams must work in unison to unlock the full potential of these tools. Breaking down org silos and aligning on shared customer goals is now a prerequisite for success. When your data is connected and your teams are collaborating, you can move at the speed of the customer.
Forge’s clear message: double down on data quality and cross-functional integration, because those who do will reap outsized benefits from Braze’s new capabilities.
9) Experimenting Is Easier Than Ever. But Measuring It Well Still Matters Most.
Another big takeaway for enterprises was the call to embrace experimentation—especially with AI. Marketers were reminded that in a fast-changing landscape, testing new ideas is an investment in growth.
Whether it’s trying an AI-driven campaign, a new channel like RCS, or a fresh journey strategy, Forge speakers urged brands to fail fast, learn fast.
- For example, Braze’s AI features open many possibilities (dynamic content, send-time optimization, multivariate testing at scale) that can dramatically improve results, but only if teams are willing to iterate and learn.
Also, keep your eyes on ROI. In one session about the ROI of AI, experts emphasized tying very specific experiments to clear business metrics (conversions, retention, LTV) so you can identify what actually moves the needle. The new tools make it easier to get insights quickly. Use that power to inform your next test.
The takeaway: market like a scientist. Form a hypothesis, test it, measure outcomes, then double down on the winners. Brands that foster this data-driven experimentation culture will leap ahead of those that play it safe.
10) Marketing’s Role Is Evolving into Orchestration
With great power (like AI and real-time data) comes a new mandate for marketing leaders. Forge 2025 made it clear that the CMO and marketing team’s role is expanding. Marketers are becoming “conductors” of the customer experience.
Braze’s Chief Business & Marketing Officer, Astha Malik, alongside other experts, spoke about the CMO acting as the “CEO of Marketing,” meaning they orchestrate across creativity, analytics, product, and even PR to drive growth. The idea is that marketing is now about leading a holistic, tech-enabled customer journey strategy. AI will handle more of the tactical execution, freeing marketers to focus on vision, brand storytelling, and alignment across departments.
Enterprise brands should empower their marketing teams to take on this strategic leadership role. That means investing in upskilling (e.g. AI fluency, data literacy), encouraging cross-team leadership, and measuring marketing on business impact, not just campaign metrics. The future of marketing is here, and it’s demanding a bigger, bolder vision from all of us in the field.
Ready for What’s Next? Let’s Build Together.
Braze Forge 2025 showcased a marketing landscape transformed by AI, richer data, and a renewed emphasis on creativity. For enterprise brands, the path forward is clear:
- Activate your data in real time
- Engage customers with interactive experiences
- Leverage AI to work smarter
- Keep the focus on human-centric strategy
The brands that act on these 10 takeaways will shape what’s next in customer experience—and we’re excited to be part of that momentum.
If your tech stack is underleveraged—or if you just want to think bigger about what’s possible—we’re ready when you are. Let’s Talk.
