Prepr in 2023 - Year Review

The year 2023 was an important time for us. It was marked by great focus on building and development. It felt as if we were laying a strong foundation for something truly remarkable and great, this groundwork was necessary to support the massive growth and advancements we envision for our future.

We begin our reflection on 2023 by speaking with our CXO, Bernard Jan Boekholt as he reflects on a year of substantial growth for Prepr both as a product and a team. With pride, he emphasizes the revolution brought to the CMS market by merging content management and optimization with A/B testing and personalization, empowering digital teams to create high-converting websites. These are features within Prepr that we're most proud of and set us apart in a crowded industry. They allow us to offer something truly unique.

Bernard Jan notes that one of the significant accomplishments in 2023 was the introduction of the Stack field, a new smart field type that allows teams to incorporate A/B testing and personalization into their websites, putting capabilities once reserved for Fortune 500 companies in the hands of medium to large businesses.

It was also the year marked by AI integrations. We launched several innovative AI applications, with AI Translations making the most significant impact. For 2024, we're planning to roll out more AI features, such as automatic content generation based on existing content.

Moreover, Prepr was recognized by the industry leader in B2B SaaS software evaluation, G2, which awarded a High Performer badge to Prepr, affirming our significant progress.

In 2023, our strategy evolved based on our interactions with our most dedicated users. We discovered that Prepr was particularly appealing to full-service web agencies, inspiring us to make Prepr the top CMS for such agencies. The Stack field, with A/B testing and personalization, had a profound impact.

However, the journey was not without challenges. Amidst the multitude of content management solutions available, creating awareness for Prepr stood as a significant task. The solution? High-value, practical, and educational content to show how Prepr, a headless CMS with optimization capabilities can benefit digital teams.

Our company culture also evolved in 2023. Prepr experienced significant growth, not only in size but also in diversity. With employees from various countries and cultures, Prepr has become a hybrid company. This diversity fuels engaging conversations during lunch and meetings, constantly reminding us of our similarities and differences. It underscores the necessity of listening and dialoguing with each other, a practice that seems to be fading in today's news. Reflecting on a memorable event from 2023, Bernard Jan fondly recalls the company padel tournament held in the summer, which was a perfect opportunity for the team to bond and celebrate our progress.

After a full year's worth of experiences, it's time to look at some numbers, updates, and interesting facts!

9K monthly active users

20M+ content items created

2M+ assets uploaded

400K uploaded minutes of video

5M uploaded minutes of audio

5.3B API requests

2.1B requests per month on asset delivery (avg. 125 TB of data per month (without video)

In early 2023, we introduced a revolutionary feature: The Stack field with Personalization. This field enhances customer experience by enabling the creation and personalization of composable web pages. It functions like a dynamic page composer, fitting pieces of content into pages to create attractive layouts for various uses, such as landing pages, product overviews, or article collections.

Another significant update: Drafts for published Items. Before this update, changes made to a published content item became immediately visible after saving. This didn't allow editors to review the item before it went live. Now, that's no longer an issue. Editors can create a new draft version of a content item and decide when the changes should go live.

Another exciting feature that we added to lighten the workload for content editors: the option to auto-translate content items using AI. This feature allows you to translate a content item simply by choosing a language from the drop-down menu and clicking 'Translate automatically using AI'.

Additionally, we expanded this feature by adding the option to select your tone of voice, whether casual, confident, or professional. This enhancement ensures that our AI translation tool is not just about translating content into different languages, but also about tailoring the tone of voice to best suit your message.

We recently updated to a new version of Neo4j, the graph database we use. The use of the Neo4j Graph Database is a unique feature of our headless CMS. This allows us to be extremely flexible, scalable, and process data efficiently. It's a comprehensive solution. This is what enables our key feature - built-in Personalization. Hence, it's essential for Prepr. We initiated this update mainly due to Neo4j's innovative indexing method and subquery support, which allow us to write faster queries. The previous version we used was two years old, and the upgrade process presented numerous technical challenges due to protocol changes. After about two years of work, we have successfully transitioned to a newer version. We haven't reached the latest version yet, but our goal for the upcoming year is to upgrade to Neo4j 5!

This year, we devoted time to simplify our documentation. Our preference for simplicity over complexity prompted a redesign. Now, it's easier for various user groups, such as developers, editors, and marketers, to find what they need. The menu may be longer, but remember, shorter doesn't always equate to simpler.

We've developed a step-by-step guide on how to get started with personalization. Did you know that personalization can boost conversions by 30% or more? The guide we created will teach you how to create a personalized website with adaptive content. It emphasizes a user-friendly approach that yields substantial results. The primary aim is to enable your team to improve website experiences, thereby increasing engagement and conversions.

In 2023, we began organizing webinars on "Getting Started with Personalization". These were highly successful, leading to interesting connections, conversations and partnerships. Stay tuned as we plan to host more throughout the next year!

We also wanted to mention our Stop baking 25 cakes metaphor. It's our attempt to simplify the concept of website personalization. Many businesses avoid it, thinking it's too complex or expensive. However, implementing website personalization is not as daunting as it appears. With the right strategy, it can be straightforward and effective. "Stop baking 25 cakes" is our way of explaining this simplicity in layman's terms.

We had another year filled with outstanding partnerships. We're celebrating our ongoing collaborations with The Factor E, Greenberry, Social Brothers, Bikkelhart, and INFI. We're extremely grateful for these partners and the great projects we've developed together throughout the year.

In addition to these partnerships, we've expanded our network across the globe. From Canada, USA, India, Germany, Poland, UK, Czech Republic to more partners in The Netherlands, we warmly welcome these partners into our Prepr Partner program!

Our new partners include 9thCO, Gooder Marketing, Marotino, TsWorks, Accelerate BS, Coeus Solutions, Get Interactive, Digitpaint, Good News, Unlocked, Blazity, Diva Agency, and STEEZY.STUDIO.

Without the contributions of these partners, not all our accomplishments would have been possible. We strengthen each other and collaboratively create amazing things.

We're excited to see the amazing projects we can create together in 2024!

As we look ahead to 2024, we are filled with a sense of optimism and excitement. We are committed to continuing our growth, improving our product, and expanding our reach. We truly believe in the potential of Prepr to revolutionize how businesses approach content management and optimization. We envision a world that recognizes the benefits of pairing a Content Management System (CMS) with optimization capabilities like A/B testing and personalization. We believe that working closely with full-service web agencies will lead to the launch of many attractive websites with personalization features, inspiring digital teams to create more relevant experiences, increasing engagement, and improving conversions.

Our vision for the upcoming year is to continue to enhance our product features, ensuring we stay at the forefront of industry innovation. We will keep listening to and learning from our users, as their feedback is invaluable in shaping our services and driving our growth.

We are dedicated to fostering a collaborative and inclusive company culture, and we will continue to invest in the growth and development of our team. We know that our success is a direct result of their hard work and commitment. We are very grateful for everyone who is a part of it.

In 2024, we will strive to build on the accomplishments of the past year, facing any challenges with determination and a commitment to excellence. We are excited for what the future holds and look forward to sharing our journey with you.