The power of personal banking: A Q&A with personalization pros for financial services companies

At this year’s Sitecore Symposium, Horizontal Digital experts and our client Cadence Bank will take the stage to share how we are driving measurable impact with personalization strategies. The session goes beyond theory, offering a real-world look at how to launch, optimize, and scale personalization efforts across channels. 

To give you a sneak preview, session speakers Erica Skelly, Omnichannel Personalization Manager, and Becca Schwitzer, Executive Client Partner, give you a first look at the strategies, hurdles, and wins they’ll be unpacking live at Symposium. 

Meet the experts:

Why is personalization important for financial services companies' digital experiences? 

Erica Skelly: With personalization, financial services is better positioned to optimize their customer’s omnichannel experience. When banks use data to understand customer financial journey and life stages, they can guide, educate, and convert faster across channels. It's all about operationalizing that intelligence to drive impact for both the customer and the institution. 

Becca Schwitzer: Every financial institution is trying to grow deposits and deepen customer relationships for long-term banking loyalty. Personalized experiences and offers help to build this trust, as customers expect their bank to understand them and anticipate their product needs across life stages. 

What takeaways will attendees get from your Symposium session? 

Erica Skelly: By walking through Cadence’s personalization journey—their constraints, wins, and lessons—attendees will see what’s realistically possible, even without an advanced tech stack. Their story is an inspiring one as they are using a platform with limited personalization capabilities, but they are still able to deliver impactful results. I’m hoping attendees will see that it's possible to begin or continue their personalization efforts in pursuit of similar results and better support of their customers. 

Becca Schwitzer: We will show how personalization became part of an iterative optimization cycle (and not just a single, one-time launch.) After all, personalization isn’t something you can just launch and expect to run itself. Attendees will hear the truth about the ebbs and flows of momentum, and why success depends as much on people and processes as it does on technology.  

In what ways does this session reflect the impact you strive to make in your role here at Horizontal?  

Erica Skelly: When personalization is rooted in data, continual optimization, and real performance insights, it fuels growth in financial services. Seeing a full lifecycle in action is incredibly rewarding in my role. 

Becca Schwitzer: I work with clients who are at every stage of readiness. This session proves that regardless of your maturity, tech stack, or resources, there’s a way to start and generate real value. That’s the message I’m excited to champion. 

How is Sitecore technology enabling your work? 

Erica Skelly: Cadence Bank has used Sitecore XP’s native personalization capabilities as its foundation thus far. The key has been knowing how to work within the platform to extract value and align it with business outcomes. 

Becca Schwitzer: Sitecore has been at the core of our efforts, and we’ve balanced optimizing today with planning for tomorrow—whether that’s moving toward composable or scaling into omnichannel personalization. 

Don’t miss this year’s Sitecore Symposium 

From November 3–5, composable meets the magic of Disney. We invite you to join us virtually or in person at Sitecore Symposium at Disney’s Dolphin Resort in Orlando, where innovation and imagination collide. See our full lineup of industry-leading experts on how to unlock the full possibilities of your Sitecore solutions.  (Opens in a new tab)