What’s New from Braze at Forge 2025 Day 3: AI, Data, and the Future of Engagement
At this year’s Forge, the Morning Keynotes set the stage for how the future of AI customer engagement will be shaped by intelligent data and automation.
Leaders from McDonald’s, Publicis Groupe, Snowflake, and Braze shared strategies and unveiled powerful new product updates.
McDonald’s: Collaboration Over Silos
Kate Seguin, Head of Lifecycle at McDonald’s, explained how breaking down silos was key to scaling lifecycle marketing.
By combining first-party data with demographic signals and cross-channel behavior, McDonald’s can now prioritize campaigns that deliver measurable impact—an essential part of modern AI-driven customer engagement.
Braze: Unlocking AI for Marketers
Braze CTO Jon Hyman emphasized that AI is no longer optional—it’s a core skill marketers must master. To support that vision, Braze introduced a new generation of tools designed to simplify personalization and decision-making for AI customer engagement:
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AI Operator & AI Agent Console: bring AI assistance into marketers’ daily workflows.
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Braze Data Platform: a new foundation unifying data from Shopify and Data Lakes to fuel AI insights.
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Commerce Outputs (Q4): lifecycle metrics like sales, LTV, and order value automatically available—no manual setup.
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Drag & Drop Forms & Product Blocks: collect first-party data and build product catalogs without coding.
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AI Decision Studio: suggests the right offer for the right customer at the right time.
Each tool contributes to smarter, faster, and more scalable AI customer engagement.
WhatsApp Commerce: The Next Frontier
One of the most exciting announcements was Braze’s investment in WhatsApp Commerce, which turns the platform into both a messaging and conversion channel. Coming later this year:
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In-app product catalogs
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Automated follow-ups and flows
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First-party data collection through surveys
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Commerce experiences fully embedded in WhatsApp
For global brands, this represents a major evolution in AI customer engagement, merging convenience, personalization, and conversion into one experience.
Smarter Data, Smarter Campaigns
Braze unveiled new updates that redefine what it means to work smarter with data, giving marketers the autonomy to launch, personalize, and optimize campaigns in real time. These innovations expand the Braze Data Platform (BDP)—the foundation that powers intelligent AI customer engagement. Together, these updates transform customer data into a real-time engine for engagement, helping brands move at the speed of their users.
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Zero Copy Canvas Triggers: Access and act on warehouse data instantly, eliminating latency between insight and action.
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Message Prioritization: Rank campaigns (promotions, newsletters, feature launches) and let Braze automatically manage message delivery—ensuring customers aren’t bombarded with overlapping communications.
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Automated IP Warming (Early Access Q4): Build deliverability confidence from the start, with built-in controls that establish a strong sender reputation as email volume scales.
These advancements reduce friction across workflows, turning what used to be manual, engineering-heavy processes into seamless, marketer-led operations.
The result? Smarter, faster, more scalable AI-powered customer engagement that lets teams focus on creativity and impact—not maintenance. -
Key Takeaway
From McDonald’s lifecycle strategy to Braze’s product roadmap, one message stood out: AI and data are redefining customer engagement.
With innovations like Zero-Copy Canvas Triggers, eCommerce attributes, and Automated IP Warming, marketers now have the speed, agility, and confidence to act in real time—without technical roadblocks.
Together with tools like AI Decision Studio and WhatsApp Commerce, these updates empower teams to deliver smarter, more human experiences at scale.
That’s the future of AI customer engagement: faster, simpler, and more creative.
