Building a technology stack that allows you to manage content in one place and deliver it to several channels throughout the customer journey can sometimes be challenging. However, the process becomes much easier with the help of a digital experience platform (DXP).
The DXP market is forecasted to reach $26.9 billion by 2028, almost doubling from $10.8 billion in 2021, showing how many modern companies are looking into these capabilities. In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about DXPs and how a headless CMS like Storyblok can be used to create the best omnichannel experiences.
What Is a Digital Experience Platform (DXP)?
A DXP is a software platform that integrates numerous technologies to help manage the digital experience. To fully understand what a DXP is, we need to consider the origins of the term.
Analyst firm Gartner was among the first to introduce the concept of a DXP as the next stage of content management. Their definition:
“A digital experience platform (DXP) is an integrated set of core technologies that support the composition, management, delivery and optimization of contextualized digital experiences.”
Breaking that down, one thing that’s clear about a DXP is that it’s not just one piece of software. Instead, it’s the combination of different technologies that helps organizations to create, manage, deliver and optimize the customer experience on digital channels.
Headless CMS vs. DXP
As the content management space has evolved, you may have seen the terms headless CMS and DXP used interchangeably. However, there are some notable differences.
A headless CMS is a content management system where the backend content storage layer (body) is separated from the frontend presentation layer (head). Since there is no “head”, it allows content to be delivered anywhere using APIs, whether a website accessed via a desktop, a mobile application, a digital kiosk in an airport, etc.
A DXP, on the other hand, comprises numerous technologies that help orchestrate the digital experience. This, of course, includes a CMS but could also have an eCommerce platform, CRM, analytics tool, and several others that make up the martech stack.
Essentially, the role of a headless CMS is to deliver content to different channels. However, the components of a DXP are meant to help businesses with the entire customer journey.
How Does a CMS Fit Into a DXP?
A headless CMS sits at the center of a DXP and allows you to integrate other tools to help you create and manage the entire digital experience. The concept of a DXP evolved from the original CMS.
The CMS was originally created to manage content for a website. Many traditional CMSs still perform this primary function; however, it eventually became clear that a website wasn’t the only channel businesses had to worry about.
After the CMS came web experience management (WEM). Since content needed to be delivered to various channels, the concept of a content management system wasn’t enough. Brands now focused on managing the entire customer experience, which led to the emergence of headless CMSs.
While headless CMSs delivered content, it was also clearer that content wasn’t the only thing that made up the digital experience. In order to deliver content, gather insights, and then leverage them to create personalized experiences that delighted customers, businesses needed all of the tools in their tech stack to communicate with each other. A DXP handles this complexity by integrating various tools and focusing them on improving the customer experience.
The Different Types of DXPs
While every DXP offers headless functionality to deliver content to multiple channels and integrate the other tools within the DXP, not every DXP is created equal. There are two types: monolithic or suite DXP and composable DXP.
A monolithic or suite DXP is a bulky solution made up of various tools, often including a CMS, analytics tools, personalization engines, and eCommerce solutions. The tools in the suite aren’t usually sold independently, and companies need to buy all of the functionality together, plus each function isn’t necessarily the best product available. Popular suite DXPs on the market include Adobe, Sitecore, and Optimizely.
However, a composable DXP is a DXP that is made up of multiple best-of-breed solutions. Businesses can create their DXP and select different vendors for each function (CRM, eCommerce, analytics, etc.), starting with the headless CMS. An example of a headless CMS that works for building your composable DXP is, of course, Storyblok.
Benefits of Storyblok as a DXP
Since Storyblok is one of the most powerful headless CMSs on the market, it also works well as the CMS for your DXP. Here are some of the benefits:
Increased Flexibility
Storyblok as your DXP provides increased flexibility as you’re not restricted like with a monolithic DXP. Instead, you can connect to best-of-breed eCommerce, analytics, personalization, marketing automation, and other tools to customize your technology stack as you see fit.
Future-Proof
Storyblok’s headless architecture makes it future-proof and the ideal choice as a DXP. If one of the other software tools in your DXP doesn’t quite work as you had hoped, Storyblok can easily integrate with another tool using APIs. Also, if new frontend channels appear, Storyblok can continue to deliver content to them.
Central Point of Control
Sitting at the heart of your DXP, Storyblok gives you complete control over the other pieces that make up your DXP. You can see how everything impacts the digital experience and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Personalization
With Storyblok, you can personalize the digital experience so that your content can appeal to different audiences. Personalization and localization features allow you to create content customized to customers with different interests who come from diverse demographic backgrounds and speak other languages.
Enhanced Security
Storyblok includes enterprise-grade security features such as single sign-on (SSO), access control, and two-factor authentication that allow you to keep your content and data secure and away from unauthorized threats.
Improved Collaboration
The purpose of a DXP is to integrate all of the tools and technologies used for the digital experience. With so many moving parts, it’s essential that team members can communicate and work together without stepping on each other’s toes or things falling through the cracks. Storyblok includes the ability to customize workflows, create discussions and add comments to keep everyone on the same page.
Storyblok: The Perfect Headless CMS For Your DXP
DXPs enable businesses to manage the entire customer journey from start to finish and create engaging digital experiences. Having a headless CMS as the centerpiece of your DXP, driving content creation, and orchestrating everything from top to bottom across multiple channels can help position your brand as a force to be reckoned with, no matter the industry.
Storyblok is the perfect headless CMS to start building your DXP and offers more flexibility and freedom than suite DXP options. However, figuring out what a DXP means for your business and how to get the most out of a powerful CMS like Storyblok isn’t always the easiest task, even with many user-friendly features that appeal to developers and marketers.
Take_it is a design and development agency based in Berlin, and we are experts in Storyblok. We can help your fast-growing business get the most out of a leading headless platform, whether that means implementing, maintaining, or general consulting help.
Ready to start building your DXP using Storyblok? Learn how having a Storyblok partner can help by reading: How to Choose a Storyblok Partner.
