How a DXP enhances composable strategies for business agility

Highlights

You’ll learn about the role of DXP in composable DXP strategies

• Agility: Enables businesses to adapt to tech and market changes
• Scalability: Supports business growth and expansion with flexible solutions
• Integration: Facilitates the seamless connection of various digital tools and platforms
• Innovation: Drives new ways to engage customers and streamline operations

Discover the benefits of DXPs in composable strategies. Switch to a composable DXP to enjoy true scalability and adaptive success. Request a free demo today.

Keep reading to learn more!

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DXPs have become a mainstay in global business. They drive digital transformation and enable businesses to deliver seamless and tailored customer experiences. DXPs also provide a foundation for modern digital strategies to thrive, including composable strategy.

What is a digital experience platform (DXP)?

DXPs enable consistency in content delivery, personalized experiences, optimized customer journeys, and a unified digital experience across multiple platforms. A DXP offers the digital infrastructure for a business to track, connect, and engage with its audience.

But what is a DXP? A digital experience platform (DXP) offers the technology that enables businesses to engage and service their customers across multiple channels, like mobile apps, web, social media, Etc. 

Initially, DXPs were monolithic systems—large and integrated, with all digital solutions tightly coupled and housed under one roof. Many still are. But more recently, many businesses are starting to opt for composable platforms. 

Traditional DXPs vs composable DXPs

A traditional DXP is a single-suite solution that offers a wide range of functionalities under one roof. They offer convenience, as you get everything in one package. However, they tie you to one vendor, which restricts the ability to innovate, scale or key into to new technologies.

Composable DXPs are the opposite. They are based on modular and API-first approaches. You leverage the best-of-breed principle and integrate only the most successful and suitable products or services for each business function. You can also plug and play new technology and swap out any module that does not serve your business needs. 

Understanding composable DXP

A composable DXP allows businesses to adapt to new technologies without suffering from technical debt. In principle, you build a composable DXP. That allows you to take charge and focus on components that help you achieve your goals.

Composable DXPs are also very flexible. You can customize each module according to the business need it serves. That allows businesses to meet their unique needs. It also promotes fault isolation, as a problem in one module does not affect the entire system.

Critical components of a composable DXP

Composable DXPs combine several specialized tools to create a cohesive digital ecosystem. They include:

• Content management systems (CMS): A composable DXP comes with a headless CMS to manage and deliver content. The CMS uses a headless approach, giving it the flexibility to deliver tailored content across multiple channels.
• Customer data platforms (CDP): A CDP collects data from DXP tools and customer interactions and aggregates it in a centralized platform that brands can extract to create tailored content. 
• Digital asset management (DAM): DAMs promote efficient and unified content storage. It enables businesses to organize, manage, distribute, and retrieve digital assets.
• Personalization engines: These engines collect and analyze data from headless CMSes and CDPs to support content personalization, marketing segmentation, A/B testing, Etc.
• Analytics tools: Analytics tools offer real-time insights that you can rely on to become a truly data-driven enterprise.
• E-commerce platforms: E-commerce platforms provide a unified interface, data protection, analytics, and order management, Etc. These functions support e-commerce operations and improve the customer experience.

Benefits of composable DXP strategy

Businesses that opt for a composable tech strategy will outpace their competitors by 80%, so says Gartner. But why do they make that claim? Here are some of the reasons.

Enhanced customer journeys

Through its data analytics features, a composable DXP offers insights that enable brands to tailor content and recommendations as customers interact with their brand. It ensures you can deliver consistent and engaging experiences on all channels.

Scalability and flexibility

A composable DXP is flexible. As your business needs change, you can swap out or upgrade modules. If a new technology that is relevant to your business becomes available, you can integrate it without affecting your system. As your business grows, you can leverage cloud resources to expand capacity and handle an increase in demand and traffic.

Improved tech stack management

Since you get to build the DXP, you avoid a bloated platform and only select what you can manage. That way, they do not end up with a bloated system. That makes it easy for the IT team to manage the tech stack.

Speed and efficiency in integration

The API-first architecture of composable DXPs promotes the seamless integration of new digital tools and services. Also, marketers and developers can work in parallel, which speeds up work and leads to more efficiency. That enables them to improve time-to-market and competitiveness.

How to implement a composable DXP strategy

You can go composable by following the below five steps.

1. Define your objectives: Outline your business goals and customer needs to determine the key features required in the DXP.
2. Select suitable modules: Choose tools and third-party services that align with your business goals. Ensure that each one is secure and helps you achieve your goals.
3. Adopt an API-first architecture: Build the APIs before you start to build your composable DXP. That future-proofs the system, makes it agile, and ensures that all modules interact and integrate well via secure APIs.
4. Implement microservices: Use microservices to break down the DXP into smaller, more manageable, and independent services that interact via APIs.
5. Test and optimize: Once you have set up the DXP, you must test the speed, integration, security, and other relevant metrics. Ensure they are all responsive and work as they should. Otherwise, you may need to optimize the platform further to get it ready.

Importance of an API-first approach

Why API-first? The success of any composable DXP strategy depends in large part on how well you can integrate digital solutions within the ecosystem. So, by prioritizing APIs, you build a solid foundation for seamless integration and data sharing between the modules in the DXP.

The role of microservices

Microservices offer a modular approach to building and scaling digital experiences. It divides the platform into smaller services. Each service performs an assigned function, and you can deploy, scale, or develop them independently.

The result? Faster updates and product releases and quicker adaptation to new tech or market shifts.

Future-proofing your digital strategy with composable DXP

A composable DXP is microservices-based, API-first, cloud-native, and headless. Thus, they allow businesses to plug into new DXP trends and emerging technologies. That enables businesses to keep up with the changing needs of customers.

A DXP in a composable platform allows you to fit into the digital future. You work with independent modules that you can swap or change at will, with no impact on the entire system. That way, you can integrate new solutions without disrupting your business. 

Adapting to evolving market trends

With DXP integration in composable architecture, you create a nimble business that is flexible enough to pivot and respond to customer feedback and market changes. The ability to adapt and respond to change is crucial for innovation and competitive advantage.

Case studies

Cartier

Cartier’s built an extensive suite of digital assets, but they were not integrated, resulting in poor brand alignment.

Contentstack's composable DXP provided the silver bullet. It solved the integration issues, unified the digital assets and restored brand alignment. That birthed an omnichannel approach and boosted the ROI on content assets.

Hear from Anastasia Goglova, the Digital Lead. "The websites that are such a critical part of our digital portfolio are now more aligned and more performant. As a result, the customer digital experience of Cartier improves, reflecting our commitment to becoming a reference for luxury in all aspects."

Read more about how Cartier improved operational efficiency and brand integrity.

Richie Bros

With growth came a higher demand and more development work, but Richie Bros lacked the solution to align IT and business.

Contentstack's composable DXP solved the problem and helped align development and digital marketing.

Hear from the Director of Product, Michael Harker. "It's now extremely easy for the marketing team to go and change content, and that immediately flows to the website without needing any technical assistance."

Learn more about how Ritchie Bros freed up developers.

FAQ section

What is a composable DXP?

A composable DXP is an API-first SaaS that uses a modular and microservices approach to integrate multiple best-of-breed modules that businesses rely on to deliver optimum digital experiences.

How does a composable DXP differ from a traditional DXP?

A traditional DXP combines all digital solutions under one roof from one vendor, while a composable DXP consists of multiple small services from various vendors. A composable DXP is more flexible as you get to pick the features you want on the platform.

What are the benefits of adopting a composable DXP strategy?

A composable DXP gives you more speed, agility, and control and also future-proofs your digital strategy. It also gives you the power to adapt to market shifts, traffic spikes, and emerging technologies.

How do I choose the right components for my composable DXP?

Outline your business goals, customer needs and DXP features. Then, find and select solutions that are secure, compatible, and fit your business goals.

How can a composable DXP Improve customer experiences?

A composable DXP enables businesses to offer tailored and omnichannel experiences, which improves customer experience. That, in turn, leads to customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Learn more

A DXP in composable DXP strategies centralizes data management, adds flexibility, supports innovation, and lets you become truly data-driven.

All of these factors are essential for innovation and sustained success. Although traditional DXPs served as the foundation for modern digital strategies, composable DXPs are taking things a notch higher.

As technology and innovation gathers pace, you do not want to be left behind. Future-proof your digital strategy with a composable DXP. Start your composable journey today. Request a free demo to get started.