Before we get stuck into the new technology of DXPs it is important to understand why DXPs have emerged. We are going to begin by discussing the evolution of CMS platforms to provide some background.
Over time, CMS platforms have evolved to meet customer’s everchanging needs. To understand what a DXP is and why one is needed, let’s go back to the basics.
These basic systems play an important role in our digital world. A CMS helps organisations manage their online presence. They also allow for version management and the creation of workflows to ensure consistency for large, global websites.
Digital channels are now a key aspect of marketing strategies for brands which led to the creation of WEM systems.
WEMs enable brands to share content and data across multiple channels whilst collecting basic information on how customers are engaging and interacting with their digital platforms. Businesses can then use this data to improve their content to suit their customer personas. Marketing teams can also take advantage of the rule-based personalisation WEMs offer to engage with customers.
The systems we have discussed so far were no longer enough for some brands who heavily rely on digital, hence the development of DXP.
A digital experience platform or DXP is software that has been designed to allow businesses to utilise multiple digital channels to optimise the customer experience. Gartner describes a DXP as reflecting "the demand for platforms to ensure engagement of customers, partners and employees".
DXPs help organisations to create engaging experiences for their customers. Every customer interaction should be more satisfying and engaging than the last. DXPs aim to better identify customer needs to further enhance and personalise a customer’s experience.
Other systems change the customer journey whereas DXPs focus on developing the customer experience. By collecting data and creating personas, DXPs help brands to produce unique targeted content for specific customers. Society now lives online with the rise of digital channels including apps, social media and websites. This digital transformation has pushed customer experience to the forefront and utilising a DXP can help a business better meet customer needs and therefore achieve greater customer satisfaction, which in turn will result in business growth.
There are several benefits of DXPs but for the purposes of this post, we are going to focus on three.
Modern DXPS take advantage of the latest advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP). This allows marketing teams to discover hidden insights helping them to understand and improve the user’s journey and experience.
DXPs allow for easy content personalisation for devices, customer behaviour and conversion paths. This information can then be used to discover the most successful patterns to optimise the user journey, increase conversion rate and overall engagement.
DXPs offer real-time integration with a range of platforms including marketing, commerce and on-premises legacy systems. Brands can leverage the Application Programming Interface (API) to collect data from customer touchpoints and deliver relevant content.
The core principles of CMS or WEP systems allow for content management, creation of workflows and authorisation. These principles are still fundamental when creating great customer experiences. However, as technology continues to evolve and our reliance on technology increases, it is vital to use the right platforms to stay ahead of your competition. It is very easy to get comfortable with existing tools, ignoring the ever-changing digital landscape, but this can cause friction between your business, customers, and employees.
DXPs should be considered by organisations with multiple touchpoints and complex back-ends as these businesses are the ones that would benefit most from a fully integrated and connected experience. It is important to select a platform that supports your businesses needs but also allows for business growth and improved performance.
