CMS vs DXP: which is right for you?
To find the right fit for your business, it’s important to know what features each system offers. See how technology solutions have changed over time and discover the differences between CMS and DXP.
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What's the difference between CMS and DXP?
Keeping up with the changing customer expectations requires constantly implementing new technologies and tactics. For the last 30 years, businesses have had to adapt their marketing and web strategies in the face of economic downturns, groundbreaking technology innovations, changing societal expectations, and a global pandemic. Constant innovation is the only way to stay relevant in the modern world.
To adapt and update technologies, it’s crucial to know what your organization’s goals are. Based on that, you can decide what functionalities of a CMS or a DXP will work best for your business. Firstly, we need to differentiate the two:
A content management system (CMS) is the core of the website that offers the essential foundation and administration tools to deliver and maintain content.
A digital experience platform (DXP) uses multiple technologies to manage a broad array of touchpoints. It connects digital marketing, content management, and commerce capabilities into a fully integrated and unified solution.
CMS: a foundation of your website
The content management system started as a software solution consisting primarily of technology tools for creating and managing websites. As time went on, CMSs transitioned to products that comprise a foundational piece of technology for many small businesses.
The CMS enables the creation, management, and publishing of content on websites in a consistent manner. These functionalities make CMS a core technology for working with content and creating a digital identity.
However, customers’ needs and expectations grow fast, and so do technologies. To keep up with the changing customer requests, organizations need a more sophisticated platform that will provide marketing functionalities and support their digital presence. If you want to grow your online visibility and engagement, your platform needs to:
- Be SEO-friendly to rank higher in organic search results
- Promote content online and on social media
- Collect data, so you understand who your visitors are
- Enable consistent content presentation across all channels and devices
- Create personalized digital experiences that would speak directly to your visitors and skyrocket your conversion rates
Kentico provides all functionalities of a CMS, plus digital marketing and commerce. You can also use it as a headless solution, while keeping all its benefits.
DXP: an advanced unified solution
Digital experience platforms combine a content management system with digital marketing and commerce capabilities into a single, fully integrated solution.
This solution provides the tools to successfully run a website, collect user data, use email marketing and personalization, manage product catalogs, etc. It is a simple step towards fulfilling most businesses’ digital requirements that CMS can’t support.
5 reasons why a DXP leads to digital success
1. Future-oriented technology
A DXP combines the capabilities of a CMS with marketing and commerce tools. It also allows seamless integrations via API with external systems, such as CRM, DAM, AI, VR and chatbots. As a result, it creates a consistent customer experience and paves a path to the future.
2. Perfect experience across all devices
A DXP allows to create a personalized, high-quality customer experience no matter how many devices users have. You know what products your visitor has been searching for and your can offer them a relevant alternative or a discount.
3. Superpower in personalization
Personalization is the key when working with different personas and segments. Use the incoming and saved user data to create an image of your customer and create a tailor-made content just for them!
4. Improved flexibility
The architecture and design of a DXP make it possible to develop, test, and improve new implementations quickly. The result is a short time to market and easy extensions with various applications or services based on your current needs. All capabilities have the same interface ensuring a smooth learning curve.
5. Seamless integrations with CRM and ERP systems
A DXP can easily be linked to existing CRMs and ERPs, making it even simpler to have all your sales and marketing channels work together. As a result, you'll get an omnichannel experience that drives commercial growth.
Headless CMS or DXP?
As the need for sophisticated digital marketing features grows, some organizations add other isolated technologies to their tech stack. Often, businesses would take individual solutions and integrate them to their existing platform one by one, creating a convoluted, custom platform that we call a headless CMS.
However, what sounds like a natural approach, might not present the ideal solution after all. A headless CMS can be expensive to implement and maintain, might lead to slower operations, and increases the solution’s complexity.
Some large enterprises can't avoid such complexity but for most companies, there's a better way: a digital experience platform. It combines a CMS, digital marketing, and commerce capabilities in a single solution that provides all the necessary tools to deliver your digital content smoothly and support your marketing with targeted campaigns. Therefore, it presents an easy answer to most businesses’ digital requirements and dreams.
CMS vs DXP: see what's best for you!
Take our quiz and discover what features best suit your business. Answer 13 questions to help you understand your level of digital sophistication. You’ll learn where you stand right now and how you can leverage the CMS and DXP features to grow your digital presence.