As customer expectations evolve, more and more people are looking for that ‘perfect’ experience. While the specifics will vary from customer to customer, the majority of customers want brand consistency, an omnichannel experience and fast answers to their questions. Enter CMS and DXP - solutions designed to help businesses cultivate that ideal customer experience.
But how do they differ? Which is better? And do you need both to succeed?
Read on to discover more…
To explain the differences between CMS and DXP, we need to firstly cover the evolution of the two systems.
What is a CMS system?
It started with Content Management Systems (CMS) - a solution that allowed businesses and individuals to manage the content they needed to create and boost their online presence. This ‘content’ could come in a variety of forms (e.g. written, audio, video, imagery etc) and managing it could include creating, publishing or tracking its performance.
CMS began to evolve to offer web experience management capabilities as websites became more than just a company’s ‘digital brochure’. As customers demanded increasingly personalised experiences, the best CMS allowed companies to gather user behaviour - such as the website pages they visited, the content they consumed, the areas of the page they lingered on and for how long.
Pair this data with audience demographics and you’re now equipped with the information you need to tailor experiences to individual customers.
What is a DXP?
Digital Experience Platforms (DXP) were born out of the need for more advanced CMS functionalities to suit changing customer expectations. In other words, customer expectations are more complex than ever before.
For instance, they not only want personalised experiences, but they also want you to anticipate their actions/needs before they even realise it themselves.
Most CMS can’t offer what businesses require to meet these expectations unless you invest in add-ons and integrate multiple pieces of software to enhance the existing capabilities of your CMS. Not only can this be costly, but it can over-complicate your technology stack.
Enter DXP. It’s designed to reach and engage with various audiences across a range of digital touchpoints. A DXP is ideal for creating, launching and continuously improving websites, apps and other digital experiences.
The mention of the word ‘touchpoint’ is key here. Note that we’re no longer just talking about content anymore. Why? Because any interaction a customer has with your company can lead to a sale. It’s not just a piece of written, audio or video content on your website anymore - it could be any of those or a Tweet, a video on Instagram or something from your help desk.
A DXP encompasses the natural shift to technology we’ve all been experiencing.
Here are a few of a DXP’s main features:
- Ability to create multiple, targeted touchpoints within the DXP…
- …and manage them from one place
- Offers e-commerce functionality or you can integrate it with your existing e-commerce platform
- Integrates with your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and offers AI-driven recommendations so each customer can receive a different experience
- Customer experiences can also be tested and results will automatically be applied so each experience can be better every time
See how a DXP’s capabilities are far more complex than the traditional CMS? AI insights, automation and machine learning - these are the additional features that can offer your commerce-focused business the edge it needs to stand out from the competition.
Which solution is better?
It may seem that a DXP is better than a CMS. In some ways, yes it is! However, a DXP essentially is a CMS, just an evolved version.
While a CMS centralises content management to help you create an excellent website experience, a DXP centralises everything you need to create the optimum digital experience. As well as web content and experience management, it also includes microsites, digital billboards, customer portals, social media channels and every other channel you use to attract customers.
This distinction between a website and digital experience is important because not every customer wants to interact with you via your website. Some may prefer social media while others like email or picking up the phone. Whatever their initial digital touchpoint is, customers will likely encounter various other touchpoints in their journey with your company. All those touchpoints need to be connected, seamless and consistent.
And a DXP will help facilitate that.
Have you chosen the right e-commerce platform for your business?
Aside from choosing a DXP instead of a CMS or vice versa, you also need to decide between the different vendors. What makes one vendor better than another? What factors should you be keeping in mind?
We have a checklist that can help. Download it below.
