Introducing Contentstack AI Assistant - our new ChatGPT integrationNew ChatGPT integrationRead more

Headless CMS blog

Read everything on headless CMS technology, tips, best practices, and how-tos

filter by category

Filter

filter by category

filter by category

Filter

filter by category

Mar 23, 2023

How to make the most of your composable DXP with ChatGPT

ChatGPT has gotten plenty of attention in recent months. The chatbot, developed by OpenAI, recently made headlines for (among other things) passing law exams, a Wharton business management exam, and parts of the US Medical Licensing Exam, all without any external input. ChatGPT reached 1 million users within five days of release; by comparison, it took Spotify five months to reach that threshold. For digital brands, the arrival of ChatGPT is a game-changer — especially when it comes to creating content and content management. Read on to learn how to use ChatGPT with a composable DXP.What is ChatGPT?ChatGPT is a natural language processing tool powered by AI technology. Using reams of text from the open internet, the program is asked to predict the next word in a text string, over and over. Over the course of trillions of predictions, GPT has learned not just how to predict the next word, but also use its training data to answer questions and complete tasks assigned to it. As you can imagine, this presents a lot of opportunities for brands to enhance their digital experience platforms.How can ChatGPT integrate with a composable CMS?Although ChatGPT was not designed specifically to work with content management systems, there are ways to integrate it into your CMS and leverage its capabilities to improve the digital experience.Chatbot engineWith most chatbots, user communication is on rails. Standard chatbots only recognize specific prompts, and depending on how the chatbot is designed, those prompts might not cover everything users may need. ChatGPT is able to have real, natural conversations with users for a more robust and personalized experience. Using ChatGPT as the conversational engine for the chatbot, the CMS can use relevant content — such as articles, FAQs, product information, and more — as training data, which ChatGPT can then use to answer user queries. ChatGPT can also enhance the chatbot's ability to understand and respond to natural language queries, so users can ask questions however they want and still get the answer they’re looking for. The benefit for your team is less time spent designing the chatbot to respond to every possible user query (and every possible variation of those queries). ChatGPT can also connect to your CMS via custom API integration. When users interact with your CMS, the web service can run the user’s query through ChatGPT, and ChatGPT’s response can then be returned to the web service to be displayed to users. Whether you use ChatGPT to power a chatbot or integrate it with your CMS, users benefit from a more engaging and personalized experience — and your customer support team benefits from the automation of some of their more time-intensive tasks.Marketing automation and personalizationGood marketing is informative. Great marketing is informative and has a personal touch. Generic or broad automated marketing is unlikely to win new customers; instead, your marketing needs to address each user’s unique preferences in order to win their business. Unfortunately, creating highly specific content that speaks to each individual user is incredibly time-consuming. ChatGPT can take information about your customers’ interests, preferences and behaviors and use it as training data to create more personalized and targeted marketing content in a fraction of the time. In other words, brands don’t have to choose between reach and personalization — ChatGPT can provide both.Coding suggestions for front-end and back-end developmentReviewing code is a necessary part of updating and enhancing your composable digital experience platform, but it can be a major time and resource drain for your DevOps team. Since ChatGPT is a language model, it can read and understand code written in a variety of programming languages — which can save you time and stress as you prepare to roll out new features or functions on your platform.Strictly speaking, ChatGPT is not able to “review” code in the way a developer would, because ChatGPT doesn’t understand the context of the code the way a human developer does. Still, ChatGPT can answer specific programming questions for developers, review code syntax and point out any potential logical flaws in the code that can save time on debugging. Content creation and testingEffective content helps attract new users to your site and delivers a quality experience that will encourage repeat visits. Producing high-quality content requires a lot of time, effort and resources. ChatGPT can handle many of the tasks that might otherwise require you to hire a team of writers or content specialists.ChatGPT’s role in content creation is entirely up to you and your needs. You can use ChatGPT to generate content ideas by providing prompts and suggestions related to your business and letting ChatGPT suggest topics that will resonate with your target audience. ChatGPT can also be used to test existing content: Simply provide the AI model with existing pieces of content and ask for suggestions, and ChatGPT will offer suggestions to make the content more engaging, more informative or more SEO-friendly. On the other end of the spectrum, ChatGPT can also be used to create outlines or even entire pieces of content from scratch. With a bit of guidance in the form of prompts or content topics, ChatGPT can write full articles and blog posts, which can then be edited and customized to match your brand’s voice and messaging. It’s important to note, however, that while ChatGPT can drastically reduce the amount of time spent on content creation, there is still value in a human element. Users may eventually learn to spot AI-generated content, and your SEO can suffer if your content bears too many AI fingerprints. When used effectively, ChatGPT can help reduce the time your team spends on content creation and the tedious tasks that go with it.How Contentstack AI Assistant leverages the power of ChatGPTContent creation is a crucial part of building a connection with your audience, and ChatGPT is poised to transform the content creation and publishing experience. The new Contentstack AI Assistant harnesses the power of ChatGPT to help teams create brand-specific content in seconds. By adding ChatGPT to your entry editor through in-line UI extensions, the Contentstack AI Assistant makes it easy for content teams to leverage ChatGPT’s capabilities however they choose. Want to experiment with content creation? Quickly and easily build outlines for content writers? Create summaries, outlines, metadata tags, and headlines so editors and publishers can move on to other tasks? Translate content for global users? All this (and much more) is possible with just a single prompt to the Contentstack AI Assistant. The possibilities for your content are endless. With Contentstack AI Assistant, it’s never been easier to tap into those possibilities to take your content to a whole new level and get the most from your composable DXP. Learn moreLearn more about the benefits of content automation in our article “Automated content management: how technology can make life easier.”Schedule a free demo to see how Contentstack can help you leverage the power of automation to launch digital experiences at the speed of your imagination.

Read the article
Mar 21, 2023

See the future of composable at ContentCon 2023

It’s time to mark your calendar — Contentstack’s annual customer conference, ContentCon, is back on May 8-10, 2023! This year, we're going bigger and better than ever, offering a hybrid event experience that you can join virtually or in-person at the charming Hotel Van Zandt in Austin, Texas. With an exciting lineup of speakers, workshops and networking opportunities, ContentCon 2023 promises to empower you to make the most of your composable tech stack and skyrocket your enterprise to success. Don't miss out on this must-attend event for business leaders, marketers, developers and anyone looking to elevate their digital experience game.Inspirational keynotes from top brandsGet ready for a full day of amazing keynote presentations from some of the biggest and most-loved brands in the industry. These experts will share their insights, experience, and strategic advice on how to leverage Contentstack and other cutting-edge technologies to drive business growth and success. If you're looking for inspiration, practical tips, and a glimpse into the future of content management, these keynotes are not to be missed!Keynote speakers include: Best-selling author and executive coach Laura Gassner Otting share strategies for pushing past the doubt and indecision that keep great ideas in limbo. In-person attendees will receive a copy of Otting’s new book, “Wonderhell: Why Success Doesn’t Feel Like It Should … and What to Do About It.” Mindy Montgomery, senior technical product manager and leader of the ecosystem platform that supports a connected customer experience for ASICS, will give tips on “How to Survive Procurement.” Juliette Olah, senior manager of editorial for Booking.com, spearheads the editorial strategy for Booking.com. Olah’s presentation will cover the “The Art and Science of a Customer-Obsessed Content Strategy.”  Expert-led workshops to elevate your skillsAt ContentCon 2023, you'll have the opportunity to participate in all-new, exclusive workshops that will help elevate your expertise in composable leadership, technology and mindset. Whether you're new to Contentstack or a seasoned pro looking to sharpen your skills, our workshops are designed to provide valuable, hands-on learning experiences for all experience levels.The Contentstack Help Bar: your one-stop-shop for expert adviceBring your burning questions about Contentstack and the composable enterprise to our in-house experts at the Contentstack Help Bar. Available throughout the conference, our team will be ready and eager to provide personalized advice, troubleshooting guidance and insider tips to help you make the most of your content management platform.  Co-creating the Composable ManifestoJoin us in co-creating the Composable Manifesto — a set of actionable tenets that will inspire, guide, and accelerate your teams toward a future-proof, agile, and innovative business environment. This unique, collaborative activity will bring together ContentCon attendees to collectively define the guiding principles for a composable enterprise. Be a part of shaping the future of content management and the wider tech landscape by contributing your ideas and wisdom to this groundbreaking initiative.Networking opportunities galoreWhat better way to level up your professional network than by connecting with your peers, industry leaders and the Contentstack team at ContentCon 2023? With both in-person and virtual networking opportunities throughout the event, you'll have plenty of chances to forge new connections, share ideas and learn from others in the field. Don't miss the chance to grow your network while absorbing a wealth of valuable content management knowledge.Register nowDon't miss out on the chance to power up your tech stack and leave a lasting impact on your enterprise. Register now to join us in beautiful Austin or virtually from anywhere in the world. Mark your calendars for May 8-10, 2023, and get ready to elevate your digital experience game at ContentCon!

Read the article
Mar 21, 2023

The argument for befriending your IT department

Your IT team builds products; business and marketing teams use them. Business and marketing encounter glitches with the products or new features they’d want; IT fixes them or starts building again. And the wheel turns.But that’s not really a wheel, is it? Something has to happen for something else to trigger. It’s a start-stop instead of a continuous movement (or improvement). As a result, innovation stalls.This is why we built Contentstack — to make space for marketing and IT to work together on vision and have the freedom to innovate within their areas of expertise. You don’t want your marketing team holding a campaign for six weeks while an IT ticket is addressed. And you don’t want your IT team constantly beholden to requests from other departments.In a recent episode of "People Changing Enterprises," Andreas Westendörpf, chief technology officer of Emma Sleep, reminded us that IT used to be metaphorically locked away in a closet. Then, giants like Facebook and Google came around, paving the way for disruptors like Spotify and Airbnb, proving that technology and business are now forever intertwined. We’ve come a long way. And here’s why it’s always in an organization’s best interest to continue getting close to their IT colleagues.IT drives value, with business context Andreas shared that “IT or technology by itself is a function that does not create value unless you put it into a context where it can create value.” An IT expert can’t create value without the right tools and a greater purpose and team.That’s where business and IT alignment comes in. The strongest cultures have a roadmap for the future created by a cross-functional team of leaders, including IT. That roadmap lays out short-term and long-term business goals and how technology can enable those goals. So, how can you achieve that necessary level of day-to-day alignment? Consider a combination of a centralized and decentralized IT department, where IT is part of a central organization and embedded into business units. Andreas described this as technology needing to be “concentrated to create excellence, but also distributed to make an impact.” You can also create tiger teams focused on specific tasks, such as prioritizing and responding to customer requests. (More about that from our CTO here.)IT knows how to get creativeTechnologists are typically pigeonholed as the analytical kind — great with numbers and tools, but lacking creativity.Let me set the record straight: Analytical minds are, by nature, creative. They look at issues from all angles and think up solutions. It might not be the challenges a creative director may attack, but the role still demands creative approaches.In Andreas’ case, the fact that “software is never finished until it’s decommissioned” is a reason the role is a creative one. It’s not like building a car where there tends to be a conveyor belt process and a beginning, middle and end. To create value, software requires a deep understanding of the context in which it will be used and the potential it holds for the future. Your IT team is not just blindly writing code — they are thinking about how to constantly innovate so the business performs better.Business leaders should tap into that creativity as needed outside of just building software. Bring in IT to reconsider training and development, solve productivity or remote work problems or even inspire employees to build innovation into their everyday work.There’s a reason why computer science-related jobs are expected to grow more than two times faster than the average for all other occupations through 2031 (14.6% versus 5.35). Or why even nontechnologists enter the workforce with deep technology understanding and skills. (Hey, I’m a nontechnologist, three-time tech founder and CEO!)It’s because tech touches everything we do. Many companies want to be technology companies, but the only ones that will get it right are the ones where business and IT are intertwined. That’s when IT can fulfill the roles they should be playing in enterprises — enabling, protecting and unlocking innovation.

Read the article
Mar 16, 2023

Why developers will love Contentstack Launch

If you’re a developer, you know that implementing and maintaining a digital experience platform can be a complex and time-consuming process. Contentstack’s composable DXP and industry-leading customer support have enabled many enterprises to streamline integration and boost productivity. Now we’ve made life even easier with Contentstack Launch, an integrated site hosting solution that works seamlessly with our headless CMS, Marketplace and Automation Hub.With Contentstack Launch, organizations have everything they need for end-to-end control of the digital experience, right at their fingertips. It’s a game-changer for organizations as a whole — and for technical teams in particular. Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of using Contentstack Launch for developers.Streamlined site creation and maintenanceWhen developing websites or web applications, a streamlined tech stack is essential. From programming languages to servers, frameworks, libraries, APIs and more, there are countless ways to configure your tech stack and options for each individual element of the stack. With so many options, you don’t just need the right pieces — you also need them to fit together seamlessly. Otherwise, you can spend hours of development time getting these different pieces to play nice with each other. Contentstack Launch is fully automated, so you can create staging and production environments on Contentstack’s lightning-fast CDN with just a few clicks. This framework allows users to build projects with any JavaScript front-end framework and deploy code directly from a git repository. For projects that don't use git, static site files can be uploaded via Zip for instant deployment. Contentstack Launch is configured to work with Nextjs and Gatsby, with more frameworks on the way. Contentstack Launch also allows you to set up deployment webhooks and schedule regular rebuilds. That means a reduced DevOps workload for routine tasks and more time to focus on writing great software. Open-MACH architectureContentstack Launch’s 100% open-MACH (microservices-based, API-first, cloud-native SaaS, Headless) architecture allows for easier integration between all the different components on the platform. With MACH-compliant tools and services, you’ll have an easier time flexing and scaling, adding new features or customizing existing ones, all with minimal interruption to the customer experience. Contentstack Launch also makes it easier to connect different parts of the platform and manage multiple sites and channels from one central hub. Content and marketing teams typically work in a CMS, while developers work in code and front-end hosting platforms. When different teams are working in different platforms, it can be a challenge to collaborate effectively and deliver great digital experiences. Contentstack Launch bridges the gap between the Contentstack CMS and the front-end UI, which means better collaboration between teams (and fewer headaches for you). Complete integrationDevelopment silos and friction between teams can disrupt workflows and make it harder to get things done. With Contentstack Launch, you can seamlessly connect to the Marketplace and find the solution that meets the business side’s needs. And with pre-built component libraries and workflows, you can implement those solutions quickly, seamlessly, and with minimal development time. Contentstack Launch also allows you to link your tech stack and your front-end environment. So no more copying and pasting API keys. Faster delivery of digital experiencesContentstack Launch supports SSG rendering, which allows the entire site to be pre-rendered into HTML, CSS, and a variety of JavaScript frameworks at build time. Auto-populating environment variables allows for faster delivery of the digital experience, which means a better experience for customers. Built-in OAuth support also ensures the highest security standards, and as the site grows, Contentstack Launch makes it easier to scale using pre-built recipes from the Marketplace without sacrificing runtime. Industry-leading supportIf you ever need additional help or support during the setup process, we have an extensive library of developer guides to help you get up and running and a robust community of Contentstack users to trade best practices, insights, and resources. And if that’s not enough, our Care Without Compromise program is a single point of contact for unparalleled cross-vendor support — the only program of its kind in the industry. Fully automated out-of-the-box functionalityThe key selling point of monolithic suites has always been its simplicity. Even if the functions and processes of legacy platforms aren’t quite what you’re looking for, you still benefit from the convenience of having them all in one place. But what makes monolithic software so convenient is also what makes it so frustrating for developers: if the functions and processes you need aren’t included, integrating them can be a major challenge. Contentstack Launch gives developers the best of both worlds: the convenience of legacy architecture with the flexibility of microservices. With fully automated out-of-the-box functionality, developers can quickly and efficiently create dynamic websites and integrate different components with minimal coding time. And with its flexible pricing plans and best-in-class customer service, it’s clear that Contentstack Launch is a revolutionary step forward. Learn moreTo continue growing your knowledge of composable architecture, visit our blog for more tips, best practices, and how-tos. If you’re ready to see for yourself how Contentstack Launch can transform web and app development for your team, request a free demo today.

Read the article
Mar 15, 2023

4 questions for e-commerce brands considering composable

There’s a lot of confusion in the market when it comes to composable architectures. A company says one thing and their competitor says something different — all the while, the people who hunger for change inside complex organizations struggle.We see this in potential e-commerce customers all the time, knowing they need a change but not really understanding what composable can do for them. Emma Sleep, one of the fastest-growing D2C sleep brands in the world, was one of those organizations.Andreas Westendörpf, chief technology officer of Emma Sleep, talked about why they chose composable and what it did for them on the latest “People Changing Enterprises” podcast. Hearing him speak about the differences between traditional environments and composable inspired me to create this litmus test. Ideally, this will help provide clarity for e-commerce organizations wondering if composable is the right move for them.Are you aiming to grow quickly?For organizations trying to scale quickly, traditional CMS and legacy systems are far more complicated than composable architectures. They are less flexible and take more developer intervention to launch new markets, products, and content. Composable wasn’t in Andreas’ original plans. But when Emma Sleep introduced their ambitious growth goals, they were operating from a highly customized legacy system. Doubling business every one or two years in vastly different markets would be difficult, frustrating and extremely error-prone with these technologies. They also wouldn’t be able to support personalized content for each market — what works for European audiences doesn’t work for Asia or Latin America. If you are a scaling organization, you need composable. Other options are too rudimentary and inflexible for you. You will have to manipulate and create custom code to force things to work, which is not only a huge risk — as it will most likely break often — but inefficient when efficiency is required.Are you outsourcing the problem to the vendor?Andreas made a good point in the podcast. E-commerce was one of the first ways to make money on the internet, which is why many platforms still follow the architectural design principles of the ’90s and early 2000s when they were founded. While that’s changing, it’s happening slowly. In the meantime, e-commerce organizations are struggling with monolithic technology.The common solution is outsourcing your development to the same vendor you’re struggling with — a tricky catch-22. The problem doesn’t change. Instead, it comes with long consulting timelines and following industry “best practices” that actually aren’t best, like planning out your project five years in advance (more on that to come).Composable solves two problems at once: providing a more flexible, agile technology stack and by bringing control back in-house.Do you need to make room for innovation?I recently read a great piece that nails down what innovation really is: riding a wave. Mary Kay Ash didn’t invent cosmetics; she rode the direct-sales wave. Henry Ford didn’t invent the automobile; he rode the assembly line wave. Steve Jobs didn’t invent computers; he rode the digital wave. So on and so forth.Here’s what I’m trying to get at: Are you equipped to ride the wave?E-commerce brands must ride the wave more than most. They ride the waves of public opinion, of social media, of what customers need when they need it. But the thing about waves is they disappear quickly. If you don’t catch it, you sink. E-commerce organizations don’t have the luxury of submitting a developer ticket or a feature request and waiting around for six months until the request becomes a reality; the wave could be gone by then. Yet that’s often what happens with legacy technology — so many missed opportunities.In the podcast, Andreas expresses his desire to experiment quickly and figure out what works versus what doesn’t. In a composable architecture, their team can integrate up-and-coming tools like ChatGPT for use pretty quickly. Emma Sleep also tests new platforms for new markets beforehand and implements them when ready. That was not possible for them in their previous environment.Do you need to transform quickly?“The five-year plan is dead.”That might be my favorite quote from a “People Changing Enterprises” podcast so far, and Andreas is absolutely right. Why stretch your timelines out that long, especially when you can reap value much earlier?Andreas added: “Don't plan for a five-year project. If you are trying to implement within a five-year timeframe, things change too much. So plan for two years. Two years is a good time horizon. If two years becomes two and a half, fair enough. But you need to somehow have the most critical work done at the end of two years, like 90%.”Enterprises choose to make the transition from monolith to composable in different ways, but one thing all successful transformations have in common is that they don’t push it too far down the road.The litmus test is done. If you answered “yes” to most — or all — of these questions, then it’s time to talk with us about moving from monolith to composable. Here’s the good news: When you choose to make the transition to composable, you’re future-proofing your organization. According to Andreas, “it’s the last replatform you’re going to need.”

Read the article
Mar 09, 2023

How your business can save money with a composable DXP

Are you feeling the crunch of tight budgets and limited resources? It can be difficult for enterprises to find ways to cut costs while still remaining competitive. One way to do this is by investing in a composable digital experience platform (DXP). A composable DXP allows businesses to quickly create personalized user experiences without the need for extensive development time or costly technology infrastructure. By taking advantage of its flexibility and scalability, companies can save money while improving customer engagement. In this blog post, we'll discuss how a composable DXP could help your business improve its efficiency and profitability.What is a composable DXP?Gartner defines a DXP as “an integrated set of core technologies that support the composition, management, delivery and optimization of contextualized digital experiences.”A DXP is not necessarily a single solution but a variety of solutions that work cohesively from a central hub. A  composable DXP uses MACH technologies (microservices-based, API-first, cloud-native and headless) to deliver services to various devices and channels.How a composable DXP saves moneyScalabilityA composable architecture allows you to scale according to your business needs. If you’re just beginning to implement composable technology, you may choose to keep elements of your existing technology while adding composable applications where they are most needed to improve efficiency.If you choose to invest in a new digital experience platform, a composable architecture enables you to choose the best tools available for your needs, and only the tools you need.  ReliabilityA composable DXP can help your business avoid costly downtime because its microservices-based architecture means a failure in one service won’t affect the entire system. SpeedA composable platform based on a headless CMS will enable you to quickly launch new digital experiences, update and adapt as needed without the need for developers to create new solutions each time, so you enjoy faster time to market while saving costly development time.EfficiencyIn a platform with a composable architecture based on a headless CMS, the front end and back ends are decoupled, so marketing teams IT teams can work simultaneously to create and update digital experiences and content faster. A composable platform also enables automation of routine tasks so you avoid costly human errors and your team spends more time on higher priority tasks.How to save money when implementing a composable DXPOne way to save money while transitioning to composable technology is to leverage your existing technology wherever possible and add composable technology where your legacy system doesn’t function as needed.To do this successfully, start by:Defining your business goalsIdentifying what you use, don’t use and what’s missing in your current systemMapping out your ideal systemDefining a roadmap for implementation  When implementing a composable DXP, the key to saving money is understanding what services you need for success. Consider your business needs and goals and then research composable DXP providers that best match those needs. Whether parting with a smaller sum of money up front or investing in more expensive but comprehensive packages, make sure that you aren't overspending on features and services you won't actually use. Look out for special bundle deals or discounts, as these can be great ways to save while still getting top-notch services. Remember that investing in composable DXP is an investment in the future of your company; save smart in order to get the most ROI from your composable DXP implementation.Conclusion Businesses are looking to save money while transitioning to more modern technology to meet current customer needs. A composable DXP will help achieve this, allowing you to implement gradually while increasing speed and efficiency and reducing development costs.  Learn moreLearn more about going composable in our blog post, “De-risking your transition to composable.”Schedule a free demo to see how Contentstack can help you save money and increase ROI with the only fully composable digital experience platform.

Read the article
Mar 02, 2023

How to measure performance of your composable DXP

Consumers have high expectations for brands. They want personalized experiences that evolve according to their needs and are delivered seamlessly across multiple channels. On top of that, they want it to be lightning-fast, or they’ll take their business elsewhere.Composability is the future of the digital experience. A composable digital experience platform (DXP) gives you greater flexibility, customization, speed, scalability and reliability. But to be sure you’re maximizing the benefits of your composable DXP, you need to measure its performance. Here are five key metrics to measure and how you can measure them:FlexibilityYour organization’s needs will evolve, and your platform has to be able to adapt. A composable DXP provides the flexibility you need to deliver the digital experience customers expect. Benefits of flexibilityReduced cost Composable’s flexibility makes it easier to incorporate new functions. This helps you keep pace with customers’ needs and expectations today, while also future proofing your tech stack. With composable, you only pay for the microservices you need — much more cost-effective than buying a full suite of monolithic functions just to access the one or two you intend to use. How to measure it:Microservice usage: Is your composable DXP weighed down by things you don’t need? Overlap between microservices: If you have a lot of overlapping functions, try to combine them where possible.Number of workarounds: If your platform is riddled with workarounds, review your tech stack and look for ways to optimize its efficiency.Efficient collaborationThe IT-heavy nature of monolithic architecture can be a major pain point. With legacy architecture, updating the front end means developers have to update the back-end code, even for minor tweaks. Not only does this add to the IT side’s workload, it’s also frustrating for marketing teams to have to wait for their requests to be handled.With composable architecture, front-end changes can be made without touching the back end. The result: faster turnaround, fewer IT tickets, and better collaboration between both sides of the business. How to measure it:Time from request to action: With less of a burden on your IT team, they should be able to push new changes faster and more efficiently.IT team retention: Less work means less stress and a happier IT team.Number of IT tickets for minor changesMissed deadline percentageFreedom to experimentWith a composable DXP, organizations can try out changes to the digital experience before fully committing to them. And since your IT team has to handle fewer small updates, they have more time to focus on strategic initiatives.How to measure it:Number of tweaks to changes after going liveAmount of IT time spent on minor adjustmentsCustomizationOne of the key selling points of monolithic architecture is the in-built suite of programs and functions. In theory, those programs and functions can be used to create whatever experience an organization wants; however, every organization has their own unique needs. The one-size-fits-all functions of monolithic platforms leave little room for customization — so unless the built-in functions are exactly what you need, you’ll have to spend time and resources finding add-ons that can get you in the vicinity of where you want to go.Benefits of customizationMore efficiencyBoth composable and legacy architecture let you personalize experiences and deliver content across multiple channels. But with monolithic solutions, that work still has to be completed by a team member. With composable DXPs, organizations can calibrate their microservices for maximum efficiency.How to measure it:Number of users: Too many users can be an inefficient use of resources — and create opportunities for avoidable errors.Governance capabilities: In-built governance capability means less need for human oversight for each piece of content created or delivered. Workflow automation rate: The more processes that can be taken off your team’s hands, the more time they have to focus on what really matters.Seamless integrationA composable DXP allows you to seamlessly integrate an app framework or SDK library with minimal setup time. This gives you the freedom to find the perfect tool for each function, so you can deliver the exact digital experience you have in mind. How to measure it:Number of apps in useTime to launchCostUser customizationsThe customizability of your DXP solution doesn’t just apply to customer experiences, but to users in your organization as well. Your composable DXP can be configured however your marketing team wants, so they can create and deliver content in a format that’s comfortable for them. How to measure it:UI customization: More UI customization within your composable DXP means your team is likely taking advantage of the customization options to build a structure they are comfortable with.Team satisfaction with platformSpeedCustomer needs and expectations can change in an instant. The speed of your composable DXP allows you to push new content, implement campaigns, and reach your goals — faster. Learn more about the value of speed for your organization in our article, “4 ways your teams can benefit from a composable DXP.”Benefits of speed Faster time to marketThe quicker you can update your composable DXP to bring new services, functions, or products to market, the better the overall digital experience for your customers. How to measure it:Build time for new initiativesImpressions & Conversions: If you strike while the iron is hot, your content can reach a bigger audience — and that can help bring in new business.Empowered creative teamsAlong with ease of use, the speed of composable architecture allows marketing leaders to launch campaigns and publish content much faster and without having to wait for IT. How to measure it:Content publishing timesContent creation time: Composable DXPs allow your creative team to create a content block for one site, then quickly push it to other sites and channels. That means less time spent re-publishing the same content on different channels and more time thinking up the next big idea.Better customer experiencesThe digital experience is designed to improve customers’ experience with your brand. Your composable DXP allows you to deliver a personalized experience that your customers will appreciate.How to measure it:Conversion rateRate of return trafficCost per leadScalabilityIf your business isn’t growing, it’s dying. Composable architecture enables continued growth without needing to build each new piece of the experience from the ground up. Benefits of scalability Greater reachThe scalability of your composable DXP affords you greater reach and easier access to new markets.How to measure it:Site load speed: Delivering your digital experience to a wider market does no good if it takes users too long to access it.Number of locationsLanguages in useOptimized contentThe scalability of your composable DXP means you can increase your content output without sacrificing quality or increasing the size of your team.How to measure it:Conversion ratePercent of return customersLead costsBetter ROI on content creationUsing modular content blocks to deliver content allows you to optimize and personalize your content to connect with your audience — and that means a better return on your content investment.How to measure it:Error rate of reused contentTime spent reworking content% of automated contentReliabilityWhat good is it to build a great digital experience if consumers can’t actually experience it? With composable architecture, you can say goodbye to the errors, downtime, and security issues that can cause customers to leave and not look back.Benefits of reliabilityImproved securitySecurity breaches cause site outages, lost data, and compromised customer information. The financial impact of poor security can be staggering, but a composable DXP can help prevent that.How to measure it:Security breach rateData loss frequency & scopeConsistent content deliveryHigh traffic is great — as long as your platform can handle it. If it can’t, you risk delivering a subpar digital experience.How to measure it:Site or service downtime during high trafficSite load timesSite error rateImproved digital experiencesContent can be handcuffed by the limitations of monolithic architecture. That often leads to a mediocre digital experience. A composable DXP doesn’t have those limitations, so you can focus on delivering the best digital experience possible.How to measure it:Bounce rateImpressionsOrganic trafficLearn moreLearn more about composable and how your teams benefit in our post, “4 ways your teams can benefit from a composable DXP.”Schedule a free demo to see how Contentstack’s composable DXP can help your organization deliver the digital experiences your customers desire.

Read the article
Feb 28, 2023

Announcing Contentstack Launch: Composable is now even easier

Meeting your business goals with an intuitive, end-to-end digital experience platform that your tech team can launch fast is now a reality. Announcing Contentstack Launch, a site-hosting solution that seamlessly integrates with our headless CMS, Automation Hub and Marketplace for a complete out-of-the-box DXP that works with clicks, not code. Contentstack Launch eliminates the need for a separate vendor for domain hosting of our headless CMS, so you can avoid the friction and issues that can arise when trying to make two disparate systems work together. With Contentstack Launch, the communication between the CMS and front end is seamless because both are built with the same Contentstack DNA. Unlike legacy DXP providers that offer “hard-wired” proprietary front ends or rely on third-party providers, Contentstack is now the only fully automated, composable DXP solution with 100% open MACH architecture. If you’re wondering how Contentstack Launch can work for your enterprise, read on to learn: Why we’ve added Contentstack Launch to our innovative family of products Why a 100% open MACH architecture is important Benefits for marketing teams Benefits for technical teams Contentstack Launch completes our end-to-end solution Contentstack Launch complements our existing headless CMS and middle-layer tools like Automation Hub and Marketplace to provide a fully composable, fully automated DXP solution.  Here’s a little more information on why a front-end solution is a critical and necessary element.   But before we dive in, let’s briefly cover the definition of “front end.” The front end is what the person visiting a website, shopping in an online store or using a mobile app sees when they look at their device screen. In a legacy CMS setup, developers have to write code on the back end of a site, which creates what we see on the front end. But with a headless CMS, a site’s back end is decoupled from the front end. The combination of headless CMS and composable architecture enables users to fully customize with any combination of software tools and microservices set up as APIs. Think of APIs as plug-and-play modules that are easy to add, update and remove without affecting the entire site or channel. A digital experience platform set up in this way has many advantages for users, such as the ability to push content to multiple channels quickly, make changes with little to no coding skills, or update specific modules or blocks incrementally over time as business needs evolve. Since the Contentstack CMS is headless, content is served up to websites and apps when the front end calls up code. The challenge is that the CMS still relies on a hosting platform to bridge the gap between the front end and back end of the DXP.  Our front-end hosting solution integrates seamlessly with our headless CMS, as well as our Automation Hub and Marketplace tools. It not only bridges the headless gap, connecting all the components your tech and marketing teams need to get the most from your DXP, but it does so without any friction. Many of our competitors offer headless CMSes that lack full stack functionality and require manual assembly. Contentstack is the only truly composable, fully automated, end-to-end solution that’s 100% MACH-compliant and ready to use out of the box without coding. The value of an open-MACH architecture The MACH Alliance's certification process was developed to help identify software vendors and integrators who embrace MACH philosophies and principles and offer services that are: Microservices-based: When a larger application is divided into separate independent components that work together but are autonomous. API-first: Application programming interface or the API is at the foundation of the framework, meaning each API or module is designed first, then these work together to deliver an end solution. Cloud-native Saas: Software as a service (SaaS) enables users to access and interact with cloud-based apps over the internet. Headless: When front-end user interfaces are decoupled from the back-end coding. What’s most significant to understand about MACH-compliant tools and services is that they are designed to help organizations to flex and scale over time with little to no interruption to the customer experience. Benefits for marketing teams When you leverage our complete all-in-one-solution that includes Contentstack Launch, your business can make traction quickly by providing truly exceptional experiences for your customers. Speed Whether your enterprise needs to launch a new website fast, add an e-commerce channel to your existing site or revamp outdated content, the addition of Contentstack Launch enhances the speed already attainable with our headless CMS, making development even faster. And since time is money, the faster you can get your store up and running or put your marketing campaigns to work, the faster your business can turn a profit. Scalability Contentstack is designed to enable your digital experience platform to evolve as your business grows and its needs change. Rather than have to throw out a website and build a new one, for instance, Contentstack supports limitless upgrades and integration of the best-in-breed tools available at any given time, even those that haven’t been developed yet. Flexibility Contentstack makes it simple to roll out changes without disruption to the customer experience.This means you have the freedom and flexibility to quickly update and scale to adapt to market conditions. Benefits for technical teams With Contentstack Launch, you’ll have all the right tools at your fingertips — from back end to front end — all in one platform, so you have less hassle, less friction and get more done, faster. Contentstack Launch empowers developers by: Enabling the fast build of websites and apps with fewer clicks and very little technical configuration Eliminating the need for stitching together disparate systems and building and maintaining custom integrations between the CMS and front end Being easy to automate and integrate with maintenance workflows Saving time spent on development and maintenance Allowing multiple sites and channels to be managed from one central hub Supporting common SSG rendering methods, auto-populating environment variables and a variety of Javascript frameworks Living in a secure cloud environment Benefits across teams Contentstack Launch not only bridges the gap between Contentstack CMS and the front-end user interface, it creates synergy between siloed teams. Typically, content managers and marketing teams work in a CMS, while developers and engineers work in code and front-end hosting platforms. Because they work in separate digital environments, it takes extra effort to collaborate and deliver consistently great digital experiences.  With Contentstack’s fully automated, end-to-end solution, your marketing and tech teams will both work seamlessly from one central hub. Learn more Learn more about how you can create digital experiences at the speed of your imagination with Contentstack Launch.

Read the article
Feb 24, 2023

How to re-imagine the customer experience, with ASICS’ Mindy Montgomery

Most people reluctantly adapt to change but others, like Mindy Montgomery, thrive on it. She worked to democratize consumer healthcare data in the 2000s, working across nonprofits, state and federal agencies. Then she went on to bring digital product management to a variety of industries undergoing digital change, from early Internet of Things (IoT) solutions to digitizing transit. Now she’s taking on the challenge of brand engagement as the senior technical product manager at ASICS. Montgomery recently spoke with us about leading teams that embrace change, how ASICS is using digital to strengthen the brand mission, and the advice she has for other leaders driving changes in customer experience. Build a library of experiences For Montgomery, the most exciting career move is the one that lets her jump into new and unfamiliar experiences. “One thing I really like to do is find new people to work with,” she said, explaining that instead of relying on networking or following managers and co-workers to new companies she’s more intrigued by positions that push her to create new relationships and fresh ideas. “Building up a library of experiences really helps you figure out how to solve problems because you’ve been exposed to so many different ways of thinking and groups of people.”  Look to hire people with a diversity of experiences — teams with a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and ideas to draw from are far less likely to get stuck in the status quo.“All of those experiences, especially in the collective, help build the best solutions possible,” Montgomery said.Find your “North Star”Being able to tap into a diversity of experience in your team is especially important as customer loyalty is increasingly won by brands that engage consumers beyond products and purchasing. A key way that ASICS is expanding its relationship with customers is by returning to the founding concept of the company. The brand name is an acronym of the latin phrase “Anima Sana In Corpore Sano'' which translates to “a sound mind in a sound body”, and ASICS’ mission is to help people gain the mental and physical health benefits that come from a positive, lifelong relationship with sport and activity. “That gives us a lot of really great storytelling opportunities,” Montgomery said about the brand’s focus on the wider health picture. “Because we can feed not only our products into that, but also the studies that we’ve sponsored and other experiences of our sponsored athletes, our employees and our brand ambassadors to really help tell those authentic stories.” But you shouldn’t wait on someone to hand you a North Star. “Even if the brand or the company doesn't have that, I think that if you get a small group of like-minded people together, you can come up with something that gives you that directionality,” Montgomery said. While she is fortunate that her role at ASICS comes with leaders who have a clear vision in mind, this hasn’t always been the case.“When I worked at a company digitizing the transit experience, we didn't really have a great North Star, but one of the things that we did have was being able to buy and use a bus ticket on your phone. Okay, let's start extending that. In what other scenarios do you use the bus? What if you could use your ticket to the baseball game as your transit ticket? What partnerships do we need to create in order to do that?”Imagine how the customer experience could evolve, in your best-case-scenario, and build toward that. Having a vision will give your team the confidence to enact meaningful change. “The confidence in that vision comes from incrementally delivering things that show progress towards that vision and solution,” Montgomery said.Expand engagement opportunitiesAs the customer journey expands to many different touchpoints. A principle Montgomery takes from her experience in healthcare is that there are “no wrong front doors.” In health services, this is the idea that no matter how someone enters the healthcare system, they should be able to easily transfer their information and receive benefits from any other service program. “With our digital transformation, and moving to headless and composable commerce, that’s really the same principle behind the things we’re doing,” Montgomery said. “If you come to asics.com you should be able to find a training plan, purchase that, use it in the Runkeeper app and register for one of the races on our many race registration platforms, all in one place.” To create that connected experience, Montgomery and her team are adopting API-driven solutions that allow them to easily standardize and share data.APIs make it easier to create more engagement across ASICS’s own channels, like sending customers a discount code for new shoes when they log 350 miles in the Runkeeper app, as well as further expand the brand’s reach by using open APIs to share content and promotions with trusted third-party partners. “We want to reach out, we want to be a partnership across your sports journey, be that running, golf, tennis, field sports or anything like that,” Montgomery said. “That’s something I think is really exciting.” Make friends with RFPsEvolving the customer experience often means evolving your tech. For many companies, this entails moving away from all-in-one platforms to get up and running with e-commerce and moving toward an ecosystem of best-of-breed vendors that specialize in different areas. Having a guiding principle can help make the evaluation process more efficient. For Montgomery and her team, this was the idea that they ultimately wanted a fully composable tech stack where any and every component is replaceable. So they seek out solutions that are API-driven and, as much as possible, headless. This helps narrow down the solutions on the long lists gathered from analyst reports, vendor landscapes and recommendations from partners and peers. “There is a fair amount of enormity paralysis involved,” Montgomery said about having to find and evaluate substantially more vendor solutions when companies move away from the monolith. “But you just have to get started.” Mindy Montgomery will be sharing more secrets for RFP success at ContentCon 2023: Register now.

Read the article
Feb 23, 2023

What developers should know about composable DXPs

As enterprises strive to create a unified digital experience for their customers, it is essential to understand the fundamentals of composable DXPs. This blog post will explain what these platforms are, how they work, and how they can help create an effective customer experience. What is a composable DXP? A composable DXP (digital experience platform) is a technology stack that supports the development and deployment of applications across various channels such as web, mobile, voice assistants, wearables and more. It consists of different components such as content management systems (CMSes), microservices architecture, APIs, analytics tools, customer data platforms (CDPs), marketing automation tools and more. These components work together to enable developers to rapidly build and deploy applications with minimum effort. How does it work?The key to making a composable DXP successful is having the right components in place. Components of a composable DXP include:A CMS that is the foundation for managing content across multiple channels APIs that provide access to data stored in other systems such as databases or cloud services. Microservices architecture that helps break down large applications into smaller services that can be deployed independently. Analytics tools that allow developers to gain insights into user behaviorMarketing automation tools help automate tasks such as sending emails or messages on social media platformsA customer data platform to store customer data securely and easily access it when neededBenefits of adopting a composable DXPUsing a composable DXP has several benefits for developers including:Increased agility:  With a composable DXP in place, developers can quickly build apps without spending time on coding from scratch or integrating multiple technologies together. This increases agility by allowing them to respond quickly to market needs or changes in customer preferences. Scalability: Composable DXPs are highly scalable so they can handle large amounts of traffic without compromising performance or reliability.Cost savings: Using a single platform reduces costs by eliminating the need for multiple technologies and license fees associated with them. Challenges for developersIntegrating multiple components One of the biggest challenges with composing a DXP is integrating all the different components together in a way that works seamlessly with each other. This requires extensive knowledge of web technologies, coding best practices, and design principles. It also requires developers to have an understanding of how different software interacts with each other and how they can be integrated into a single platform. Additionally, if there are any compatibility issues between two components or systems, then the developer will need to find a workaround or replace one component with another.  Maintaining quality standards Another challenge that developers face when implementing a composable DXP is maintaining quality standards throughout the process. Since they are dealing with multiple pieces of software that may come from various sources, it’s important to ensure that all components meet certain quality standards before they can be used in production. This means making sure that all code is up-to-date and bug-free; all third-party APIs are secure; and all data sources have been tested for accuracy and completeness before being integrated into the platform.  Testing for performance issues Finally, when creating a composable DXP, developers must also test for potential performance issues. As more components are added to the platform, there is an increased likelihood that some parts may not perform as expected due to memory usage or runtime errors. Therefore, it’s important for developers to thoroughly test their composable DXP before launching it in production to ensure its stability and eliminate any potential issues from arising later on down the line.  ConclusionImplementing a composable DXP offers many advantages over traditional monolithic applications but comes with its own set of challenges. Developers must make sure each component functions properly and meets quality standards before being implemented into the system. They must also test their platform for potential performance issues before launch. You can overcome these challenges by carefully planning your architecture and understanding how each component integrates with one another so you can create an effective solution for your customers’ needs.Learn moreLearn more about going composable in our guide, “How to go composable in 6 steps.”Schedule a free demo to see how Contentstack's composable content experience platform can help your organization benefit from the flexibility and scalability of a composable DXP.

Read the article
Feb 17, 2023

A CTO’s POV on helping brands build the best customer experiences

One of our mottos is: “Contentstack helps brands in the pursuit of possibility.”That phrase can mean many different things. Take our customer, ASICS, for example. When ASICS came to us, the possibility they were pursuing was a creative customer experience that melded the physical and digital together. Mindy Montgomery, senior technical analyst for ASICS, talked about that unique approach to customer experience on our “People Changing Enterprises” podcast. Their team definitely doesn’t limit themselves when it comes to that pursuit of possibility. But that means different things to every brand, especially with varying industry demands in play. With that in mind, how do we help brands live up to the word “possibility”?By constructing an ecosystem with all the tools and tech brands need.From brand to their customer, and from Contentstack to our brands — it takes an entire ecosystem to create an effective, innovative customer experience. Our world has grown smarter and more connected. When was the last time you walked into a room without some kind of screen? Computers, cellphones, TVs and even gas station kiosks have screens, and all are viable channels to use. A 2022 Hubspot report of 1000 marketing professionals found that 81% leverage more than three channels in their strategy. And, according to our retail research, 60% believe the number of engagement channels will only grow. For example, Mindy described how ASICS tries to reach customers beyond the brand’s own channels. Yes, a customer can navigate through their website, buy shoes or sign up for training plans, and receive product discounts. But how can they get further opportunities to engage when they track their miles through Runkeeper (ASICS’ running app)? Or even when they’re browsing sports content outside of ASICS channels? Of course, traditional software and monolithic technologies cannot support imaginative approaches like that. So, in 2011 when the team at Contentstack pioneered headless CMS, we knew it had to be more than just a CMS. We had to deliver an ecosystem of features and products that removed obstacles to innovation while enabling amazing customer experiences. In our ecosystem, everything our customers need can be easily integrated whether it’s an e-commerce, asset management, personalization or marketing automation tool.By supporting agility and future growth.When we build ecosystems, flexibility and scale are priorities. This is why we encourage every brand that wants to – as Mindy says – "surprise and delight" their customers to go composable. If you’ve never heard of composable or don’t quite understand it, here’s an example:Imagine you have a Lego structure. Each brightly-colored Lego block represents a piece of tech you’ve chosen, while the structure itself represents the composable architecture. If you have kids — or played with Legos as one — you understand the selling point of the product. Each block can attach and detach easily. In seconds, you can tweak and adjust your structure to create something entirely different. A train becomes a plane, which becomes a car, and so on and so forth.It’s the same with composable architectures — they are made to change however brands need. That flexibility is built in when your customer experience is built on composable. If a popular new channel arises that would benefit your brand to be in (much like the rise of TikTok), it could be as easy as a click of a button.This means that scaling your customer experience is just as easy. Our international airline customer, Icelandair, is able to translate content into 11 languages instantaneously, with no extra effort. But they’re also ready for any future growth; as they enter new markets, they’re able to quickly spin off new content for each language as needed.In a market with trends that change with the wind, flexibility and growth are essential to brands’ customer experience. By building a community that lives beyond the product.The last way we equip brands for any customer experience possibility is by building peer connections. Who better to learn from than similar status-quo-busting individuals?Mindy expressed the value of how conversing with brands in the vacation, hospitality and other consumer industries helped ASICS on their composable journey. That’s the value we try to bring to every Contentstack customer. We do this in several ways. The first is the opportunities we build into our product like Contentstack Community, where customers can participate in open-ended discussions and gain access to a customer-contributed knowledge base.We also hold “ContentCon,” a conference dedicated to cultivating community and encouraging collaboration among our customers. We not only provide fun networking opportunities, but customers present their own composable journey and what they learned, on the stage. That way, nobody has to make the same mistakes and everyone is surrounded by folks trying to improve their customer experiences. Peer-to-peer connection makes everyone better.Enabling brands to pursue possibility really just means that we provide the building blocks (quite literally), and help them fill in the gaps along the way. The brands are the experts on their customers — it’s our job to partner with them to achieve their vision.

Read the article
Feb 08, 2023

How to ask for better from your team

In many ways, we're a different company than when we started. Part of it is how much we've scaled. A bigger part is how we must constantly reinvent ourselves to stay ahead of the industry. For example, we started as a services company and transformed into a SaaS product. That transformation created more value for our customers and employees.But constant reinvention requires constant reflection on how we can be better. That's not easy. We all love routine. It's a blanket and a good book during a winter storm. The issue is you could stay under that blanket for a long time and, before you know it, customers are churning and competition is eating your lunch.So, how do you encourage "better?" ASICS Senior Technical Product Manager Mindy Montgomery said in the ”People Changing Enterprises” podcast that it can start with a simple question to the team: "Do we think the way we've been doing things is the best way?" She's found that most of the time, the answer is no and people end up volunteering for change. The question unlocks ideas that lead to "better."That's a great strategy. Here are some others I use in my day-to-day.Leaders: Start with yourselfBefore you ask for better from your team, turn that question inward. A trusted advisor once told me leaders have to fire and rehire themselves every six months to determine whether or not they're still the right person for the task at hand. Soon after that, I got an executive coach. I wanted to question if I was still the right CEO at this stage of scale and, if not, understand what gaps I needed to fill. My coach helped me work on conflict resolution and not letting personal attachments limit my ability to make the best business decisions.Leaders are fortunate in having built-in calendars that force "do better" check-ins — board meetings, end-of-quarters and fiscal years and the like. Be open about what you uncover about yourself during those times of analysis to encourage others to do the same. It helps create a culture of continuous improvement and being open to change.Create a culture that values changeI start this form of change-focused culture building by admitting I'm not all-knowing; it's about the collective knowledge and experiences of the team. They're working day in and day out with customers or in concert with partners, digging deep into industry challenges and building the products and features to solve those challenges. This all means that, in many instances, they're closer to what "better" looks like than me.We also build change into our values. For example, we "do the right thing even when no one is watching." In this case, doing the right thing means people across our organization (not just leadership) are empowered to identify and implement new systems or take the idea to someone who can. Mindy added two points about creating a culture of change I want to highlight here:Promote experimentation more than you fear failure. "Outside of a very few cases, our day-to-day decisions aren't going to close down a company like ASICS," she said. In other words, stop fearing a potential failure that may never happen. Instead, work toward better, mitigate potential issues and squeeze any learnings out of failure as you do.Make sure people have access to change "levers." Mindy spoke of data as a lever; use it to rally others and propose a better way. She also discussed people who have mastered "organizational buy-in" as levers. Not everyone has the influence to make widespread change within an organization, but they probably have access to someone who does. One final point: culture is created by a group of people interacting regularly. Don't forget that it's also made up of individuals. Everybody is different, so consider how you can incentivize experimentation in personal ways.Be North-Star drivenChange without a vision can be aimless — chaotic even. Communicate the vision clearly and repeatedly. It can be a target number you're looking to hit for the quarter or year — 100 new clients, $100 million revenue — or it can be a big, hairy, audacious goal, like using technology to pursue equity and break down barriers.Also, make sure everyone understands their specific role in achieving that goal. It all ladders up, and there are more opportunities to celebrate the wins along the way. We created Contentstack to challenge the status quo; legacy CMS technology wasn't cutting it for enterprises anymore. However, we can't rest on the laurels of invention. Organizations stay relevant when they get better — in line with customer needs and where the market is going — and embrace change.

Read the article