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Five composable technology trends that will define 2024
Amidst game-changing shifts in the digital landscape, understanding the impact of composable technology is pivotal for businesses seeking a competitive edge in 2024. With personalized content, consistent and connected journeys, new features that make your digital life easier, and robust security measures ensuring your data's safety, composable technology is the secret sauce behind future-ready business operations.We have identified five key trends that businesses can’t afford to ignore. These trends will define how businesses stay ahead of the competition in 2024 and retain their best customers. This evolution of the modern consumer experience is not only the norm, it’s the expectation. We’re not just talking about another tech fad here; these are the trends that are already redefining how businesses operate, how consumers interact with brands, and how personalized digital experiences are delivered. 1. Composable content: The new normThe term “composable content” refers to a method of content creation where content is broken down into small, reusable building blocks and then these blocks can be combined and recombined to suit various digital channels.In 2024, composable content will become the norm rather than the exception. Businesses increasingly recognize its value, as it allows content teams to tailor content to specific audiences and platforms without reinventing the wheel each time.One of the key drivers behind this trend is the rise of mobile apps and other digital platforms. Composable content allows businesses to deliver a consistent message across all these platforms, enhancing the overall customer experience."As we navigate the evolving landscape of consumer expectations, the agility offered by composable content becomes indispensable. Businesses are poised to adopt a more modular approach to content creation, enabling them to assemble and reassemble digital experiences to match the precise needs of the moment. This fluidity ensures that our messaging remains not only relevant but perfectly timed and targeted, meeting our audience exactly where they are."- Neha Sampat, Contentstack CEO2. Composable design: Flexibility at its bestComposable design takes the principles of composable content and applies them to software development and architecture. In a composable design framework, software is built using autonomous, exchangeable components that can function independently or together. This approach enables developers to build complex systems with simple parts, allowing for greater flexibility and scalability.As we move into 2024, expect to see a surge in the adoption of composable design principles. This trend will be driven by the need for businesses to quickly adapt to changing market conditions and customer preferences.“In 2024, we will witness the rise of composable architecture as the new standard for technology innovation. Just as LEGO bricks allow you to build anything you can imagine, composable technology will empower businesses to assemble customized solutions, adapting swiftly to evolving needs. The era of rigid, monolithic systems is coming to an end, making way for a more flexible, agile and cost-effective future.”– Jasmin Guthmann, VP MACH Alliance and Head of Corp Communications, Contentstack3. Composable DXPs: The future of content managementComposable digital experience platforms (DXP), with a headless CMS at its core, are set to revolutionize how businesses manage and create content. Unlike legacy DXP platforms, which often come with a one-size-fits-all approach, composable DXP platforms offer greater flexibility.In a composable DXP, various functions, such as content creation, editing and publishing, are treated as standalone services that can be used separately or together. This modular approach allows businesses to hyper-optimize their content management and add on any extensions and applications to suit their unique business needs.4. Democratized generative AI Gartner has highlighted democratized generative AI as one of the top strategic tech trends for 2024. Imagine being able to harness the power of artificial intelligence to create unique content or designs. That's the promise of democratized generative AI. It's no longer just about using AI; it's about creating with it.When combined with generative AI, composable technology opens up endless possibilities for innovation and creativity. Imagine being able to leverage the power of generative AI to compose unique products, services or experiences tailored to your audience. Composable tech and generative AI are poised to revolutionize industries and empower individuals and businesses to push the boundaries of what's possible. “The simple tasks are going away now that AI is here. We traditionally spend so much time designing interfaces to make doing simple tasks easier (how many screens should this be? Is the button in the right place?) but now so much of that can be done on our behalf. It’s really changing the interface for doing work as drastically as the advent of the web did.”– Conor Egan, Vice President of Product and Engineering, Contentstack5. Prioritizing composability in application planningGartner forecasts that by 2024, 70% of large and medium-sized enterprises will prioritize composability in their application planning. This underlines the growing consensus among businesses that flexible and adaptable software architectures are crucial for staying competitive in the digital age. This means that we’ll see the adoption of composable technologies across more industries than just tech and e-commerce. There will be a focus on flexibility and adaptability in industries like financial services, healthcare, higher education, and travel and tourism. Businesses need to be able to react quickly to market and customer behavior changes, no matter the industry. With a composable tech stack, they can do exactly that without their monolithic technologies holding them back. This transformative shift is a fundamental evolution in how industries operate, scale and deliver better personalized experiences.Learn how a Composable DXP, built with the industry-leading headless CMS at its core, can transform your business from the inside out.
Bridging monolith and composable with automation, with Director of Engineering Keith Mazanec
Moving to composable technology almost never happens all at once. There is a transition period. How do you help teams make the most of the composable technology, while easing the transition between old and new? Keith Mazanec, Director of Software Engineering at Brad’s Deals shares how they used a composable content technology with automation capabilities (Contentstack) to create an easy transition that improved the lives of content editors straightaway - and created a better experience for everyone, customers included. Plus, hear about their favorite uses of Automation Hub to automate across the content lifecycle.Timestamps:1:05 The volume of content at Brad's Deals, and what that means for content editors1:56 Why Brad's Deals looked for a new content management technology2:27 An example of how automations helped reduce manual data entry for content editors3:57 The custom dashboard Brad's Deals built for their editors5:06 Example of automating a categorizing function to speed up content publishing process6:03 Versioning and automating making changes to the content model8:16 How Brad's Deals created continuity between their legacy technology and the new headless CMS9:57 Automating throughout the content lifecycle across different content & marketing applications
Exploring and proving the value of AI
Leaders from Orium, commercetools and Contentstack came together for this masterclass to explore the use cases for AI in composable commerce. Press play to learn which applications will impact your brand and get insider insight into where, when and how to deploy AI to support your business goals as well as the tools you need to measure and monitor the results.
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Five composable technology trends that will define 2024
Amidst game-changing shifts in the digital landscape, understanding the impact of composable technology is pivotal for businesses seeking a competitive edge in 2024. With personalized content, consistent and connected journeys, new features that make your digital life easier, and robust security measures ensuring your data's safety, composable technology is the secret sauce behind future-ready business operations.We have identified five key trends that businesses can’t afford to ignore. These trends will define how businesses stay ahead of the competition in 2024 and retain their best customers. This evolution of the modern consumer experience is not only the norm, it’s the expectation. We’re not just talking about another tech fad here; these are the trends that are already redefining how businesses operate, how consumers interact with brands, and how personalized digital experiences are delivered. 1. Composable content: The new normThe term “composable content” refers to a method of content creation where content is broken down into small, reusable building blocks and then these blocks can be combined and recombined to suit various digital channels.In 2024, composable content will become the norm rather than the exception. Businesses increasingly recognize its value, as it allows content teams to tailor content to specific audiences and platforms without reinventing the wheel each time.One of the key drivers behind this trend is the rise of mobile apps and other digital platforms. Composable content allows businesses to deliver a consistent message across all these platforms, enhancing the overall customer experience."As we navigate the evolving landscape of consumer expectations, the agility offered by composable content becomes indispensable. Businesses are poised to adopt a more modular approach to content creation, enabling them to assemble and reassemble digital experiences to match the precise needs of the moment. This fluidity ensures that our messaging remains not only relevant but perfectly timed and targeted, meeting our audience exactly where they are."- Neha Sampat, Contentstack CEO2. Composable design: Flexibility at its bestComposable design takes the principles of composable content and applies them to software development and architecture. In a composable design framework, software is built using autonomous, exchangeable components that can function independently or together. This approach enables developers to build complex systems with simple parts, allowing for greater flexibility and scalability.As we move into 2024, expect to see a surge in the adoption of composable design principles. This trend will be driven by the need for businesses to quickly adapt to changing market conditions and customer preferences.“In 2024, we will witness the rise of composable architecture as the new standard for technology innovation. Just as LEGO bricks allow you to build anything you can imagine, composable technology will empower businesses to assemble customized solutions, adapting swiftly to evolving needs. The era of rigid, monolithic systems is coming to an end, making way for a more flexible, agile and cost-effective future.”– Jasmin Guthmann, VP MACH Alliance and Head of Corp Communications, Contentstack3. Composable DXPs: The future of content managementComposable digital experience platforms (DXP), with a headless CMS at its core, are set to revolutionize how businesses manage and create content. Unlike legacy DXP platforms, which often come with a one-size-fits-all approach, composable DXP platforms offer greater flexibility.In a composable DXP, various functions, such as content creation, editing and publishing, are treated as standalone services that can be used separately or together. This modular approach allows businesses to hyper-optimize their content management and add on any extensions and applications to suit their unique business needs.4. Democratized generative AI Gartner has highlighted democratized generative AI as one of the top strategic tech trends for 2024. Imagine being able to harness the power of artificial intelligence to create unique content or designs. That's the promise of democratized generative AI. It's no longer just about using AI; it's about creating with it.When combined with generative AI, composable technology opens up endless possibilities for innovation and creativity. Imagine being able to leverage the power of generative AI to compose unique products, services or experiences tailored to your audience. Composable tech and generative AI are poised to revolutionize industries and empower individuals and businesses to push the boundaries of what's possible. “The simple tasks are going away now that AI is here. We traditionally spend so much time designing interfaces to make doing simple tasks easier (how many screens should this be? Is the button in the right place?) but now so much of that can be done on our behalf. It’s really changing the interface for doing work as drastically as the advent of the web did.”– Conor Egan, Vice President of Product and Engineering, Contentstack5. Prioritizing composability in application planningGartner forecasts that by 2024, 70% of large and medium-sized enterprises will prioritize composability in their application planning. This underlines the growing consensus among businesses that flexible and adaptable software architectures are crucial for staying competitive in the digital age. This means that we’ll see the adoption of composable technologies across more industries than just tech and e-commerce. There will be a focus on flexibility and adaptability in industries like financial services, healthcare, higher education, and travel and tourism. Businesses need to be able to react quickly to market and customer behavior changes, no matter the industry. With a composable tech stack, they can do exactly that without their monolithic technologies holding them back. This transformative shift is a fundamental evolution in how industries operate, scale and deliver better personalized experiences.Learn how a Composable DXP, built with the industry-leading headless CMS at its core, can transform your business from the inside out.
Revolutionizing travel: MACH-powered personalized digital experiences
The travel industry has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years, driven primarily by technological advancements and changing consumer expectations. One of the most influential shifts has been the adoption of MACH architecture to create personalized digital experiences that cater to the unique preferences and needs of travelers.MACH, an acronym for Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native and Headless, offers a revolutionary approach to designing and delivering travel services, redefining how we explore the world.Microservices: Building blocks of customizationMicroservices, a core principle of MACH architecture, involve breaking down complex systems into smaller, manageable components. In the travel industry, this translates to dividing various aspects of the travel journey into discrete services that can be developed, deployed, and scaled independently. For instance, booking, reservations, itinerary management, payment processing and customer support can all function as separate microservices. This modular approach not only enhances development speed and flexibility but also facilitates the creation of highly personalized experiences.API-first: Enabling seamless integrationAn API-first approach ensures that every microservice is equipped with well-defined APIs that enable seamless communication and data exchange between different components of the travel ecosystem. Travel companies can integrate with third-party services, such as airlines, hotels, car rental agencies and local experience providers, to offer their customers a holistic range of services. This integration extends to travel meta-search engines, allowing travelers to access comprehensive information and options on a single platform.Cloud-native: Unleashing scalability and accessibilityThe cloud-native aspect of MACH architecture empowers travel companies to leverage the scalability and reliability of cloud computing. As the travel industry experiences fluctuations in demand due to seasonal trends, holidays and global events, the ability to scale up or down resources quickly is crucial. Cloud-native infrastructure ensures personalized experiences remain consistent and accessible regardless of the simultaneous number of users accessing the platform. Moreover, cloud technologies also enhance data security and disaster recovery capabilities, reassuring travelers about the safety of their information.Headless: Flexibility in design and deliveryHeadless architecture decouples the front-end presentation layer from the back-end logic, allowing travel companies to deliver personalized experiences across various devices and touchpoints. With the rise of mobile apps, smart devices, and voice assistants, travelers expect a consistent and seamless experience, whether using a smartphone, tablet, or smart speaker. Headless architecture ensures that the content and services can be optimized for each platform without compromising on quality or user experience.Benefits for travelers: Hyper-personalization and seamlessnessThe adoption of MACH architecture in the travel industry yields numerous benefits for travelers: Hyper-personalization: With access to a wealth of data about travelers' preferences, past behaviors and interests, travel companies can offer tailored recommendations and suggestions. Whether it's suggesting destinations, accommodations, activities or travel routes, hyper-personalization ensures that every aspect of the journey resonates with the traveler's individual tastes.Seamless booking process: Integrating various services through well-defined APIs simplifies the booking process. Travelers can seamlessly book flights, accommodations, transportation and activities without navigating multiple platforms or encountering compatibility issues.Real-time updates: Microservices enable real-time updates, ensuring travelers receive timely information about flight delays, gate changes, traffic conditions and more. This information empowers travelers to make informed decisions and adapt their plans as needed.Consistent experience: Headless architecture guarantees a consistent user experience across different devices and channels. Whether travelers interact with a website, a mobile app or a voice assistant, the experience remains cohesive and user-friendly.The road ahead: Transforming travel experiencesAs the travel industry continues to evolve, MACH-powered personalized digital experiences are poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of travel. By harnessing the power of microservices, APIs, cloud-native infrastructure and headless architecture, travel companies can create tailor-made journeys that cater to the unique desires of every traveler. This approach enhances customer satisfaction and establishes a competitive edge in an increasingly tech-savvy and experience-driven market. As more players within the travel industry embrace MACH principles, we can anticipate a future where travel is not just about reaching a destination but about embarking on a personalized adventure that resonates deeply with each individual explorer.
Recession-proofing business with composable architecture
Businesses' opportunities for digital growth are facing blockers due to unstable economic conditions and inflation that are likely to continue deep into 2031. As the volatility of the global markets continues, business leaders and C-suite executives need digital agility, budget revamping, vendor updates and enhanced sales reach.However, some businesses still lack the caliber to navigate these tricky times. Amid market turbulence, can composable architecture help modernize businesses effectively?Preparing for growthContinued growth requires consistent efforts, and all industries, from healthcare to manufacturing, are running that marathon. However, only those businesses that have adopted scalable and agile systems will win the race against economic downturn. The markets are more dynamic than ever, with requirements changing at the speed of imagination. Under such circumstances, the last thing brands need are hefty monoliths incapable of scaling and adapting to the business needs. The solution? A modular structure that evolves with the business, incorporating flexibility and ease of expansion within its folds. Composable architectures based on technology stack agnosticism, API support and cloud-native foster the required scalability. Enhancing business resilienceAccording to a Workday report, 52% of business leaders have recognized an acceleration gap impeding the digital growth of their companies. Thankfully, composable architecture can help bridge this gap. By adopting a composable system, businesses can deploy and test functionalities much faster. With the ease of experimenting, scaling, and implementing new functionalities, brands can be more adaptable to any change, be it adding new capabilities during market growth or streamlining operations stemming from financial upheavals. Profit generationMaintaining profitability and business sustainability are of prime importance during an economic downturn. Besides taking measured steps to enhance cash flow, reduce fixed costs and increase efficiency, companies must protect their existing market share and discover new customer segments to stay afloat during an economic downturn. Composability comes to the rescue yet again by enhancing revenue and reducing costs by letting companies buy only what is needed rather than investing in a broad range of irrelevant capabilities. After surveying 4000 C-suite executives in the Value Untangled report, Accenture posits that agility featuring high interoperability backed by composable tech is the hallmark of successful brands. Fosters a "fail fast" approach In an attempt to "trim the fat" during an economic crisis, businesses often make the grave mistake of jamming innovation and, as a result, fail to develop alternative models. While hacking innovation reduces short-term production costs, it doesn't benefit in the long run as revenue flow stops. To keep the profit cogs functioning seamlessly, companies must continue experimenting with innovations, embracing rapid failures and swift learning to realign with market needs. Many enterprises and startups have adopted this ideology, and by embracing composability, they can easily construct business components using flexible data and then test the resulting model to see if it's viable in the market.During turbulent economic times, composability provides businesses with the opportunity missed by traditional monoliths — scalability. With a modular development approach using best-of-breed services, companies can enjoy the freedom to thrive in the face of economic disruption.
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Disjointed customer experiences are a widespread marketing pain point. Delivering seamless digital user experiences across the touchpoints of the customer journey is tough, and a traditional channel mentality won’t get you there.
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From local to global: The evolution of localization strategies
The way we interact with global audiences has gone through a major makeover, all thanks to the digital revolution. In today's interconnected world, businesses are no longer confined within the borders of their home countries. Nailing your expansion strategy comes down to one word: localization. It's the secret sauce for connecting with consumers from different corners of the globe, smashing through language and cultural barriers, unifying your brand, and unlocking new opportunities for business expansion. In fact, about 73% of customers prefer to buy from websites that speak their language, according to the Harvard Business Review.But localization is so much more than language. How can you ensure your message hits the mark no matter where it's heard? The answer lies in understanding the cultural and geographical attributes of your customers and how those attributes influence their buying decisions.Localization in practiceThese examples illustrate the various dimensions of localization beyond language translation, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive and culturally sensitive approach when expanding globally.Cultural representation in visuals: Tailoring visuals to resonate with local cultureLocalized customer support: Providing support in the customer's native languageAdapting to regional trends: Aligning products or services with local trendsLegal compliance illustration: Adhering to local legal requirements and regulationsLocalized social media engagement: Customizing social media content for diverse audiencesCelebrating local holidays: Acknowledging and participating in local celebrationsUser-generated content across cultures: Showcasing diverse user experiences globallyGlobal collaboration: Fostering collaboration among teams from different regionsLocalized packaging design: Adapting packaging to suit local aestheticsMultilingual marketing collateral: Presenting marketing materials in multiple languagesWhat is localization?Localization is not merely translating words from one language to another. It is a comprehensive process of adapting your content, products, and services to the culture, preferences, and requirements of a specific target market. It's about speaking the language of your audience, not just linguistically but also culturally, economically, and legally.Let's explore the evolution of localization strategies and understand why they are critical for businesses aiming to expand globally.Localization vs translationLocalization goes beyond mere translation. It involves a deep understanding of cultural nuances. Does the color red symbolize luck in your target market, or does it denote danger? How should you lay out your content to appeal to your audience's aesthetic sensibilities? What images or visuals would resonate with them? Are there any local laws or regulations that you need to comply with? All these factors are taken into account while localizing content.Even marketing practices are tailored to cater to specific markets, such as optimizing keywords, link-building strategies and lead-generation techniques to align with local search behavior.Understanding cultural fitLocalization is a powerful tool to overcome cultural barriers. It helps businesses to understand, respect, and align with the preferences and norms of different markets. By crafting content that reflects local cultures and values, businesses can effectively engage with their target audience and foster brand loyalty.Imagine trying to sell a product without understanding the needs, tastes, and preferences of your consumers. It's like shooting in the dark, isn't it?Business benefits of localizationThe benefits of content localization are manifold. It increases sales by addressing the language needs, marketing practices, and preferences of diverse audiences. It helps build brand loyalty by showing an understanding of the target market and creating a connection with customers.Localization also enhances brand integrity by avoiding cultural faux pas and ensuring consistency across global markets. Moreover, it reduces customer support costs by providing localized troubleshooting guides and content in the preferred language of the customers.Global footprint with a local feelThe evolution of localization strategies from simple translation to comprehensive content adaptation has been a game-changer for businesses expanding globally. A nuanced and well-executed localization strategy not only ensures linguistic accuracy but also embraces the richness of cultural nuances, fostering a sense of connection and belonging among global consumers. Brands that go beyond mere translation and delve into the intricacies of local cultures demonstrate a commitment to understanding and respecting their diverse customer base.By resonating with local sensibilities, businesses can establish an emotional connection with consumers, transcending language barriers and creating a lasting impact. To sum it up, localization transforms a brand from being a mere product or service provider into a cultural collaborator operating on a global scale. So, if you're planning to go global, remember, localization is not an option but a necessity. It's not just a matter of words—it's about crafting an immersive and authentic experience for every individual, turning the challenges of global expansion into opportunities for meaningful, personalized engagement.
The future of travel content: Unlocking the potential of composable experiences
The holiday season is upon us, and there is nothing more enticing than finding the perfect travel offer right when the weather gets colder and everyone dreams of an easy trip home for the holidays — or the perfect winter getaway. And that means travel companies are on the hook for providing that perfect offer, to millions of travelers, all looking for something just right, just for them. Composable content makes that task easier than ever. The concept of composable content is revolutionizing how we create, manage and deliver travel and tourism-specific digital customer experiences. It's a dynamic shift from traditional monolithic content creation to a more flexible, efficient and scalable approach.What is composable content in the travel industry?Composable content is designed to be reusable, rearranged and reassembled in different ways across multiple platforms and contexts. It's like building blocks — creating smaller, self-contained content pieces that can be compiled into a larger, more comprehensive travel experience.Each module independently holds value but can be combined and recombined to create diverse omnichannel offerings without the need for repetitive content creation. For example, Icelandair uses composable content to serve localized content in 12 languages, to 16 local markets, all with a relatively small team of content editors. This way, they can serve customers in their local language and create custom travel offers for every region, all from one central content platform.The power of composable experiencesThe force-multiplying power of this approach lies in its inherent flexibility and efficiency. It allows for more efficient travel and tourism-related content production. Instead of creating new content for every scenario, modular content enables repurposing and re-packaging existing modules as needed. This reduces the time and resources spent on content creation and ensures a consistent brand voice and message across all channels.Composable content also makes updating information significantly easier. Instead of searching through extensive page backlogs to make updates, with composable content, you simply update the relevant module and the changes are naturally propagated through any channel that uses that module.Additionally, in the era of highly personalized travel and tourism experiences, composable content shines through its ability to adapt to individual needs. Modules can be rearranged, substituted and assembled based on specific preferences, allowing for a truly tailored travel digital content experience.Travel experience brand GetYourGuide uses composable content modules to create exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime experiences — called “Originals” by GetYourGuide — that are promoted using rich videos and influencer content, allowing them to reach new audiences in new markets compared to their regular suite of traditional travel offers.Empowering content creatorsTo harness this force-multiplying power, content creators need to be able to execute a customer-data-driven content strategy. They need to identify the core travel messages, divide them into logical modules, and ensure each module is self-sufficient and capable of standing alone.Essentially, they're creating a content library, which content creators can draw from and combine in countless ways to craft unique, personalized travel experiences. It goes without saying that technology that supports composable content is paramount to successfully executing this approach. Pedro Torres, Product Manager at GetYourGuide, says leveraging Contentstack composable technology has been a game-changer for content editors. “Contentstack helped us establish pre-approved components where users can quickly create content and drop it into flexible templates, transforming our approval processes and how we think about new experiences.”Content reigns supreme in the travel industryThe future of travel and tourism digital experiences is indeed modular. As we navigate the ever-changing digital landscape, the force-multiplying power of composable content will become increasingly apparent in the travel and tourism industry.Composable content offers a streamlined, efficient and adaptive approach to content creation perfectly suited to our dynamic digital age where content reigns supreme. It's not just about creating content anymore — it's about composing unforgettable travel and tourism experiences.
Transformation through Automation: Keith Mazanec, Brad's Deals
Keith Mazanec (Director Software Engineering, Brad's Deals) returns to share the company's in-depth transformation story, highlighting the content lifecycle automations that made the biggest different for content teams as the company moved from legacy to composable. This session was recorded live at ContentCon 2023.
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Bridging monolith and composable with automation, with Director of Engineering Keith Mazanec
Moving to composable technology almost never happens all at once. There is a transition period. How do you help teams make the most of the composable technology, while easing the transition between old and new? Keith Mazanec, Director of Software Engineering at Brad’s Deals shares how they used a composable content technology with automation capabilities (Contentstack) to create an easy transition that improved the lives of content editors straightaway - and created a better experience for everyone, customers included. Plus, hear about their favorite uses of Automation Hub to automate across the content lifecycle.Timestamps:1:05 The volume of content at Brad's Deals, and what that means for content editors1:56 Why Brad's Deals looked for a new content management technology2:27 An example of how automations helped reduce manual data entry for content editors3:57 The custom dashboard Brad's Deals built for their editors5:06 Example of automating a categorizing function to speed up content publishing process6:03 Versioning and automating making changes to the content model8:16 How Brad's Deals created continuity between their legacy technology and the new headless CMS9:57 Automating throughout the content lifecycle across different content & marketing applications
Building a scalable DXP - Part 3
In parts one and two, we covered the basics of building a scalable DXP and how to scale your DXP. In taking on the initiative to scale your DXP, it is fundamentally important to know why you are doing it.Let’s dive in.Why should I scale?If building and scaling your DXP sounds like a lot of work and critical thinking, it is. So why should you do it? You may be enticed by the revenue you want to increase or the costs you want to decrease, but if your reasoning only extends to cash flow, you will open yourself and your company up to potentially bad decisions. Of course, any sound strategy you take with your digital experience platform (DXP) ought to lead to increased financial returns on your investment and effort, but that is only one of many potential outcomes. If those additional returns aren’t quickly felt by the team undertaking the work and feeling the brunt of the change process, such as in a bonus strategy or revenue share, then those returns won’t be durable enough to instill a lasting approach to scalability in your digital organization.A DXP puts the customer firstThe first reason you want to build a scalable DXP is for your customers. Adopting a scalable approach will allow you to reach them better, faster and more efficiently. It will allow you to continue to evolve your mission and increase your engagement with your audience. Scalability for your DXP means your customers can efficiently interact with your brand, including sales, support and even your community of customers. It means that orders are accurate and filled quickly. It means that the latest and greatest news and information from your company are always right there ready for your customers to experience in their preferred context. Create and manage more contentIt also means that you can create and manage more contexts. Consider a traditional monolithic CMS that is designed purely for publishing on the web. Perhaps you’ve cobbled together bold-on API solutions that allow you to publish simultaneously to the web and your mobile application, and perhaps you’ve optimized a slew of copy-and-paste processes to their maximum efficiency. But adding another distribution channel, say, a voice app or integration with an IoT device, feels like months, if not years away from your present state. Now consider how replacing your monolithic CMS with a headless CMS would tear down walls for your team, allowing your content managers to focus on crafting delightful and optimized content while your designers and developers focus on the presentation of that content in numerous contexts.Unlock the potential of your peopleThis leads us to the second main reason you want to scale: your people. Time not spent copying, pasting and emailing content and collateral is time that is available for ingenuity and innovation. As you unlock scale within your DXP, you free up your team to focus on the areas where they can create real value, which is typically a rewarding and uplifting result in your staff’s day-to-day work. Although it may be tempting —and at times, necessary — to optimize and scale your DXP or other business processes to reduce team size, that should rarely, if ever, be the sole motivating factor for pursuing scalability. Instead, pursue scalability across your organization and DXP as if you are upgrading everyone’s daily lives or giving them a new suit of clothes to replace the old ones that don’t fit so well anymore so that they can do their very best high-value work. Your team will thank you for setting them free, and your customers will thank you for the ease with which you provide them with your services. After all, businesses are run by people to provide goods and services for others, and meeting the needs of both groups of people efficiently and optimally is the definition of good business, which inexorably leads to growth.A scalable DXP drives business growth While many companies are fortunate enough to achieve growth, not all of them can achieve scale. Often what holds a business back is more the result of how teams look at their internal systems and processes than it is about market conditions. In fact, by looking deeply and understanding the end-to-end processes within your organization, you have the potential to actually drive demand by making your products better and cheaper than your competitors. This is precisely the outcome Ransom Olds achieved for Oldsmobile in 1901 when he implemented the first automobile assembly line and increased output by 500% in one year.Today, blazing-fast mobile connectivity, the Internet of Things (IoT), and new devices on the market all point in the same direction: the number of places where your customers expect to engage with your brand online is growing, which means that your capacity to meet them there should also be growing if you want to maintain your competitive edge. By understanding the assembly line that makes up your DXP, you can see each system and step in your publishing process clearly, which will allow you to make intentional changes in your core technologies and people processes that will unlock scale.We are fortunate to be at a time when there have never been so many tools and options available to optimize and scale your DXP. From back-of-house big data, inventory and digital asset management tools to headless CMS, automation tools and instantaneous publishing on CDN geographically close to the user, the ability for digital teams to reassess their DXP implementation and optimize for scale has never been more within reach for everyone.Equipped with a firm grasp of what it truly means to scale and the steps outlined above, you and your teams should now be ready to unlock efficiencies that have previously held you back and embark on the exciting journey of scaling your DXP.Learn about our Developer Fast Track to see how you can start building today.
Building a scalable DXP - Part 2
Let’s start with a shared definition of the territory. Gartner has a nice definition of a digital experience platform (DXP): “A digital experience platform (DXP) is an integrated set of core technologies that support the composition, management, delivery and optimization of contextualized digital experiences.” There are three main aspects of this definition, each of which can vary depending on the specific needs of an organization: The set of core technologiesThe content management processesThe digital experience contextLet’s unravel each of them separately.Core technologies of a DXPThe core technologies of a DXP consist of things like a content management system (CMS), customer relationship management system (CRM), digital asset management system (DAM), inventory management system, website, web host, payment processor, mobile application and so on. Core technologies also include any code you write or maintain, DevOps, backups, redundancies, and the technical support required to maintain them. The technologies that make up any given DXP typically take center stage in an organization, and staff can usually list several of them by name even if they aren’t on the digital team because, collectively, these technologies tend to touch almost every person in a modern organization in some way.Content management processes of a DXPContent management processes are a mix of automated and manual steps that transform, augment and assemble media from ideation to publication. These processes will vary widely from one organization to another, but they typically include things like selecting and editing images, writing and editing content, and updating and maintaining inventory data, like prices and product descriptions. Depending on the size and configuration of your digital team, content management processes can span across multiple teams, each providing their own expertise and applying their craft along the line from ideation to final publication. While these processes are typically powered by people, they will also often include automated steps leveraging the core technologies mentioned above. For example, a photographer may manually capture several images for an upcoming article. When the photographer uploads the images to the DAM, the images are automatically resized, tagged and optimized for their publishing context, and an automated message is sent to an editor letting them know the images are ready to be used.The digital experience context of a DXPThe contextual domain of the DXP refers to where the assembled content is published. Contexts include websites and parts of websites, social media, mobile applications, the Internet of Things (IoT), extended reality (XR) and more. The publication context is one of the more complex components of any DXP because of the variety of contexts in which a piece of content can appear, the amounts and myriad formats of data insights available for each context, and the limited visibility into the minds of individuals who are the end consumers of DX, where the content, context and technologies all come together to provide some sensory experience. For example, one piece of content, like a blog or product entry, may appear in a mobile app, mobile website, desktop website, and digital display simultaneously, each with slightly different and nuanced requirements.Now that we’ve defined the space we’ll be exploring, we’re ready to begin building our scalable DXP. Most companies already have a DXP, so this process focuses on evolving your existing DXP to make it more scalable. The same principles apply to building a scalable DXP for a brand-new organization, but some steps you will need to come back to once you have your team in place. In general, it’s a good idea to come back to this process periodically because even subtle systems or structural changes can unlock new — or hinder existing — scalability over time.The 5 principles of building a DXP1. Define your content and its componentsTaking a content inventory is the first step in implementing a scalable DXP. Your end-to-end DXP is a pathway for content to come together and be presented for your audience to experience, and ignoring the realities of the individual pieces that make up your content or that are needed to make it successful will ultimately inhibit scale. Think of content as anything you want your audience to encounter independent of the context in which they will experience it.Start by listing out each type of content, such as static pages, blog entries, product pages, etc. Then, list out the components that make up each of those types of content. Here, you want to capture details that show how the media is assembled for the end user. For instance, if a blog entry has a hero image, body text, excerpt, author and other metadata, document it. Likewise, if a product page includes five photos, a video, a 3D walkthrough, a price, a SKU and a call to action button, note these details, too.If your organization has a lot of existing content with a lot of variation, which is often true of large and growing companies, then you may want to consider creating one version of your inventory document reflecting your current content and dependencies and another version reflecting a more ideal and streamlined state. Similarly, if your business maintains hundreds of websites, you may only want to focus on one specific content segment in your organization, like your corporate newsroom or product catalog.A good rule of thumb is to try to keep your content inventory documentation simple and clear. At this step, you don’t need to list things like social media posts if those posts would just be redistributing content you originally published elsewhere, like on your brand website. The purpose of this step is to assess the breadth of your content and the components that comprise it, and to create an anchor for your team as you work toward a shared understanding of context and process.2. Define your contextsNow that you have an idea of the content your team will be publishing, it’s time to document the contexts in which it will appear. In this exercise, start by writing down everywhere your content may appear to your audience. This document will likely include publishing destinations like the web, mobile apps, digital signage, social media, ads, mailing lists, voice UI, podcasts, etc., and it may also include subcontexts if there are important distinctions that affect content production for any given context, such as differently sized mobile devices, accessibility tools, and the variety of social media experiences.Contexts can become overwhelming very quickly; they include how content is presented through any device and how and when individuals interact with it, like in the morning or while driving. Because of this reality, the goal of this step is not to exhaustively list every possible context you can think of. Instead, focus on the contexts you can directly control that require significant differences in content assembly. For example, it might make sense for your list to include individual contexts for Twitter and Facebook because you actively craft different and unique content for each platform. But it may not be important for you to list iOS and Android as different contexts for your mobile website if the same technologies and content power both experiences.Referencing your content inventory, note which content appears in which contexts. While it’s common that most content appears in some fashion across each context, that’s not always the case. A voice UI app may read a blog post to your users, but the context doesn’t allow for images. Similarly, you may post blog entries that feature products to your social media accounts but opt not to post actual product page content on its own.The important insight to gather at this phase is the variety of contexts in which your content appears. This is important because content needs to be optimized for its context. For instance, the same blog hero image may appear across multiple contexts, but it may require different sizes when presented in each context to provide the best experience. It is a fundamental necessity to understand the content moving through your DXP to this level of detail. By having a firm grasp on your content’s components and the variety of contexts in which your users experience that content, you will be well equipped to design efficient systems and processes to create and publish that content.3. Walk a mileHuman-Centered Design (HCD or “design thinking”) is a powerful philosophy and rich set of tools that can empower any digital or technology team. One such tool is called a “walk-a-mile immersion”, which is the simple process of walking a mile in someone else’s shoes. Envision an assembly line where every step contributes some value to the end result of your content being published in a variety of contexts. The assembly line has stations where certain processes are performed by your team as components are created, put together, and modified before final delivery.In this step, you talk to each team involved in creating, editing and managing each content component. You get to know the systems in use, the scope of their functionality, and how the individuals on your team use the tools. If you are creating a new DXP or building a new team, then envisioning and jotting down hypothetical teams and content handoffs can work just as well. The goal of this step is to document each of the key steps and tools used along the path of creating your content, from ideation to publication.For example, if you maintain an inventory database, a DAM, a CMS, a CRM — or if you use desktop tools or a monolithic system — document all of them along with the nature of the work and effort involved in completing each step to produce your content. If ideation starts on a whiteboard and your content is published in five different places, document the steps, systems and effort required from the beginning to the end.At the conclusion of this step, you should have a clear understanding of your content and its components, the many and varied places your content appears, and the processes and systems your teams leverage to create, edit and publish content.4. Analyze your assembly lineBy now, you’ve documented your content and contexts and have a map of the systems and processes required to take your content from ideation to publication. In this step, we analyze the content assembly line to highlight steps with high effort and low added value to set the stage for scalability.Start by looking for duplicative effort and content. For example, if your team has to create multiple different sizes of an image to publish in each of your contexts, or if your team has to perform manual, repetitive tasks that add low value and require significant effort, then these are opportunities for improvement. Look for how upstream ingredients, like product pricing and inventory systems, feed into your CMS and are married to descriptions, images, reviews and more. In legacy DXPs, many of these steps and processes can occur in one or just a few systems, but modern DXPs will typically have various systems, allowing for specialized focus by team members at discrete touch points along the content assembly line.Identify steps and processes where teams typically report being blocked by other teams. Any team or process blocked by another team or a previous step in the assembly line often indicates that optimization is needed upstream. If the content publishers in the final step of your publishing process are always waiting or having multiple conversations for images to be resized, for instance, this step of the process is a potential opportunity for improvement. Once you highlight areas with high effort, or “friction”, shift your focus to steps and processes that are efficient. For example, if you have a backlog of ideas that are waiting to be realized into articles or a backlog of products in need of descriptions, these surpluses likely indicate high efficiencies at these steps, which means other steps and processes could potentially improve to meet these efficiencies.At the conclusion of this step, you should have a clear picture of the end-to-end assembly line for creating and publishing your digital content, including all elements, assets, texts, metadata and other media coming together for final publication in each given context. You should clearly see each individual system used for each step in the assembly line, as well as every human process and general level of effort required along the way for a piece of content to be published. For e-commerce DX, this might mean understanding the processes in the back-of-house where pricing and inventory levels are kept up to date, combining in a subsequent step to add ancillary product metadata and media, being checked in a following step for accuracy and legal compliance, and finally being deployed to a live site, where it is cached on a CDN for low latency access. For a media organization, your assembly line may instead start with ideation in a Trello board, followed by an outline, and then a draft, and finally combined with image assets and published in a CMS that feeds into a newsreader app. The number of potential combinations of steps in creating an assembly line is virtually limitless, and at this time there is no single right way to structure these systems and processes. Though, as you may now be able to see in your assembly line, the number of wrong ways to do it is also myriad.5. Strategies for scaleHoning in on your digital experience assembly line and locating areas for improvement is enlightening, but without instituting real and intentional change, the friction remains. Now that we know where lie the strengths and weaknesses in our existing processes, how do we prioritize and implement changes that scale?If you’ve successfully completed each previous step, you should be able to readily identify two or three places in your assembly line that clearly stand out as higher effort or higher cost of input than other steps in your publishing workflow. In some cases, friction is expected, such as in the actual writing of articles or sending teams out in the field to gather photos or raw audio that must be edited by hand. In other cases, you may identify a step in the process that always seems to be blocked, such as a publishing team waiting on transcripts, translations, file format changes, image resizes, SEO metadata, and so on.Begin by prioritizing repetitive tasks. Any high volume of repetitions performed by a human often indicates that there is a more optimal process available. Examine the systems used at this step and determine if they provide the most up-to-date tools to perform these operations. For instance, many DAM and CMS solutions automatically resize images and store them in multiple formats optimized for various contexts. There are also very good tools that automatically transcribe audio and translate text into almost any language, which could significantly reduce these high-touch steps in your assembly line. Optimizing your assembly line for scale will typically involve a combination of reorganizing processes and workflows to improve the pace of handoffs from one step to the next, along with updates to the core technologies your team uses to realize your digital experience.Composable DXPs are on the riseIn recent years, there has been a trend toward composability, wherein digital teams are looking deeper into their publishing workflows in order to combine the best set of tools for each step of the process. Composing a DXP is the opposite of purchasing one single off-the-shelf system. When you adopt a composable approach, you accept the reality that your business needs are unique, and it’s unrealistic to expect one or two products alone to offer everything your team needs exactly how you need it, given the variety of content and contexts your digital experience can take on. The most essential need for the systems that make up your DXP is interoperability, which is often referred to as “API-first”. Application Program Interfaces (APIs) allow systems to talk to one another and share information in a safe and secure manner. For your business, this unlocks the possibility of automating hand-offs and removing blocks where content components are manually delivered to the next team for assembly. Webhooks and automation tools leverage APIs and are extremely handy to let you remove rote human-powered processes and exchange them for more efficient machine-driven processes. Headless CMS is another popular solution, which focuses the content management in a single-purpose powerful solution designed for managing and shipping your content to virtually any context without needing to make any changes to your core systems — you simply deploy a new app, website or other technology that safely consumes content via your APIs.Where you find one single product doing most of the work in your assembly line, chances are that there is high friction between it and any adjoining steps in your publishing workflow. These systems also sometimes lead to siloed teams and ivory tower cultural friction between those with access to the monolith and those without access. Benefits of composable solutionsBy replacing a monolith with a multi-product platform with focused independent interconnected tools or a variety of API-connected solutions that focus on doing one or just a few things extremely efficiently, you hedge against siloing and begin to move in the direction of more streamlined processes. Moreover, many composable solutions are extendable, meaning that you can integrate them with other systems in a few clicks or lines of code. And if one solution becomes too costly or fails to unlock the efficiencies you are looking to gain, then it can be relatively easily replaced without the need for a wholesale migration or hugely disruptive technology change.What’s next? Unlock the scale of your DXPWhen you complete this step, you ought to finally have the complete picture of your end-to-end digital assembly line, along with each system, team and process that must work in concert to create and deliver your digital content across your chosen contexts. From this vantage point, you can easily identify where scale is blocked and where it is already well established, as well as which areas stand out as the highest priority to optimize first. You will be ready to begin taking action to unlock the scale of your DXP.In part three, we will cover the only question left to answer: Why should you scale? Stay tuned!To read part one, click here.