Agile Business Models Demand Best-of-Breed Digital Experience Platforms

SDL (LSE: SDL), a leader in global content management, translation and digital experience, today announces a report by analyst firm Digital Clarity Group (DCG), highlighting the radical impact that new, disruptive business models are having on traditional approaches to buying digital experience platforms (DXP).

The research report, ‘Digital Experience Platforms: Buyer Trends, Preferences, and Strategies,’ indicates that almost three quarters (70%) of brands currently take a heterogeneous approach to their digital experience platforms, meaning they combine best-of-breed components to build the desired DXP and continuously extend its functionality for better customer engagement.

“Brands are forced to adapt their digital strategies, and supporting processes and technologies,” said Arjen van den Akker, “The traditional suite approach doesn’t give the agility brands need to stand out, instead they need to take advantage of software solutions that deliver the many moving parts that make up truly engaging digital experiences.”

The research clearly highlights skepticism among global brands that a single vendor could develop a fully-functional end-to-end DXP, and keep up with the constant DX innovations taking place across the market. There is also a concern among brands that parts of a single-vendor suite will lack the functionality of disruptive and emerging technologies, leaving them with fewer options to deliver these next-generation digital experiences.

“Our DXP research confirms that brands are striving for business and technical agility. Leaders recognize that meeting customers’ expectations for high tech and high-touch digital experiences must be business as usual, not a ‘one-and-done’ project,” said Connie Moore, Senior Vice President of Research, Digital Clarity Group. “Delivering on these experiences for millions of customers – across different languages and devices – is incredibly difficult, and it’s driving global businesses to shy away from single-vendor suite approaches.”

Brands are also changing the traditional way that transformational DXP projects are led, according to the report. Many enterprises questioned indicated that it’s not marketing, but their C-suite executives championing and driving DX strategies and projects. If the C-suite does not lead the DX initiative, then either the CIO/ CTO leads it. Only ranked third, marketing and technology leaders co-manage it.

This change reflects SDL’s own approach of working closely with C-Suite executives on their digital transformation projects. The leadership team, unlike most roles with a business, has an enterprise-wide overview, and the ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver end-to-end customer-centric processes.

In this research, DCG surveyed and conducted interviews with 300 business and IT leaders from across the globe to gain insight into real-world purchasing strategies.