How to choose a CMS or DXP

Just a few short years ago, the content management system (CMS) and digital experience platform (DXP) market was segmented nicely, with specialist products and clear-as-day differentiators. 

Today is a different story. 

DXP/CMS vendors are chasing a diminishing number of customers looking to replatform. They all want to say “yes” to every requirement, so they’ve added every feature under the sun. Now, they’re all increasingly similar, clouding the market and making DXP/CMS selection difficult. 

The vendors who stand out have developed products to solve specific problems or added features that extend the usage of their core platform—but it can be difficult to discover this.

When choosing a content management system this year, don’t look at core functionality. Instead, consider your team’s internal processes, specific scenarios, and future initiatives. You need a thoughtful DXP selection process that includes an internal analysis of what you are trying to achieve by making this large investment.  

As a global digital agency, we have experience with all the leading DXPs and CMS, so we understand what matters—and what doesn’t. This guide will walk you through how to choose a CMS or DXP, what the market has to say, and our proven consulting methods.  

Do you need a DXP or a CMS?

It can be difficult to know whether you need a DXP or a CMS. Each can be equally effective depending on what you’re looking to achieve. 

What is a DXP?

A DXP is a one-stop-shop for marketing and commerce teams, so it’s great if you want to streamline your work within one single system. Imagine one login with access to every feature your team needs, from conception to measurement—no third-party tools necessary.

What is a CMS?

A CMS focuses purely on content management and publishing capabilities. You can combine a CMS with other with best-of-breed systems to assemble a custom suite. This may be beneficial if you have specific needs and requirements for managing content or existing tools you want to integrate with. 

A cyclical pattern

Your IT team might have a strong opinion here. For example, they might require composable tools because that’s their tech culture—and that’s perfectly fine. 

As mentioned, DXPs and CMSs compete for the same accounts. So, many have started copying each other’s features and functions to acquire new business. Special features and industry expertise matter less than they did a few years ago. 

We see a cyclical pattern of brands bouncing between DXPs and CMSs. Often, a business will use a DXP for a few years and then remark on the lack of ROI. They’ll unbundle their software platforms until they’re swimming in too many tools. After another couple of years, they’ll go back to a DXP before the cycle continues.

Sometimes this happens naturally, typically due to team changes and tech advancements. But you can mitigate the constant back and forth with a thorough implementation strategy. 

DEPT® DXP radar

DEPT® radar selects DXPs and CMSs based on the following criteria:

– Content creation, distribution, and measurement are the most challenging and effective marketing initiatives for 90% of companies. So, platforms that help people with managing content, from creating it to measuring its effectiveness are winners.

– SaaS companies are continually merging with and acquiring one another. But not all companies integrate new products into a seamless experience. The companies that have integrated products successfully get a high rating from our team. 

– As shown in the chart, AEM and Optimizely are the winners for DEPT®. They’ve pushed the market forward around AI, content creation, and workflow tools—the biggest challenges for many brands. That’s not to say they’re the best CMS platforms or DXP solutions for everyone, and brands should still be diligent in their selection process.   

How to create your CMS/DXP shortlist

Not long ago, we recommended using a value proposition canvas to understand your business capabilities, user needs, and tech stack demands. As platforms’ capabilities converge, however, you must consider more nuance in your selection process to make an informed decision. 

To choose a CMS or DXP in this sea of sameness, your team should complete three core activities: prep questions, brief creation, and philosophy alignment.

Prep questions

How will you measure the success of a new CMS/DXP? 

Why does your business need a new CMS or DXP? You’ll want to answer this with specific KPIs in mind to measure impact down the line. Perhaps your objectives are internal, e.g., increasing your team’s efficiency by 30%. Perhaps they’re external, e.g., improving conversion rates. 

We recommend finding two to four north-star KPIs you’d be delighted to realise within X months. 

Does your IT team have a strong preference on architecture? 

Do you want a single platform that does it all? Or do you prefer a composable architecture setup? 

It’s not that one is better than the other. But some IT teams have strong opinions here, and it’s important to consider them when deciding. Generally speaking, a composable approach requires about 30% more engineering effort and time to implement. 

Does the system need to be open-source or cloud-based? These pre-determined decisions might limit you to a small list of options. 

Which teams will support this, and what are their skill sets?

Think beyond today and visualise your organisation in six months. And then in two years. What does your future organisation look like? We often see DXP migrations due to changes in organisational structure, e.g., reducing headcount. How will an organisational change or reduction affect the needs of managing a CMS/DXP? 

Do you need an accelerator? 

For many teams, time to market is the deciding factor. You might be unable to afford a nine-month timeline to implement a new platform and experience. That’s where accelerators come in: programs created by DXP and CMS companies to move migration forward much faster than typical.  

Brief creation

Work out specific tasks beforehand 

Here’s where it starts to get good. 

Think about your team’s most important tasks. These could be the most difficult tasks that occur occasionally or the most common tasks you see each day. For example, perhaps you launch new products every few months, which requires a lot of coordination and effort. Or maybe you have to translate written content multiple times per day. 

Whatever these essential tasks are, document what is unique about them and what you want to achieve during production. Create a detailed brief for each, including the objective, pain points, and ideal scenario. In our experience, you’ll want around five highly important tasks. 

Using these briefs, demo around 

When you first chat with CMS/DXP companies, ask them how their solution handles or solves your specific tasks. 

Instead of a generic demo, have each platform show you exactly how their software handles each scenario. 

In our experience, this is more helpful than a list of requirements. Because all platforms have similar features, you’ll get a “yes, we can do that” for all your requirements. But binary functions won’t help you make the right decision for your team. You need to see how specific scenarios play out and whether they align with your team’s work.  

Philosophy alignment

Consider the background, focus, and direction of top CMS/DXPs

It can be helpful to consider why a certain DXP company was founded in the first place, especially if you’re stuck between a few great options. 

For example, Adobe has historically been all about creating content. Photoshop, InDesign, and its recent try for Figma all support the mission to make content creation easier and more innovative. 

On the other side, Optimizely was founded to optimise content for efficiency. Not only do its external marketing tools support and emphasise A/B testing, but also its internal workflows. 

Finally, Acquia was initially built on Drupal, an open-source platform, to support institutions requiring open-source technology. 

Understanding focus areas may help you see where these companies are trying to go and which future updates they’ll likely prioritise. 

Don’t let these factors hold you back when choosing a CMS

Some teams fixate on not-so-important factors. Don’t let that be you during your selection process. Watch out for: 

Pre-conceived notions about cost: In our experience, pricing isn’t the differentiator it used to be. Don’t get stuck on pricing til you’ve spoken with each product’s sales team.  

Only considering leading DXPs: The Gartner and Forrester reports may lead you to assume only a few “real” DXPs are worth considering. These reports are good starting points, but don’t assess all options in the market.

Rigid long-term thinking: Change is constant and requires your architecture to be scalable and adaptable. If flexibility isn’t baked into your technology stack, your organisation loses its business agility.

Siloed decision making: Choosing a DXP does not take place in a vacuum. Your whole organisation must be able to work well with the system selected, so consider the various business processes and requirements with a multidisciplinary team. 

Requirement overload: Generally, there are rarely more than ten key selection criteria. Writing too many requirements will make it much harder to find the right solution. 

Second system syndrome: It’s common for businesses to focus on the functionality of their existing DXP without considering the full breadth of opportunity in the market. Define requirements using the MoSCow prioritisation technique to identify what you must, should, could, and won’t have. Then, you can explore how different solutions may add value.

Selection is not implementation: Making the right choice is only the start. Implementation is a whole new project that demands a careful transition. 

DEPT® can help you select & implement a DXP

A new DXP or CMS is not just a technological upgrade. It’s a strategic enabler that underpins your efforts to become agile, customer-centric, and innovative in today’s evolving digital landscape.

DEPT® maintains partnerships with a wide range of platforms as an agnostic agency, ranging from comprehensive best-of-suite DXP to composite DXP with headless CMS. From there, we assess your needs and capabilities and choose a CMS or DXP that best suits you.