Digital experience platform
A digital experience platform, or DXP, is described by Gartner as "an integrated set of technologies designed to create, deliver, manage and optimize contextualized digital experiences across multichannel customer journeys" (Gartner Peer Insights, DXP market). The term names a family, not a single product, in which content management is one building block next to customer data, personalization and analytics.
Definition and how it works
Those blocks can come from one vendor, from several, or from a mix. A DXP typically builds profiles, segments, personalizes, tests and measures, in connection with the CRM or marketing tools. Where a content management system centers on creating and publishing content, a DXP can also decide which content to show to whom. At Jahia, for example, personalization comes from jExperience, a graphical interface paired with jCustomer, a customer data platform that stores jExperience’s data. Marketers use jExperience to personalize the content managed in the CMS from the data collected about visitors.
Components, uses and the comparison with a CMS are covered in our article What is a Digital Experience Platform (DXP)?.
Sources: Digital Experience Platforms, Gartner Peer Insights; Getting started with jExperience, Jahia Academy (page dated 14 November 2023).
Related terms: Content management system · Enterprise CMS · Composable DXP vs monolithic · Web portal · DXP vs CMS
Resources that cover this term
DXP vs CMS: the differences
A DXP can be an integrated suite or an assembly of specialized tools, which is the subject of the composable DXP vs monolithic entry. Content, data and permissions then have to flow between the tools.
| Concept | What distinguishes it |
|---|---|
| CMS | Focuses on content and its publication. A DXP includes or connects a CMS. |
| Enterprise CMS | Built for the governance of many teams, sites and languages. Whether it personalizes depends on what the product does natively, so check the capability rather than the label. |
| Customer data platform (CDP) | Unifies customer data from several sources. A DXP can rely on one without being one. |
Frequently asked questions
Does the DXP label guarantee every capability is included?
The term describes a category, not a contractual scope. Check which capabilities are native, which go through connectors and which require a third-party tool with its own license. Also ask who maintains each connector when either product releases a new version.
Is a digital experience platform suited to portals?
It is a criterion to check. A DXP can be designed first to personalize a public site for anonymous visitors. A portal also requires managing identity, per-user permissions and business data. Ask for a demonstration on a signed-in space.