What Is the Difference Between DXP and CMS?

Eli Merrell Picture

by Eli Merrell | Last Updated: Feb 22, 2023

When it comes to managing content there are a lot of options. It can be confusing to know which is the best option for you. Traditional CMS vs Headless CMS? A digital experience platform (DXP) working with a Headless CMS? What about a Composable DXP? 

What Is the Difference Between DXP and CMS?

These two acronyms are all over the tech scene right now. It can be easy to get lost in the alphabet soup that is tech jargon. Let’s dive into what sets apart a DXP and a CMS. A DXP is a digital experience platform, a solution that allows consumers to pull together core technologies into one digital experience. Think connecting to your Salesforce instance, video tech stack, and image storage solution where you can funnel all content into one place.  A CMS is a content management system, a software solution that allows you to store and manage content. This could also be a place to store and organize marketing content such as product photos and documents.

What Is DXP vs Headless CMS?

These two systems while similar are different and can work together to optimize your content. What good are product images doing your business if they are sitting in your CMS? What good is a DXP if you do not fill it with content? There are different ways these two systems work together. One way is by joining a Headless CMS and a Composable DXP.  A Headless CMS is a content management system that deals only with the content. There is no front-end experience. This is where a Composable DXP comes in. This type of DXP connects to a headless CMS via API to provide a front-end experience for your content. Think of displaying products found in your CMS in an engaging way so customers can easily make a selection. How do you know if you have a Headless or Traditional CMS? A Traditional CMS aims to be a one-stop shop, managing both the back-end content and the front-end experience. While as mentioned before a Headless CMS strictly focuses on the back-end content, front-end experience not included. 

What Is an Example of a DXP?

As consumer engagement on mobile continues to increase every year, more businesses are evaluating how they connect to their customers on mobile. This has led to a rise in the number of DXP solutions on the market. Below are some well-known DXP technologies.

Who Uses a DXP?

Many different team members can use a DXP. Typically marketers are creating strategies around the experiences built using a DXP. Some DXPs do not require the support of a development team there for marketers can create digital experiences. Other platforms do require the use of a development team.  A few examples of DXPs are Adobe DXP, Salesforce DXP, and DXP Sitecore. There are many different use cases for a DXP. You might be wondering, is a DXP right for me? The answer is probably yes. Below are a few examples of the types of digital experiences that can be built by marketers using a DXP. Marketers can build all of the use cases and more without a development team using Lumavate.  Build a DXP today! Make a free account now!

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