Content management systems (CMS) have come a long way since their inception. As technology and customer needs have evolved, traditional CMS platforms grew into digital experience platforms (DXPs) that offer more extensive capabilities. These monolithic DXPs aimed to provide a 360-degree view of customer interactions combined with rich content experiences across channels. However, even all-in-one suites can create silos and struggle to keep up with the pace of change. To deliver better experiences at speed, large enterprises are now turning to composable technology – a modular approach to building an enterprise digital experience platform that truly ditches the silos.

What Is a Composable DXP?

A composable DXP is an approach to building your digital experience platform using a flexible mix of best-of-breed components, rather than relying on a single vendor suite. In a composable architecture, you pick and choose individual services – for example, a headless CMS for content, a separate e-commerce engine, search service, personalisation tool, and so on – and integrate them via APIs. This modular design follows modern headless architecture principles, separating the frontend presentation from backend systems. Each component (often delivered as a SaaS solution) can be "bolted on" to your tech stack to meet specific business requirements.

Composable systems are highly scalable and flexible. Because each piece of the platform is independent, your enterprise can update or replace one tool without disrupting the others. This means you can respond faster to new requirements or market changes. It’s a stark contrast to the old monolithic DXP approach, where all functionality was tightly coupled in one product – making upgrades or changes slow and complex.

Monolithic vs. Composable Digital Experience Platforms

In a traditional monolithic DXP, a single vendor provides an all-in-one platform (combining CMS, commerce, analytics, personalisation, etc.) as a unified suite. While convenient, these suites often force businesses to use a fixed set of tools, some of which may not be the perfect fit. They can also lead to data and operational silos – for example, teams juggling multiple modules within the suite or trying to bolt on legacy systems outside of it.

By contrast, a composable DXP embraces a "best-of-breed" strategy. You select the best solution for each capability and stitch them together into a custom platform. For example, an enterprise might use a leading headless CMS for content management, pair it with a separate CRM or customer data platform for a unified customer view, plug in a best-in-class search engine, and integrate a marketing automation system. All these components communicate through APIs, forming a cohesive digital experience platform tailored to the business.

Headless architecture is a key enabler here: front-end experiences (websites, mobile apps, IoT devices) request content and services from these back-end components without being tightly bound to them. The result is an enterprise DXP that is extremely adaptable. You can deliver consistent, omnichannel customer experiences and quickly add new touchpoints or features by simply incorporating another composable service into the mix.

Benefits of Composable Tech for Large B2B Enterprises

For large B2B enterprises, adopting a composable DXP strategy offers numerous advantages:

• Flexibility & Agility: Swap in or out components as your needs evolve. You’re not locked into one vendor’s limited feature set – you can integrate new tools or microservices to support emerging requirements or channels.

• Scalability: Each component can scale independently. If your content traffic spikes, a cloud-native headless CMS can scale up without needing to overhaul your entire platform. This ensures high performance and reliability as your enterprise grows.

• Best-of-Breed Capabilities: Use the very best solutions available for each function (content management, e-commerce, search, personalisation, analytics, etc.). This often means better features or faster innovation compared to an all-in-one suite’s one-size-fits-all modules.

• Reduced Silos: Composable tech breaks down data and team silos. With integrations across systems, all your digital experience tools work together seamlessly – providing a single, unified view of customer data and interactions (especially when coupled with a customer data platform for data consolidation).

• Faster Time-to-Market: Teams can develop and deploy new experiences faster by reusing modular components and not waiting on monolithic platform release cycles. Want to launch a new customer portal or mobile app? With reusable API-driven services in place, it’s much quicker to assemble the necessary pieces.

• Cost Efficiency: Instead of a massive upfront investment in a one-size-fits-all DXP, you can start with the components you need and add others incrementally. You pay for specific services that deliver value, which can be more cost-effective – and you avoid spending on features you don’t use.

It’s no surprise that industry analysts see composable architecture as the future. Gartner, for example, predicts that by 2026 70% of enterprises will favour composable DXP technologies over traditional monolithic suites, up from 50% in 2023. In other words, composability is quickly becoming a mainstream strategy for enterprise digital transformation.

Purchase vs. Build: Two Approaches to Composable DXP

When moving to a composable DXP, enterprise decision-makers generally have two options: purchase a composable DXP suite from a vendor or build a custom composable stack using standalone tools. Both approaches leverage modular, headless components – but there are key differences to consider in terms of effort, flexibility, and vendor dependency:

1. Purchasing a Composable DXP from a Vendor: Major DXP vendors like Sitecore and Optimizely now offer their platforms in a composable, SaaS-based model. For example, Sitecore’s new cloud-native DXP is a collection of integrated services (content management, personalisation, commerce, etc.) built on composable architecture. Optimizely similarly provides a suite of digital experience applications that can be used together or individually. Buying such a ready-made composable DXP means you get a pre-integrated set of tools from one provider. This option can accelerate your time-to-value since the components are designed to work seamlessly together out of the box. It also simplifies vendor management – you have one vendor for support and billing. However, you might be limited to that vendor’s ecosystem of products. If you need to swap out a component for a different solution, it may not be straightforward. Also, costs can add up if the vendor’s licensing bundles features that you won’t fully use.

2. Building a Composable DXP from Standalone Tools: The alternative is a best-of-breed approach where you select each component individually and assemble your own digital experience stack. For instance, you could choose a headless CMS (such as Contentful or Sitecore XM Cloud) for content, pair it with a separate commerce platform, a standalone search service, an analytics or BI tool, and so on. In this model, your team (or integration partner) is responsible for stitching everything together and ensuring the components communicate properly. The benefit is maximum flexibility – you pick exactly the tools that align with your enterprise’s needs, and you can change any piece as better solutions emerge. You also avoid being tied to a single vendor. The trade-off is that it requires more technical expertise and governance to integrate and maintain multiple systems. Enterprises pursuing this route should invest in robust API management and perhaps an integration layer to connect services and handle data flow between components.

Both paths ultimately yield a composable architecture leveraging headless and API-first design principles. The choice depends on your organisation’s strategy, resources, and desire for control. Large enterprises with strong IT teams might favour a build-your-own approach to fine-tune every aspect. Others may prefer the convenience of a vendor-provided composable DXP that comes with established integrations and support. In many cases, companies adopt a hybrid stance: starting with a vendor’s core DXP and extending it by plugging in additional third-party or custom components as needed.

Making Composable Work: Tips for Success

Adopting composable tech requires a thoughtful strategy to maximise its value:

• Plan Your Architecture: Audit your existing digital ecosystem and identify which capabilities you need (e.g., content management, e-commerce, personalisation, analytics, etc.). Design a composable architecture blueprint that shows how the services will interconnect. Ensure you have a unified data strategy (consider a customer data platform for customer insights) so that all components feed into a single source of truth.

• Ensure Integration Capabilities: Favour tools that offer robust APIs and out-of-the-box connectors. Many composable DXP components come with pre-built integrations or belong to communities like the MACH Alliance (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless) which promote interoperability. This will reduce the effort to connect each piece. (For example, a composable DXP should easily integrate with your CRM, ERP, or other enterprise systems.)

• Iterative Implementation: You don’t have to do everything at once. It’s often wise to adopt composable technology in phases. For instance, you might begin by replacing your legacy CMS with a headless CMS as a foundation, then gradually incorporate other services like a new search solution or personalisation engine. This phased approach lets your teams adapt to the new tools and demonstrates quick wins.

• Governance and Skills: Establish governance for your composable platform. With multiple moving parts, it’s important to have clear ownership and processes for evaluating, onboarding, and managing new components. Additionally, ensure your team (or partners) has the necessary skills – such as expertise in API integrations, modern front-end frameworks, and cloud infrastructure. Providing training or working with an experienced digital partner can bridge any knowledge gaps.

• User Experience Focus: Keep the end-user experience front and center. Composable architecture provides technical flexibility, but it should ultimately translate to a better customer experience. Design seamless user journeys across all components. For example, when a customer moves from your marketing website (CMS-driven) to your online store (commerce platform) to a support portal, the transition should feel unified. With proper integration and a solid strategy, your composable DXP will make this cohesion possible.

By following these practices, enterprises can harness the full power of composable tech and avoid common pitfalls (like disjointed data or inconsistent interfaces between systems).

Conclusion: Embrace the Future of Digital Experiences

In a landscape where customer expectations and technologies change rapidly, composable tech is proving to be the way to go for enterprise digital experience platforms. It offers the speed, flexibility, and resilience that large organisations need to stay competitive. By breaking free of monolithic constraints and leveraging headless architecture and SaaS innovations, businesses can deliver rich, personalised experiences across all channels – all while keeping their tech stack agile.

The shift to a composable DXP is not just a buzzword; it’s a strategic move towards future-proofing your digital ecosystem. Companies that embrace a composable approach can adapt faster, innovate without being held back by legacy systems, and ultimately provide better experiences for their customers and partners. Ditch the silos in your technology landscape – your enterprise will be better positioned to exceed customer expectations and pivot with market demands.

Working with Codehouse

Navigating the journey to a composable DXP can be complex, but you don’t have to do it alone. As an experienced digital experience agency (and proud Sitecore and Optimizely partner), Codehouse has been delivering successful enterprise digital transformation projects for almost 20 years. Our experts can help you evaluate the best approach – whether purchasing a composable DXP suite or building a bespoke solution – and implement a stack tailored to your business needs. We specialise in integrating content, commerce, and data platforms into seamless digital ecosystems. Whenever you’re ready to explore a composable architecture for your enterprise, just get in touch with our team to discuss your project.