Are you planning to build a new website or redesign your current one? Maybe your marketing technology stack deserves a revision, or you decided to polish your customer experience. We know that choosing a new digital experience platform (DXP) can’t be done overnight. From your budget to future needs, many things have to be considered.
There's a lot of DXP options on the market today; ranging from integrated platforms to composable DXPs and headless CMS architectures. Factors like scalability, total cost of ownership, and the ability to integrate with AI tools or omnichannel systems all matter. The goal isn’t just to pick software; it’s to choose a foundation that supports long-term customer experience optimization and marketing agility.
We gathered five crucial things you should think of when selecting a DXP to help you find the one with the highest value for your company.
1. Watch for hidden costs
When evaluating DXPs, look beyond the upfront license fee. The true cost includes ongoing maintenance, support, training, hosting, and scalability expenses. Many organizations underestimate these and end up with platforms that drain resources without delivering return on investment.
Ask whether you’ll actually use the built-in features for analytics, commerce, or marketing automation, and whether they can grow with your business. Consider not just what you’re paying for now, but how the platform will impact your digital ROI in the long run.
2. Prioritize agility and fast time to market
In today’s digital landscape, time to market is a competitive advantage. Businesses that can quickly adapt their websites, campaigns, and customer journeys will outperform those slowed by lengthy implementation cycles. Instead of chasing a perfect, years-long build, focus on launching a minimum viable experience and iterating as you go. Platforms like Xperience by Kentico enable this agility by combining low-code tools with an extensible architecture, allowing teams to deploy new experiences rapidly. A DXP that supports continuous delivery helps you keep pace with shifting market demands and evolving customer behavior.
3. Empower marketers (not just developers)
Modern marketing teams need independence. A DXP should empower marketers to manage campaigns, create landing pages, and personalize content without relying on developers for every update. Look for solutions with intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces, AI-assisted content recommendations, and low-code/no-code marketing automation capabilities.
When marketers can experiment and optimize in real time, your business becomes more responsive and data-driven. Choose a platform that’s built for both creativity and control, combining usability with powerful analytics and segmentation features to drive smarter, faster decisions.
4. Buy what you need now while planning for growth
The DXP selection guide for today emphasizes scalability without unnecessary complexity. There’s a growing trend toward composable DXPs, which allow businesses to integrate best-of-breed tools through APIs. While this approach offers flexibility, it also demands significant development resources and governance.
For many mid-sized companies, a unified platform like Xperience by Kentico provides the best of both worlds: content management, digital marketing, and commerce tools ready to use out of the box—plus the freedom to connect third-party apps later. This approach minimizes implementation risk while ensuring future adaptability.
5. Anticipate future needs without over-engineering
Consider emerging trends such as AI-driven personalization, voice search, and integration with customer data platforms (CDPs). The right DXP should evolve alongside your business, offering upgrades and extensions rather than forcing full rebuilds. Focus on outcomes (better engagement, conversion, and retention) not just technical specs.
A DXP is a significant investment and, naturally, you want to ensure it will serve you well for a long time. But how could you possibly know what you’ll need in a few years?
Consider emerging trends such as AI-driven personalization, voice search, and integration with customer data platforms (CDPs). The right DXP should evolve alongside your business, offering upgrades and extensions rather than forcing full rebuilds. Focus on outcomes (better engagement, conversion, and retention) not just technical details.
Want to know more about how a DXP will help your team on a day-to-day basis? Download a free copy of our ebook, Simplify your life, and see how the right DXP can make all the difference for your marketing team.