A broad range of content and customer management systems are available in today’s market, helping businesses with everything from connecting with customers to delivering high-quality content marketing campaigns.
Two common systems you might be familiar with are DXPs and CDPs. While these solutions sound similar and serve related needs, they have distinct features and benefits.
This article will detail both systems, what they offer, and what sets them apart.
Table of Contents
What is a DXP?
A digital experience platform (DXP) is a software solution that combines content management, personalisation, and web analytics.
These platforms exist to meet the needs of marketers, digital agencies, and business owners who aim to create personalised experiences for customers. They also ensure content remains up to date and accessible from one central dashboard.
DXPs also work to combine all digital channels to streamline experiences for customers, including websites, mobile apps, email campaigns, social media, and chatbots.
What is a CDP?
A customer data platform (CDP) is the cornerstone of any successful marketing strategy. They provide a single view of each customer, helping companies understand them better and improve their marketing efforts.
The idea behind a CDP is to create a unified customer database by capturing data from multiple systems and linking it to each customer.
CDPs securely collect data from a variety of sources, including:
- CRM systems,
- External APIs,
- Social media channels,
- Web analytics tools,
- Other third-party providers.
The information contained within a CDP usually includes customer profiles, contact information, demographic data, purchase history, and more.
DXP vs CDP: Key differences (and how you can make them work together!)
So, while DXPs and CDPs are both involved in improving the customer experience, they approach this goal differently.
DXPs help build customer relationships, while CDPs help businesses make decisions to refine their experience. A CDP, then, is a key component within DXP software.
We’ll break things down into a simple example. Let’s say you want to deliver a personalised advertisement to a set group of customers.
The CDP will collect relevant data about these customers and create unique customer profiles. You can then use these profiles to target your advertisements based on certain parameters, like demographic data or purchase history.
The DXP will then use this data to create personalised advertisements relevant to the customer group’s needs and interests. In this way, customers are more likely to make a purchase and form a positive relationship with your organisation.
Integrating a CDP within your DXP is the perfect way to unify, segment, and refine customer data, creating customised experiences. The DXP can then deliver this experience to customers at the right time and when they need it most.
Conclusion
DXPs and CDPs are both related to the customer experience, but they have different goals. DXPs are all about building customer relationships while CDPs collect customer data to help businesses make smart marketing decisions.
Integrating a CDP into your DXP is the best way to connect with your customers and consistently deliver high-quality, personalised digital experiences.