Magic Quadrant for Digital Experience Platforms

How does Gartner define the Digital Experience Platforms market in 2024?

A digital experience platform (DXP) is an integrated set of technologies designed for the composition, management, delivery and optimization of personalized digital experiences across multiple channels in the customer journey. A DXP binds capabilities from multiple applications to allow the creation, orchestration and presentation of seamless experiences. It also forms part of a digital business ecosystem via API-based integrations with adjacent technologies. DXPs are applicable to business-to-consumer (B2C), business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-employee (B2E) use cases.

Key Facts for Magic Quadrant for Digital Experience Platforms in 2024

Publication Date: 21-Feb-2024

Document ID: G00790167

Coverage: 40 min read

Authors: Irina Guseva, Jim Murphy, Mike Lowndes, John Field

Core Purpose: The digital experience platform market reflects the demand to manage digital experiences of customers, partners and employees. Use this Magic Quadrant to identify vendors that meet your needs across web, mobile and other digital channels.

How was the Digital Experience Platforms market evolved in 2024?

A DXP is an integrated set of technologies designed for the composition, management, delivery and optimization of personalized digital experiences across multiple channels in the customer journey

DXPs are applicable to business-to-consumer (B2C), business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-employee (B2E) use cases

Must-have capabilities include content management, multiexperience presentation, composable architecture, and cloud capabilities

Standard capabilities include account services, personalization, analytics, customer journey mapping, customer data management, search, collaboration, security, and applied AI

GenAI is becoming a standard RFP checkbox, though many buyers struggle with understanding practical applications

Composability is driving demand for granular, consumption-based pricing and packaging

Headless CMS vendors are emerging as steppingstones in composable DXP selections

The market shows a shift from traditional 'build versus buy' to 'buy, compose and build' approaches

DXPs are often deployed at the center of content operations ecosystems

What product features are required to be included in this year's evaluation?

Content management capabilities for managing various content types, including (but not limited to) textual content, graphics and other rich media, web content, mobile app content, chatbot content, and voice content.

Support for multiexperience presentation, orchestration, delivery and assembly of digital experiences via hybrid and/or headless capabilities.

A composable architecture for modular and API-first approaches, with a set (or sets) of discrete, task-oriented and independently deployable packaged business capabilities (PBCs).

Cloud capabilities — each DXP has to be available for cloud deployment as PaaS (with or without managed services) and/or SaaS for deployment versatility, scalability and elasticity, cost-efficiency, improved time to market, and rapid innovation associated with cloud computing.

What are the common features of top products in the Digital Experience Platforms space?

Account services for customer profile management, registration, login and password management capabilities in an authenticated, logged-in experience.

Personalization and context awareness for relevant and individualized experiences for the customer, based on past behavior, segmentation, AI technologies and external data sources.

Analytics and optimization for assessing and continuously improving the performance, effectiveness and utility of digital experiences.

Customer journey mapping for platformwide, programmatic support for customer journey mapping, customer journey orchestration and customer journey analytics throughout the customer life cycle.

Customer data management for understanding the customers, managing disparate customer data silos in a 360-degree view, and creating customer segments based on attributes from multiple data sources.

Search, navigation and insight to locate and discover information, applications and services.

Collaboration and knowledge sharing for users to work together in groups or communities, to achieve common business goals through conversations or information exchange.

Security and access control for roles and permissions, and increasingly challenging security and regulatory compliance requirements.

Applied artificial intelligence for use of machine learning, natural language processing, natural language generation, generative AI and other AI technologies to improve engagement.

Scope Exclusions

Vendors not meeting minimum revenue threshold of $17 million

Vendors without 5% year-over-year revenue growth

Vendors with fewer than 10 net new customers in evaluation period

Vendors marketing DXP for less than required timeframe

Vendors lacking presence in minimum required geographic regions

Vendors without adequate partner ecosystem

Vendors lacking vertical market diversification

Vendors without demonstrated ecosystem activity and market interest

Vendors lacking explicit DXP positioning in go-to-market

Vendors offering disconnected products rather than integrated platform

Inclusion Criteria

Vendors must, among other requirements:

Revenue of at least $17 million with 5% year-over-year growth

At least 10 net new customers acquired in 12 months leading to June 2023

Marketing and selling DXP product since at least June 2020

Market presence in at least two of six global regions with 20% revenue from two regions

Partner ecosystem with at least 10 certified implementation agencies and systems integrators

At least 20% revenue from three or more vertical markets

Active ecosystem with measurable market interest via Gartner inquiries

Explicit DXP positioning in go-to-market activities

Native product capabilities available as integrated product under one name

Support for at least two of three use cases (B2C, B2B, B2E)

Ability to Execute — Relative Weighting

Product or Service - High

Overall Viability - Medium

Sales Execution/Pricing - Medium

Market Responsiveness/Record - High

Marketing Execution - High

Customer Experience - High

Operations - Medium

Completeness of Vision — Relative Weighting

Market Understanding - High

Marketing Strategy - High

Sales Strategy - Medium

Offering (Product) Strategy - High

Business Model - Medium

Vertical/Industry Strategy - Medium

Innovation - High

Geographic Strategy - Medium

FAQs

Q: What does this research cover?

A: This Magic Quadrant evaluates vendors that meet Gartner's inclusion criteria for the DXP market. It covers 16 vendors across four quadrants (Leaders, Challengers, Visionaries, and Niche Players) based on their Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision. The research analyzes vendor strengths and cautions, product capabilities, market presence, innovation strategies, and support for B2C, B2B, and B2E use cases across multiple channels including web, mobile, and other digital touchpoints.

Q: Who should use this research?

A: Application leaders focused on digital experience and customer experience initiatives should use this research to aid selection decisions about DXP vendors and products. Users should study the evaluation criteria, assess vendors' strengths and cautions, and evaluate vendors in any of the four quadrants with a focus on those that align with their specific requirements and goals. The research should be used in conjunction with the companion Critical Capabilities for Digital Experience Platforms report for use-case and capability perspective.

Q: What are the mandatory features of vendors included in this market?

A: Vendors must provide content management capabilities for various content types (text, graphics, rich media, web, mobile, chatbot, and voice content); support for multiexperience presentation and delivery via hybrid and/or headless capabilities; a composable architecture with modular, API-first approaches using independently deployable packaged business capabilities (PBCs); and cloud deployment options as PaaS and/or SaaS. These features must be available natively as an integrated product under one product name.

Q: What are some reasons for not being included in this report?

Insufficient revenue or growth rates below market thresholds
Limited customer acquisition demonstrating weak market traction
Inadequate market maturity or time in market
Narrow geographic footprint limiting global applicability
Weak partner ecosystem reducing implementation support options
Vertical concentration indicating niche rather than platform play
Low ecosystem activity or market awareness
Unclear or absent DXP positioning in marketing and sales
Fragmented product offerings lacking platform integration
Missing mandatory technical capabilities like composability or cloud deployment

Q: What differentiates Ability to Execute vs. Completeness of Vision?

A: Ability to Execute focuses on current operational capabilities and market performance, including product quality, sales effectiveness, customer satisfaction, and the vendor's track record of meeting customer needs. It evaluates how well vendors are performing today. Completeness of Vision assesses forward-thinking strategy and innovation, including market understanding, product roadmap, ability to anticipate future customer needs, and strategic direction. It evaluates where vendors are heading and their ability to shape the market's future.

Report: