Gartner defines a digital experience platform (DXP) as “an integrated and cohesive piece of technology designed to enable the composition, management, delivery and optimization of contextualized digital experiences across multiexperience customer journeys.”

It’s a good definition. But grasping its significance requires moving a step back.

In today’s digital world, organizations stay competitive by building relationships through communication, which requires speaking and listening.

Organizations use content to speak and data to listen.

Digital experience platforms offer organizations an integrated suite of tools to foster meaningful relationships by speaking and listening to customers, prospects, partners, employees, and other audiences.

Having conversations might sound easy. But in today’s complex world, it’s anything but. It requires not only delivering content to websites, email, mobile apps, customer portals, social platforms, IoT devices, virtual and augmented reality devices, in-store kiosks, digital signage, POS systems, and more; but also connecting the experiences on them.

There are 6.5 connected devices per person today, and most people use multiple devices on their path to purchase. It’s not enough to simply deliver content to each channel – they must coalesce into a consistent, connected, and continuous experience that nurtures people toward a clear outcome.

For example, no one wants to get an email advertising a product they just purchased on Instagram. Or to click a link in a promotional email, only to be taken to the company’s homepage instead of the page for the product they’re considering.