Analyst firm Gartner has released the 2024 edition of its annual Magic Quadrant for Digital Experience Platforms today. As usual, they evaluate some of the leading vendors in the DXP space, assess their strengths and weaknesses, and provide insights into some of the key trends in the industry.

"By 2026, at least 70% of organizations will be mandated to acquire composable digital experience platform technology, as opposed to monolithic suites, compared to 50% in 2023."

That quote from Gartner analysts indicates the trend of composable software adoption shows no signs of slowing down. 

Within the report, the same 14 vendors from 2023 are recognized once again. Optimizely has been recognized as a Leader for the 5th straight year. While there has been some slight movement regarding 'Ability to Execute' and 'Completeness of Vision,' the most notable change has come from Sitecore, who moved from a Leader to a Visionary.

Elsewhere, Amplience makes the case that the term hybrid CMS, or hybrid headless CMS, isn't accurate, and a CMS is either a headless CMS or it isn't. Also, the fallout from Shopify Plus' price increase continues to be discussed at length across the commerce industry on LinkedIn.

Featured Stories

• Acquia Recognized in Digital Asset Management Report by Independent Research Firm: “Acquia is focused on delivering an outstanding customer experience. We believe the Forrester report recognizes that we bring a winning combination of innovation, support for global cloud deployments, and services to ensure our customers succeed.”

• Sitecore Named Leader in B2C Digital Commerce Platforms by the IDC MarketScape: “This achievement reflects our dedication to providing cutting-edge solutions that empower businesses to connect with their customers in meaningful ways.”

• New Strapi Developer Plan: “The Developer Plan is tailor-made for individual developers, freelancers, and small teams who are in the early stages of their project lifecycle. ”

• Solving for Retail Agility With Headless Commerce With Ultra Commerce: “Though most retailers have figured out the basics of ecommerce by now, retailers who are looking to grow and scale are constantly experiencing growing pains created by the limitations of their current platforms, especially when integrating new technologies and services.”

New RFPs From DXP360

• [New] [RFP Value: Undisclosed] [UK] WordPress Agency Required: Must have previous experience of meeting and adhering to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

• [New][RFP Value: $1,880,000] RE-TENDER [UK] University Seeks DXP Solution: This UK University has a requirement to purchase a Digital Experience Platform (DXP) to support the transformation of its digital communications capabilities.

• [New][RFP Value: $314,000] [UK] National Park Authority Website Design, Maintenance: A new website, hosting, and maintenance is required.

Stories that caught our eye

1. It’s Either a Headless CMS or It Isn’t: Amplience says there is no in between and hybrid CMS doesn’t exist.

2. CMS Statistics 2024: Hygraph has compiled a list of statistics about the state of CMSs from their Future of Content report.

3. Harnessing the Power of Accelerators: Cabiri explains how their Ashiba accelerator can help businesses achieve a faster time to market. 

4. PIM Composability: The composable approach is beneficial for PIM solutions as well. 

5. Accelerators vs DXC Platforms: Solutions in the emerging DXC category offer similar benefits to MACH accelerators.

6. Contentful Partner of the Year Awards: Deloitte Digital, Valtech, DEPT®, WPP, and commercetools were all recognized. 

7. [Event][Feb 27]: Charting the Future Path of CMS Technologies: Members of The Digital Experience (DX) Community discuss what’s happening.

The word on the street…

1. [LinkedIn]: Shopify price increase fallout: BigCommerce CFO Daniel Lentz discusses the impact of Shopify Plus’ price increase on the wider commerce industry. 

2. [LinkedIn]: Oversimplification of the digital enterprise: Nacelle CEO Brian Anderson argues that simplification draws a fine line between streamlining processes and diluting brand essence.

3. [LinkedIn]: Realizing the benefits of a composable CMS: Orium VP of Sales Thomas Mulried shares some of the hiccups preventing businesses from getting the most out of their commerce CMS.