Integrations: The Most Challenging Digital Experience Hurdle in 2021

There are 8,000-plus platforms in the martech ecosystem. Each one has a unique way that it works to support your business. Requirements for an integrated DXP solution continue to grow in importance. But, IT leaders name integration as their biggest technical challenge moving into 2021.

Integrations are Integral to DXPs

Data and platform connectivity is one of the most important components to building a Digital Experience Platform (DXP) because working in a consolidated, connected system comes with so many key benefits for the business. It ensures that an organization’s DXP can drive organizational productivity by facilitating cross-platform processes, aggregating data for a refined customer view and showing relevant information, rates and prices in real-time.

But, They’re Also the Most Complex Component

With multiple different platforms supporting different areas of the business and requiring different integration points, attaining an ideal level of connectivity is difficult to achieve.

Progress surveyed 100 IT, marketing and digital experience leaders to determine how they’re shifting their DXP investments and the most crucial roadblocks they anticipate in being able to execute their strategy heading into 2021. And mid-market DX leaders have spoken. Their top three roadblocks in DXP implementation are related to complexity of integrations:

Question: What's the biggest business barrier preventing successful execution of your digital experience initiatives?

• Complexity of internal & external integrations (40%)—Integration is difficult and often too complex for organizations to do internally without significant time and resources.
• Multiple data sources limits aggregated full view of customer (25%)—Tracking data in multiple systems does not provide an all-encompassing view of the customer and the business. Organizations have a growing need to connect siloed customer data sources.
• Legacy systems (18%)—Legacy systems are often the cornerstone of an organization’s business. However, they can be difficult to continuously upgrade and integrate with modern applications.

Because of this, most organizations resort to continuing to work across siloed systems or only integrating minimal viable systems into their DXP. However, as the world continues to face the new business environment and we move into 2021, this approach may be counterproductive. Facilitating digital experiences across siloed systems leads to broken internal processes, incomplete data and overly complex customer and visitor experience, which can prevent organizations from achieving 2021 objectives such as growing market share, creating a better customer experience and delivering more innovative products and services.

Conquer Integration Hurdles with Sitefinity

Thankfully, from its inception, Sitefinity was built with customization, extensibility and integration in mind, which will help you address the largest pain point of mid-market leaders. With flexible APIs, built-in connectors to leading solutions and a marketplace of readily available third-party integrations, Progress Sitefinity makes it easy to build a connected, frictionless experience.

• Flexible and extensive APIs—Leverage the full power of Sitefinity through its flexible APIs. Seamlessly integrate with your critical applications and go to market quickly and efficiently.
• Built-In connectors—Sitefinity supports data integration from leading systems including Eloqua, HubSpot, Marketo, Salesforce, SharePoint and Google Data Studio, allowing marketers to build comprehensive digital marketing campaigns and capture leads across systems.
• Sitefinity Marketplace integrations—Sitefinity Marketplace is a collaborative resource for users—that allows them to easily share and download solutions that extend the Sitefinity digital experience including translation, site search, accessibility, commerce and site optimization.

And it doesn’t stop there. Sitefinity continues to expand its ecosystem and to further empower its users to achieve more. Specifically, Sitefinity has recently delivered enhanced CMS integrations for HubSpot and Pardot as well as the new connector for Google Data Studio, as a part of the 13th release. Some recent Sitefinity Marketplace additions include Lionbridge, Mopinion integrations and a new Microsoft Dynamics connector via Synx.

The Proof Is in the DXP-udding

With Sitefinity, Best Western GB was able to build a highly integrated site that showed hotel offerings in real-time, accessing data for more than 250 hotels, each having more than 100 data points.

“Sitefinity is a framework to build off of to create an application well above what a CMS is. It’s a full-blown DXP, mastering internal processes, managing data and connecting multiple critical systems,” said Rehan Butt, the managing director and implementation partner at Spinbox. 

Best Western Builds Its Business on Progress Sitefinity When Best Western GB needed a fresh brand and backbone for its digital experience platform, it chose Progress Sitefinity. Best Western case study

In Omdia Universe’s 2020-21 Selecting a Digital Experience Management Solution report, Sitefinity is praised for excellence in its integration capabilities and competencies, as well as other capabilities such as analytics and cloud support.

Build an Integrated DXP that Can Serve Your Business in 2021 and Beyond

Ultimately, prioritizing superior extensibility and integration is a win-win, no matter what function of the business you sit in. Marketers need to consolidate cross-channel data and be able to interpret it and apply findings to marketing content. And the business needs a system that supports and automates business processes across various platforms. Meanwhile, IT needs to be able to easily and quickly build a solution that can meet very unique needs.

Sitefinity is equipped to support you in addressing the leading challenge in delivering digital experiences, no matter what existing or emerging systems you need to integrate. Sitefinity grows with your business—whether you plan to leverage additional digital channels, marketing strategies, systems, business processes and data sources. Anything is possible with Sitefinity.

Contact a Sitefinity Expert