This article was originally written by Avanade alum Timur Asar.

The effect of Covid-19 has presented various challenges for businesses around the world – from managing cashflow to working remotely. It’s also made the digital landscape more competitive than ever before. The rapid migration to digital technologies means it’s harder for businesses to get ahead of the competition. And with every business competing for attention in the same space, it’s easy to get drowned out. So, what does this mean for businesses like yours, and how can you ensure your company not only survives but thrives?

If you’re struggling to stand out in a crowded marketplace, it may be that you lack the solid foundation needed to deliver employee and customer experiences at speed. You may have implemented a number of different “solutions” to publish content, personalize the experience and deliver across different channels. But have you chosen the right digital marketing path for your business?

Multiple, disjointed systems might be creating more work for your teams, as well as disconnected experiences for your customers. To remain competitive, it’s important to reduce the time it takes to see value from your digital marketing efforts by thinking “simple.” Set a digital experience foundation that takes weeks, not months, to kick into gear.

Customer expectations are still rising

Today’s customers expect brands to provide them with a powerful, personalized experience at all times – and across all channels. What’s more, they expect all of this right now.

A lot is at stake for brands that fail to deliver. In fact, the number one reason customers switch brands is that they feel they are unappreciated. As a result, retail digital marketing strategies are now built around this, and spend on third-party digital marketing solutions has increased in parallel. Research and Markets reports that, digital marketing and advertising spend grew by 24.7% in 2020, while other mediums all suffered small declines.

But the truth is, customers don’t really care about the systems you have in place. They just want to see results – fast. So, if your multiple systems are hampering your speed to market or making it a chore to manage content, it could be time to step back and reassess, rebuilding from the ground up.

Personalization matters most

A good digital customer experience is a personalized one. A Smarter HQ report says that 72% of consumers will only engage with marketing messages that are tailored to their interests. The same report states that 90% of consumers are willing to share behavioural data for a cheaper and easier brand experience, even if they have security concerns. That’s why it’s vital for businesses to get personalization right.

Personalization at scale is a challenge for any organization. With so many channels and pages to update, making even a small tweak to an experience while remaining consistent can seem all but impossible. That is, unless you have the right technology in place.

Headless gets you ahead

Traditional CMS systems have been the standard, but companies are now looking for increased flexibility and scalability provided by headless CMS solutions. But what exactly is headless CMS? And why is it important?

A headless content management system helps the time-constrained digital marketer. It means that one digital content change can be applied across all various pages and channels, cutting down the time it takes to make edits to content. Personalization becomes more easily achievable because headless CMS helps teams become far more agile. As a result, it is a real option for businesses with established digital strategies and those just starting out on their digital journey to transformation.

How a headless CMS accelerates personalization

Introducing a new headless ecommerce platform may seem overwhelming, but it’s worth it. A cloud-based, API-first CMS, like Adobe Experience Manager, supported by a tool like our Digital Experience Foundation (DXF) solution could help a business to achieve value faster – without the stress involved.

Instead of implementing a number of potentially clashing MarTech solutions, DXF is almost “plug and play.” Consider it a pre-built foundation for accelerating the implementation of a new cloud-first digital experience platform based on Experience Manager, or the modernization of an existing Experience Manager platform. With this solution, businesses can benefit from fast time to launch and value, more rapid innovation, content and brand management at scale, as well as lower cost of ownership and management.

Avanade’s deep strategic partnership with Adobe can help you rapidly transform your businesses by delivering the personalized, human-centered, and future-ready experiences that customers expect. Please register for our Adobe and Avanade webinar on April 1st at 12:30 PM EST to learn more.