Composability is not a coming trend, it’s here — presumably here to stay. That’s the message from MessageGears in a new report based on a survey of 300 enterprise technology, marketing and martech professionals in the U.S. and U.K.
Guess what? MessageGears describes itself as a composable data activation and engagement platform; it is often described as a composable CDP. There’s a heavy investment in composability here, but it does not mean that the report is not of interest. In fact, it doesn’t take MessageGears to tell anyone following the space that packaged CDPs are under pressure.
Defining our terms
OK, let’s get the terminology straight. A traditional or “packaged” CDP is “a standalone platform that stores a copy of your customer data on its own servers and helps you activate that data across various channels and destinations.” That’s the MessageGears definition, with which we won’t quibble. Except to say that, in many cases, brands don’t use the CDP’s activation capabilities but plug them into a specialist activation and engagement solution.
A “composable” CDP activates data that is stored in a data warehouse or data lake (for example Databricks or Snowflake, although there are many out there). It often (not always) does this by reverse ETL, copying data from the “lakehouse.” Some composable CDPs claim to present a no-copy solution, although that’s controversial. In any case, the aim of a composable CDP is not to create a separate, persistent copy of customer data.
Finally, the tough one: “composable.” As I recently wrote, “we currently have at least two uses of the terms ‘composable’ and ‘composability’ in the martech space. One use…refers to the ability of applications (like CDPs) to pull data from data warehouses rather than utilize (exclusively) data ingested into their own, separate database. The other, broader use refers to martech stacks being ‘composed’ from best-of-breed solutions, even though some central solutions in the stack may already have versions of some of those solutions.”
You can’t read a report like this one from MessageGears without bearing in mind that “composable” is a somewhat slippery term. But back to the report.
Dig deeper: What the composability revolution means for CDPs
Here are the headlines
Some of the main takeaways:
- 56% of organizations looking for a new platform would choose a composable over a packaged CDP.
- 70% of enterprise brands have invested in a cloud data warehouse.
- 47% are using the warehouse for customer engagement.
- 90% of brands currently use more than one CDP.
- Only 10% feel their CDP meets their current needs; 1% believe it will meet their future needs.
- When choosing a CDP, the leading capabilities sought are:
- Predictive analytics/AI (67%).
- Data security (66%).
- Deep analytics (65%).
No question: The traditional CDP space is in upheaval. I probably don’t need to refer to the LinkedIn threads complaining about time to implement and hazy (at best) ROI. You’ll have seen them. Also relevant, major enterprise CDPs like ActionIQ and Treasure Data are hedging their bets, offering flavors of composability alongside their legacy packaged offerings.
But let’s pick over some of those stats. The report, remember, is based on “a survey of 300 enterprise technology, marketing, and martech professionals.” That’s right, this is not a survey of marketers. Rightly so, because when it comes to establishig and utilizaing a data warehouse — whether for customer engagement or other operational needs — IT has a seat at the table. Especially at the enterprise table. And, let’s be honest, IT is going to have a louder voice than the marketing org.
Now look at those survey results again. If you’ve invested in a data warehouse, a composable CDP might well make more sense than a packaged CDP. It might also seem — to a techie — more attractive than several CDPs doing different things. (I’ve come across this while speaking to brands — two or three CDPs strung together because they’re each good at different things). Finally, is it the CMO or CTO calling out for predictive analytics, better security and better reporting?
Coming from MessageGears, this all makes sense. “Composable. End-to-end. Built for big brands.” That’s what it says on the MessageGears website and it makes sense that the buying team for such a solution is not going to be composed (that word again) exclusively of marketers.
Our takeaways
Here’s what I get from the report and from observing the space generally:
- Yes, composability is a key trend — in the enterprise and for organizations that have invested in data warehouses/lakes.
- It will appeal to large B2B enterprises where customer data is much broader than just marketing or sales data.
- It’s not yet ready to serve smaller organizations or leaner marketing teams that don’t need to tie their customer data to operational, financial or other data.
- Traditional CDPs are under pressure from a different direction anyway, namely from customer engagement platforms that emphasize real-time, personalized activation over storage and management of data.
On the latter point, no wonder MessageGears is positioning itself less as a composable CDP and more as an end-to-end alternative to both a CDP and a customer engagement platform with email, mobile and SMS messaging.
That may well be the future for CDPs, composable or not. “The creatures outside looked from CDP to customer engagement platform, and from customer engagement platform to CDP; but already it was impossible to say which was which.” Thanks, George Orwell.
The MessageGears report can be found here (registration required).
Dig deeper: What the composability revolution means for the martech stack
The post Composability has arrived, says MessageGears appeared first on MarTech.
**MessageGears Announces the Arrival of Composability in Their Platform: A New Era for Enterprise Marketing**
In the ever-evolving world of enterprise marketing, the ability to adapt and innovate is critical for businesses aiming to stay ahead of the competition. MessageGears, a leading customer engagement platform, has taken a significant step forward by announcing the arrival of **composability** in their platform. This new feature is set to revolutionize how enterprise marketers design, manage, and execute their marketing campaigns, offering unparalleled flexibility, scalability, and customization.
### What is Composability?
Composability is a modern approach to software architecture that allows users to build and customize applications by combining different components or “building blocks” in a modular fashion. These components can be mixed and matched to create tailored solutions that meet specific needs, without the constraints of traditional monolithic software systems.
In the context of marketing platforms, composability allows businesses to create customized workflows, integrate various data sources, and develop personalized customer experiences—all while maintaining control over the individual components that make up their marketing stack.
### The Importance of Composability in Marketing
Enterprise marketing teams are increasingly tasked with delivering highly personalized and data-driven campaigns across multiple channels. However, traditional marketing platforms often come with rigid structures that limit flexibility and require significant time and resources to adapt to changing business needs.
Composability addresses these challenges by offering a modular, flexible approach to campaign creation and management. With composability, marketing teams can:
– **Tailor Campaigns to Specific Needs:** Marketers can select and assemble the exact components they need for a particular campaign, whether it’s email marketing, SMS, push notifications, or other channels.
– **Integrate with Existing Systems:** Composability allows for seamless integration with existing data sources, CRM systems, and third-party tools, ensuring that marketers can leverage all available data to create personalized experiences.
– **Scale Efficiently:** As businesses grow, their marketing needs evolve. Composability enables marketing teams to easily scale their campaigns by adding or modifying components without overhauling the entire system.
– **Accelerate Time to Market:** By using pre-built components, marketers can quickly assemble and launch campaigns, reducing the time it takes to bring new initiatives to market.
### MessageGears’ Composable Platform: Key Features
MessageGears’ introduction of composability brings several game-changing features to its platform, empowering enterprise marketers to create more dynamic and personalized customer experiences. Here are some of the key features of MessageGears’ composable platform:
1. **Modular Campaign Design:**
Marketers can now design campaigns by selecting from a library of pre-built components, such as email templates, audience segments, and data connectors. These components can be easily assembled to create custom workflows that meet the unique needs of each campaign.
2. **Data-Driven Personalization:**
MessageGears’ composable platform allows for seamless integration with a company’s existing data infrastructure, enabling marketers to leverage real-time customer data to create highly personalized campaigns. Whether it’s pulling data from a CRM, data warehouse, or third-party analytics tool, marketers can ensure that every message is relevant and timely.
3. **Omnichannel Flexibility:**
With the composable platform, marketers can easily manage campaigns across multiple channels, including email, SMS, push notifications, and more. This flexibility allows businesses to deliver a consistent and personalized experience across all customer touchpoints.
4. **Customizable Workflows:**
The platform’s drag-and-drop interface makes it easy for marketers to create custom workflows that automate various aspects of the campaign lifecycle, from audience segmentation to message delivery. These workflows can be tailored to specific business goals, ensuring that campaigns are optimized for performance.
5. **Scalability and Performance:**
As businesses grow and their marketing needs become more complex, MessageGears’ composable platform can scale to meet demand. Whether it’s handling large volumes of customer data or managing multiple campaigns simultaneously, the platform is designed to deliver high performance at scale.
6. **Seamless Integration with Third-Party Tools:**
MessageGears’ composable platform is designed to work seamlessly with third-party tools and services, allowing businesses to integrate their existing marketing technology stack. This ensures that marketers can continue to use their preferred tools while benefiting from the flexibility and customization offered by the composable platform.
### Benefits for Enterprise Marketers
The arrival of composability in MessageGears’ platform brings a host of benefits for enterprise marketers, including:
– **Greater Control:** Marketers have more control over the components that make up their campaigns, allowing them to create custom solutions that meet their specific needs.
– **Improved Agility:** With the ability to quickly assemble and modify campaigns, marketers can respond to changing market conditions and customer preferences more effectively.
– **Enhanced Personalization:** By integrating real-time data and leveraging modular components, marketers can deliver more personalized and relevant messages to
Recent Comments