ESP, CRM, DMP, CDP, or CDMP? How to build an experience-led tech stack

We all know the ever-increasing importance of great customer experiences. It’s one of the biggest differentiators a brand can leverage in building a strong, valued, and valuable customer relationship. But there’s a big difference between knowing the importance of experience and actually being able to consistently, effectively serve it to your customers day in day out, especially at scale, and with strapped resources. 

This is why the decisions you make about your tech are crucial, but also really stressful and pressure-filled. The market itself doesn’t really help either. When it comes to building a customer experience-first retail marketing tech stack, it all gets confusing very quickly. With seemingly endless categories of tech available, and every vendor making similar promises around “1:1 personalized omni-channel experiences”, how are you meant to be certain which solution or configuration would work best for you?

Do you need an ESP, a CRM, a DMP, a CDP, or a CDMP? What’s the best combination? What are the key differences? Are there overlaps or limitations? Are there any other three-letter acronyms you need to know about? Can acronyms cause headaches?  These are all perfectly valid questions, so try to comprehensively answer them (the headache one aside, we’re not doctors), we created our definitive Customer Data and Marketing Platform Buyer’s Guide. 

The excerpt we’ve included below explores some of the emerging trends that are driving modern customer expectations. 

To see the final two trends, and so much more – download the full guide here 

Trends → Expectations → Tech 

Want to know how the trends above directly feed into the requirements of the modern retention marketing stack?  Our buyer’s guide also takes a look at how these expectations translate into each of the tech options available and have led to the advent of Customer Data and Marketing platforms. Once we’ve delved into the tech and its implications, we also look at the buying process, who should be involved, how to get buy-in and the potential pitfalls of rushing the process. 

Finally, the guide looks at how best to understand and evaluate your options, with checklists, and evaluation templates to help find the right fit. 

Ready to clear up some of the confusion? Download your copy of the CDMP Buyer’s Guide here.