Lingaro’s experts chime in that composability might be the answer. Though not newly emergent, this trend remains underrecognized despite its game-changing value within the marketing sphere. Composability is a modular approach that lets marketers mix and match applications and platforms to create flexible, efficient, and scalable marketing ecosystems. In a nutshell, it’s a lot like building with blocks.
That said, composable MarTech is shaping up to be a refreshing solution when contrasted against the commitment and cost required by custom-built solutions, and the hulk and bulk of monolithic platforms. The potential it lends to creating agile workflows gives industry practitioners even more reasons to start adopting it.
Marketers often find themselves struggling to adapt with today’s ever-shifting consumer expectations and the constant proliferation of new technologies.
Composable MarTech aims to fix this. It lets companies customize their technology stacks through the seamless integration of various software modules, APIs, and data sources to improve efficiency. Moreover, AI (artificial intelligence) advancements have made it a highly adaptable solution that allows marketers to build or substitute applications even with limited technical expertise.
“Gone are the days of clunky, one-size-fits-all solutions that struggle to keep up with the swift currents of market changes and shifting customer desires,” said Michał Kamiński, Lingaro’s commercial analytics consultant and marketing analytics lead. “Composable MarTech stacks let marketers cherry-pick top-tier solutions for every task, ensuring they’re always armed with the best tools in the trade. Plus, this modular setup means swapping out outdated components is as easy as changing shoes, helping you stay ahead of the curve and avoiding vendor lock-in.”
Kamiński further adds that composable solutions sit at a comfortable middle ground. They strike a balance between the limitations of monolithic suites, which rely on external vendors and have limited adaptability, and custom-built solutions, which are resource-intensive and time-consuming.
Composable MarTech offers the best of both worlds. It accelerates time-to-value compared to building everything in-house, while also giving greater flexibility and agility than pre-built platforms.
Figure 1. A sample visualization of composable solutions sharing
the best qualities of monolithic and custom-built platforms
Composability’s benefits do not just end with modularity and lower cost. It also has advantages in terms of the utilization and synthesis of data.
With it, businesses can consolidate and analyze data coming from multiple sources using data warehouses and data lakes. This ability to exchange data both ways is essential for targeted marketing campaigns as it offers a more holistic view of customer behavior and preferences.
Kamiński notes that while integrating data from multiple systems is not a unique feature, composable solutions stand out as they do not duplicate data. Monolithic systems often store data externally, including copies from client databases. This practice poses risks as it exposes sensitive information beyond the company’s control and creates redundancies.
Composable solutions address these problems by establishing direct, two-way connections with existing client systems. This ensures data remains in its native, secure, and compliant location. In addition, clients gain direct access to all raw or processed data generated by composable solutions, as these outputs are integrated directly into the client's own databases. This bidirectional integration capability is a huge asset to enterprises and business-to-consumer (B2C) companies managing significant volumes of data.
With these benefits at play, composability already seems too good to be true. Fortunately, it is not so far-fetched. Research proves that this practical approach can be the linchpin to any effective MarTech system.
Several technologies can be considered key enablers of this MarTech trend. Collectively, they enhance the ability of marketing teams to utilize data, automate processes, and make informed decisions to better optimize marketing performance.
Composable MarTech forgoes baked-in solutions in favor of creating unique models with best-of-breed components. This means applications can be woven into an organization’s existing system without needing a complete rebuild — a convenient feature since MarTech tends to be underused. In fact, a report from Gartner in 2023 finds that only 33% was being utilized by marketers due to a slew of complications.
To mitigate this, solutions like Lingaro’s Commercial Analytics services help businesses optimize their MarTech systems. By creating analytics roadmaps to reduce technology bloat, enterprises will be able to gain more business value from their stacks.
Composability hopes to dash any hesitance practitioners have about fully harnessing its potential. It streamlines processes and removes redundancies to boost operational efficiency, making it vital for any organization’s MarTech structure.
Kamiński explains that this modular approach can lead to more impactful marketing campaigns and smarter resource use. “The ability to swap out or upgrade individual components without causing a system-wide crash means less downtime and fewer costly mistakes.”
Companies looking to fine-tune their marketing efforts can rely on composability to provide a more comprehensive understanding of customer journeys. This is done through the integration of composable tools and platforms which unify data and break down silos, making it easier to gather insights. Through this 360-degree view of customer experiences, businesses can develop data-driven decisions that drive higher ROI and growth.
A 2023 Gartner survey reveals that budget allocations for MarTech reached an impressive 25.4%. This underscores its perceived value and signals a significant shift in industry priorities. It’s clear that marketers want to utilize MarTech. They just haven’t found a solution that meets their needs yet.
Composability sets itself up as the key to this dilemma. But like with any technology, it requires a level of organizational readiness to ensure its successful adoption.
Kamiński shares insights on how organizations and their decision-makers can align with composable principles so they can keep pace with this technology:
Marketing is not a static discipline. It is subject to the constant flux of consumer behavior and technologies. As such, it often requires adjustments and diverse toolkits that can be tailored to create richer customer experiences. This highlights the urgent need for adaptable solutions in marketing technology — a problem which composable MarTech can solve.
Composability is set to become a cornerstone of marketing technology by 2025. Its versatility makes it an invaluable approach for enterprises looking to stay nimble amidst rapidly changing market demands. Embracing this trend will not only assist companies in staying abreast of emerging customer needs, but it will also enable them to thrive in an industry widely known for its dynamism.