We’re now into the second half of XPON’s stages of Digital Maturity (need a recap? See here for an overview of Maturity and the Limited and Reactive stages).

The 4 stages of XPON's Digital Maturity framework

This post delves into the third stage – “Integrated” – and what it means for those organisations who sit within this stage of  maturity. Integrated digital maturity – what does this mean?

Awesome, we’ve hit Stage 3 of Digital Maturity… what does being ‘Integrated’ actually mean?

First up, congratulations for being such a data-driven organisation. You’re also in good company, with 42% of Australian businesses sitting at the Integrated digital maturity stage on our maturity scale.

24% of Australian businesses sit at the Integrated stage on our maturity scale.

As an Integrated business, apart from being data-driven, your teams, processes, and systems are interconnected. Data is now not only shared across your teams but used effectively, with ever-increasing collaboration and cross-functionality. Outward-facing, your digital presence closely reflects and conveys the look, feel, and value(s) of your brand. As such, integrated organisations are able to deliver a digital experience that adequately serves the expectations of the modern customer.

Being able to use, and rely upon, owned data leaves integrated organisations well-prepared for the imminent deprecation of the 3rd party cookie. Further, 1st party data can be, and is, activated across channels with a demonstrated link to ROI. However, even at this stage, data maintenance is only near-optimal, which makes campaign optimisation less personalised, and can cost businesses time and money.

As with the lower levels of maturity, there is work to do for Integrated businesses to safeguard against future evolutions of the marketing landscape and inevitable policy changes at a time when data privacy is top-of-mind for consumers.

We’re so close – How do we get to the top of the Maturity scale?

What’s great is that as an Integrated business, you are already in the top half of the digital maturity curve, giving you a competitive advantage over those who are still Limited or Reactive.

So now it’s time to really focus on moving into the final phase of digital maturity by capitalising on opportunities to deliver truly customer-centric and profitable digital experiences. Some initiatives you might like to consider include:

  • Scale customer insights and actionability by improving measurement and enabling an end-to-end view of the customer journey, leveraging both on- and offline data.
  • Improving the connection between customer data and digital experience applications to enhance UX and on-page personalisation
  • Continue to utilise your integrated tech stack to identify user trends, and react accordingly with personalised follow up in real-time
  • Connecting your customer data and adtech for improved personalisation and automated bidding.

Want to see where your organisation sits?

XPON’s Digital Maturity Survey delivers insights into your organisation’s capability across marketing and CX measurement, audience activation, and digital experience strategies.

To discover the Digital Maturity of your organisation take our survey here and for further information around XPON’s Digital Experience Blueprint offering, please get in touch.

Once completed, you’ll receive a personalised copy of your Digital Maturity Report which will benchmark your organisation compared to your peers.

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Download the 2023 report.

XPON’s 2023 Digital Maturity Insights Report reveals the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities extracted from surveying over 100 marketing, technology, and digital leaders across Australia and New Zealand.

Download the Insights Report to learn how similar businesses are performing and the key trends and challenges impacting their digital maturity.