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The 2018 Gartner Magic Quadrant for WCM

By Tjeerd Brenninkmeijer

08/01/2018


After two decades in the CMS industry, I have participated in dozens of evaluations from partners, analysts, and customers. As part of an evaluation, we are measured which, in turn, leads us to reflect on Bloomreach and its progress. Whether we interpret the measurement as a win or loss, the next step is always the same: analysis. We dive into the results in detail and reflect on where we are performing well and where we should focus to improve. We believe the 2018 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Web Content Management is the perfect illustration of this.

I am delighted to share that we have, yet again, been named a Leader in the Magic Quadrant for WCM [1]. I would put this one in the “win” column, and am proud of our teams for the hard work leading to this. Of course, I already know how talented they are and see the amount of effort and passion they bring each day, but it’s incredibly satisfying as I feel their talents have been recognized on a larger stage. Additionally, a big thank you goes to our customers and partners who are putting our solution to work, as we believe being a leading player is only possible when you can execute.

As a whole, we are excited and motivated by the developing WCM market. Today’s customer and the needs of current projects continue to evolve, new innovations are constantly surfacing, and digital simply has to move at an increasingly rapid pace – WCM included.  

Not long ago, a year of implementation was accepted as the norm. Now, that concept has accelerated and multiplied – deployments are continuous and, for some customers, that means hundreds of releases a day. An “omnichannel strategy”, which was once web and mobile, has transformed into countless devices and channels that unlock possibilities for one-to-one personalized content. The term analytics has taken on a completely different meaning, and now conveys automated optimizations and actionable insights. Machine Learning has gone from a black box tool you hope is doing what you ask, to a powerful partner to human intelligence that can be strategically used to optimize and scale. Change is constant, and change is rapid.

Thanks to our future-focused team, Bloomreach has been at the forefront of each of these trends and will continue to stick to this proactive style.

I believe this attitude is why we lead in our space – every individual at Bloomreach has a constant appetite for doing things better and we itch to improve on behalf of our customers. At times, this approach may cost us because taking big risks is, by definition, risky. However, our top priority is always our customer’s success. We know that for our customers to build cutting-edge experiences, we have to deliver cutting-edge tools. This means we can never rest on “this is how it’s always been done”, but instead look at where technology is now, where it’s going, and how our platform can support – and grow with – customers over the next decade. It is incredibly rewarding to see that this mindset is being acknowledged by our customers.

If the first step after measurement is analysis, the second step is action and this report makes me proud of a particular action plan of this past year. Recently, we went face-to-face with our customers and discussed where pain points in our usability was, and what we could improve to help them succeed. From that feedback, our teams revamped the UX and UI, and I believe that work has been acknowledged by Gartner.

This improved UI is making it even easier for marketers to create experiences and compelling content, all with a beautiful and highly intuitive UX and UI. As a marketer myself, I appreciate this achievement and value it greatly, understanding that freedom for both IT and marketing teams means improved efficiency and tangible results.

Bloomreach’s commitment to the success of our customers drives us and will, no doubt, result in further innovations and triumphs in the years to come. That commitment wouldn’t be possible without such a group of intelligent, dedicated people who make it happen. I am honored to work with such a terrific team and be a part of this magical journey - and thank them for the innovative work that I believe has given us such fantastic results in the 2018 Gartner MQ for WCM.

  1. Gartner, Inc. Magic Quadrant for Web Content Management, Mick MacComascaigh, Jim Murphy, 30 July 2018.

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

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Tjeerd Brenninkmeijer

Executive Vice President at Bloomreach EMEA

Tjeerd overlooks Bloomreach growth strategy, strategic alliances and operations in EMEA. Prior to Bloomreach, he co-founded Hippo and charted the marketing strategy for 17 years, focusing on the lead to revenue process and seeing the company continuously double in revenue year-on-year.

As a thought leader in the DX space, he is frequently featured in industry publications and as speaker at industry events. He regularly contributes to the Amsterdam tech community as a Startup Bootcamp mentor.

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