CMS statistics you need to know in 2023
Olena Teselko With the rise of digitalization across all industries, companies require extended capabilities and innovations to help them grow and meet consumer expectations. Content management systems, though, are the core software of the overall technology infrastructure that has to evolve in tandem with the business. Hence, the CMS market is also transforming alongside an ever-changing landscape and standards.
To provide a broad overview of the topic, we've compiled a list of CMS market statistics that you can use to guide your company's digital transformation.
How companies are using their CMSs
38% of companies use only 1 content management system.
48% of organizations use 2 to 3 content management systems in their work.
14% of businesses use 4 CMSs or more (The State of Content Management 2022, Storyblok).
According to our latest study, most companies use 2 or more CMS, which in fact, brings extra complexity to work. We decided to find the reasons behind such a strategy and asked respondents to share their motivations for using several systems simultaneously.
33% of companies use several CMSs to minimize delivery risks.
32% of companies use 2 or more CMSs due to the need for a new technology stack.
18% of companies utilize more than 2 CMSs to expand their omnichannel capabilities.
17% of companies are trying out different CMSs for proof of concept.
At the same time, 89% of IT leaders believe data silos are a barrier to digital transformation (Connectivity benchmark report, MuleSoft).
The most common reason for using multiple CMSs was to reduce delivery risk, followed by the need to implement a new technology stack and omnichannel content delivery. However, both of these concerns indicate that these companies are skeptical that a single system can provide the security or advanced technology they require.
Again, the reasons businesses are ready to deal with data silos, unnecessary complexity, and other disadvantages of using several CMSs must have some rational explanation. And here is the answer.
Most popular types of content management systems
The distribution of content management systems
50% of organizations use monolithic CMSs
35% of businesses use headless CMSs
15% of companies use website builders or custom CMSs
Monolithic CMSs continue to dominate the market, while headless architecture has already surpassed a third of the market share, despite being a relatively new technology. However, the prevalence of traditional CMSs explains the challenges mentioned above.
Previously, coupled architecture was the only option. Nonetheless, it has many flaws, such as security concerns, difficulties in delivering omnichannel experiences, a lack of agility, a limited selection of technologies, and so on. This forces businesses to implement additional content management systems in order to meet all of their requirements. It often implies a mix of monolithic and headless solutions.
Headless CMS statistics
Compared to monolithic, headless is a relatively new architecture, but it has already reached a high level of usage among mid-sized companies and enterprises as it is capable of solving major challenges. Headless solutions are more scalable, secure, compatible with the latest technologies, and more user-friendly for developers. At the same time, most headless CMSs offer a wide range of features to simplify the work of non-technical teams, making such platforms even more appealing to business users.
Here is proof that headless is the future of content management systems:
The Headless CMS market size is valued at around USD 605 Million in 2022 and is expected to grow to USD 3.8 Billion in 2032.
In our research, we also asked the respondents to share the improvements they noticed after migration to headless solutions or implementing them into the overall technical infrastructure. Here is what they said:
82.91% of companies reported that switching to a headless CMS improved time, budget, productivity, meeting their KPIs, and revenue/growth.
31.4% of companies reported that switching to a headless CMS saved them time in content and project management.
16.8% of companies reported an increase in traffic after migration to headless CMS.
14.2% of companies reported an increased ROI after migration to headless CMS.
13.7% reported a budget reduction for their content management system maintenance after migration to a headless solution.
The improvements companies noticed after adopting a headless CMS
Another survey also noted that the API-first approach (which is the foundation of headless) helps companies to implement innovative strategies into their work.
54% of companies using APIs noticed increased productivity.
47% of organizations that leverage APIs became more innovative.
Headless CMS user satisfaction statistics
According to G2, the biggest and most trusted software marketplace, there are four critical aspects that influence user satisfaction with headless CMS.
8,9 out of 10 claim use for business as an advantage of headless CMS.
8,7 out of 10 name content performance as an advantage of headless CMS.
8.4 out of 10 state personalization as an advantage of headless CMS.
7.8 out of 10 name AR/VR capability as an advantage of headless CMS.
Key takeaways
Many businesses had revised their digitalization strategies in recent years, — especially during and after the pandemic, when many industries were forced to go online. However, many established companies previously relied on traditional architecture and monolithic CMS, making the transition more complicated.
Meanwhile, technologies are rapidly evolving, making it challenging to keep up with them and adjust processes. On the other hand, headless content management systems make it simple to implement any technology or integration and deliver content across any channel, including AR and VR. Statistics prove that companies embracing the headless approach have experienced considerable improvements in different aspects, including development speed, collaboration, content management, and overall business results.
Read how Marc O'Polo created content-driven experiences with the headless CMS, or how Xlash expanded to global markets with Storyblok.
