Feature
The Gist
- New middle ground between suite and best-of-breed. By having an affiliation of companies under a unified brand, aggregator models aim to thread the needle for organizations who want their individual martech components to better talk to each other, but who might not need all the features of a suite solution.
- Aggregator models are well positioned for the market. In a recent keynote, Scott Brinker, editor at chiefmartech, said aggregator models are well positioned to be the future of the tech stack.
- Ibexa and the QNTM Group are bringing their aggregator model beyond Europe. An example of the aggregator model is the product ecosystem of the QNTM Group, parent company of Ibexa. In this ecosystem, Ibexa’s DXP integrates with Raptor’s CDP, Quable’s PIM and other martech components.
BARCELONA — DXP provider Ibexa has come a long way from its founding in 1999 as eZ Systems. Different versions of its SaaS offerings have been available for at least a decade in North America — although Ibexa has been more well-known in Europe. Ibexa’s modular approach to DXPs and related components were designed to appeal to customers at different stages of their journey.
These days, Ibexa is still leaning into a modular approach, although from a slightly different angle. As one of the key companies in the QNTM Group, Ibexa is forging ahead with a renewed push into North America and the Middle East. They’re doing so on the strength of QNTM’s new aggregator model — not quite a best-of-breed nor a full suite, but something that aims to thread the needle between the two.
CMSWire took the trip to Barcelona, Spain late last month to catch the highlights of the Ibexa DXP roadmap and collect other insights from digital customer experience leaders at the Ibexa Summit user conference last month.
Table of Contents
- Suite vs. Best-of-Breed — and in Between
- An Aggregator Model Example: Ibexa and QNTM
- Where the Aggregator Model Fits in the Martech Landscape
- Conclusion: The Role of Aggregation in Martech's Future
- Core Questions Around the Aggregator Model in Martech
Suite vs. Best-of-Breed — and in Between
The martech dichotomy is typically one of suites vs. best-of-breed. You either purchase all your products from a single vendor — such as Adobe — and often that promises to be your one-stop for all your martech needs. Conversely, you could buy single components from a single vendor — such as Optimizely for your DXP — and compose a stack together from different components.
There are advantages and challenges to both options. Suites and the promise of "all in" might include more than you need. Using a suite also means aligning yourself to a walled ecosystem, dependent on the vendor to add new products and features to its offerings. And as research from CMSWire’s 2025 DXP Market Guide shows, complexity is the main challenge to adopting suite DXPs.
Best-of-breed composable martech stacks reduce dependency of a single vendor, allowing you to update as needed. According to CMSWire’s 2025 DXP Market Guide, one of the biggest challenges to adopting best-of-breed DXPs is getting each product to talk to each other without clumsy or inefficient integrations. This can often involve complex custom solutions.
Related Article: Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs): What to Know in 2025
An Aggregator Model Example: Ibexa and QNTM
As a member of the QNTM Group, Ibexa is looking for a different way to approach the martech stack through the aggregator model. Within the QNTM ecosystem, Ibexa DXP products are designed to integrate with other QNTM products, allowing for a more seamless experience than one would get from a standalone product, but which allows more flexibility than with a full suite.
“You’re either very dependent on your suite, or — if you’re composable — dependent on your agency,” Bertrand Maugain, CEO at Ibexa said in an interview with CMSWire in Barcelona. “Now if you’re a customer, you want your DXP to either be a unified solution or solve a specific problem. But current players can’t do both. We aim to address both solutions — separate brands for specific use cases and a unified DXP for suite users.”
Oslo, Norway-based QNTM acquired Ibexa in 2021 and has recently made moves to more tightly integrate the 10 companies in its ecosystem. QNTM’s recent acquisitions of Raptor and Quable are a part of this grand vision. In QNTM’s model, the Ibexa DXP integrates with the Raptor CDP and Quable PIM for a more unified experience. Organizations can also integrate their stack with QNTM’s other products, without being locked into a closed ecosystem like they might experience from a full suite.
The QNTM ecosystem includes:
- Ibexa: DXP
- Actito: Customer activation
- Raptor: Customer Data Platform
- Quable: Product Information Management
- Qualifio: Customer engagement
- Notificare: Data collection
- SeenThis: Digital creatives
- Bizzkit: ecommerce
- Hesehus: ecommerce
- Adnami: Digital creatives
QNTM might not be as well-known in North America — yet. But its aggregate companies have strong brand value in Europe, and Maugain believes that will translate.
In an interview with CMSWire, Jean-Claude Pitcho, VP of global sales for the QNTM Group, said, “Internally, we have a sense of unification, and as people get a sense of belonging to QNTM they own more and more the entire product spectrum."
"QNTM is visionary around what composability really is," Maugain told CMSWire.
Editor's note: Check out this video interview from the Ibexa Summit, done by Felipe Jaramillio of Aplyca with Brice Dunwoodie, publisher of CMSWire and CEO of Simpler Media Group.
Where the Aggregator Model Fits in the Martech Landscape
Ibexa and QNTM’s aggregator model are coming along at a time when the martech landscape is as crowded as ever. When Scott Brinker, editor of Chief Martec and keynote speaker at the 2025 Ibexa Summit, first mapped the martech landscape in 2011, he identified about 150 martech companies.
Today, that number has ballooned to over 14,000. And companies use hundreds of SaaS applications every day. There have been efforts to consolidate martech products, but these don’t always work.
“To the degree that you can eliminate products that you don't need, the degree that you can consolidate, that's absolutely a valid strategy,” Brinker said in his keynote speech, “but we've seen the data now, year over year over year ... consolidation alone isn't sufficient. Now, there's a pattern that’s really starting to emerge that I think is complementary to consolidation: that's aggregation.”
Max Sihvonen, chief commercial officer for the QNTM Group, envisions a model of intelligent connections. In an interview with CMSWire, Sihvonen said, “We’re happy to make custom connections, but right now we’re focused on creating connections that deliver the highest business value.”
Related Article: Digital Experience 2024: Insights From Frontlines of AI, CMS and DXPs
Conclusion: The Role of Aggregation in Martech's Future
The martech landscape has grown almost exponentially over the last decade, making choosing the right tools for your martech stack that much harder. In this environment, employing an aggregator approach to your martech stack might reduce friction and make things easier for both your customer and employees.
Ibexa's approach recognizes the need for a comprehensive solution that simplifies marketing operations and reduces the number of systems marketers need to interact with. Their position as the leading company within the QNTM Group aims to do just that — strike a balance between offering specialized tools for individual problems and be a part of an aggregate model that allows companies to pick and choose the best tools for their marketing operations.
Their vision coincides with Brinker’s closing keynote statements at the 2025 Ibexa Summit: “At the end of the day, it’s an exciting, wonderful and sometimes overwhelming world in which all of this is changing. Martech isn't slowing down. It's an ecosystem world. Aggregation can be more powerful than consolidation. Composability is such a great way to let you and your clients craft more tailored solutions, and the opportunity is huge.”
Core Questions Around the Aggregator Model in Martech
Editor's note: Here are key questions around the aggregator model and its impact on the martech landscape:
What is an aggregator model in martech?
The aggregator model offers a middle ground between full-suite solutions and best-of-breed stacks by unifying select, independent technologies under a single brand. It enables seamless integration while avoiding vendor lock-in.
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How does the QNTM Group’s aggregator model work?
QNTM Group brings together companies like Ibexa (DXP), Raptor (CDP) and Quable (PIM) into a connected ecosystem. Each tool can function independently or integrate for a more unified experience, giving businesses flexibility.
Why is aggregation emerging as a key martech trend?
With over 14,000 martech tools in the market, businesses struggle with tool sprawl and integration complexity. Aggregation helps streamline operations while preserving the ability to choose specialized solutions.
How does the aggregator model compare to traditional suite and best-of-breed approaches?
Unlike suites, aggregation allows businesses to use best-in-class tools without full vendor dependency. Unlike traditional best-of-breed approaches, aggregation ensures pre-built connections that simplify integration.
What challenges do companies face when adopting an aggregator model?
Ensuring that integrations are seamless and deliver real business value is a challenge. Companies must also assess whether the aggregated tools align with their unique marketing and CX needs.
