Digital marketing trends food and beverage brands cannot ignore in 2026
The specific 2026 digital marketing trends most relevant to food and beverage brands, prioritised for visual discovery and retail media coordination.
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A composable CDP takes a modular approach — building customer data unification using best-of-breed individual components (a data warehouse, a reverse ETL tool, an identity resolution service) rather than adopting a single, all-in-one platform, as covered in our CDP explainer.
How this differs from a traditional CDP
- Traditional CDP: a single, integrated platform handling data collection, unification and activation.
- Composable CDP: separate, specialised tools (often built around an existing data warehouse) working together for the same overall function.
Why this approach has gained traction
Many organisations already have a solid data warehouse investment, and a composable approach builds naturally on top of that existing infrastructure rather than requiring a separate, sometimes redundant, all-in-one platform investment and the associated data migration effort.
If you already have a genuinely solid data warehouse, a composable CDP approach lets you build on that investment directly — a traditional all-in-one platform often means duplicating infrastructure you have already paid for and built.
When composable makes more sense than traditional
- An existing, well-maintained data warehouse already serves as a reasonable data foundation.
- Sufficient technical resources exist to manage and integrate multiple specialised tools.
- A preference for avoiding vendor lock-in with a single all-in-one platform.
When a traditional, all-in-one CDP makes more sense
Organisations without existing data infrastructure, or those preferring a single vendor relationship and reduced technical integration burden, may find a traditional all-in-one CDP a more practical, lower-effort starting point.
Frequently asked questions
Does a composable CDP require more technical resources than a traditional CDP?
Generally yes, given the need to integrate multiple separate tools — this tradeoff is worth weighing honestly against the flexibility and existing-infrastructure benefits it offers.
Can a business switch from a traditional CDP to a composable approach later?
Yes, though this represents a genuine migration effort — the decision is worth making deliberately upfront based on your actual current and near-term infrastructure needs.
Is the composable approach only suitable for large enterprises?
It tends to suit organisations with existing data infrastructure and technical capacity regardless of overall company size, rather than being strictly enterprise-only.
If you want help deciding between a traditional and composable CDP approach, talk to our team.
The takeaway
Consider a composable approach specifically if you already have a solid data warehouse foundation — this architecture builds naturally on existing infrastructure, while a traditional all-in-one CDP often requires migrating away from what you have already built.
Written by Fibvo — Bengaluru and Erode, India — working with clients in other time zones. Questions, or think we have it wrong? Tell us.
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