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What comes after composable: Twentyseven’s roadmap for 2026
Composable platforms promised speed, flexibility, and smarter operations and many European organisations have already seen the results. But 2026 brings a new reality. AI is becoming part of the operating system, customer journeys flow across more channels, and success depends on how well tools work together as a living ecosystem.
“Success in 2026 will not come from having the most advanced stack. It will come from orchestrating that stack with clarity," Tobias Mauel of Twentyseven explains.
This is not a warning. The organisations that thrive will design content that travels anywhere, use AI to strengthen human judgment, and treat integration and governance as foundations for creativity. Tobias lays out the roadmap for what comes next.
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AI moves from novelty to foundation
The first wave of enterprise AI was exciting with faster content, automated translation, and metadata cleanup. Now AI is embedding into the core. Gartner expects headless CMS platforms to include AI-driven recommendations soon, and consumers increasingly expect personalised experiences.
“AI is becoming part of the platform’s foundation. Digital leaders who place it in a thoughtful, well-defined role will see the benefit most clearly.”
Teams focus less on variations and more on defining AI boundaries. The work shifts upstream from production to design.
Composable architecture needs care
HComposable architecture is flexible but demanding. Integration can consume 80 percent of digital projects, and each service evolves independently.
“Composable platforms function more like ecosystems than products, and ecosystems need tending.”
The most successful organisations treat integration as ongoing product work rather than a nuisance.
Omnichannel moves from promise to practice
Consumers switch devices seamlessly. Any inconsistency is instantly visible. Headless architecture solves distribution, but omnichannel excellence depends on content that travels.
“People move across devices without thinking about transitions. Any inconsistency is now instantly visible.”
Strong content structures enable consistency without rewriting for every interface.
Teams are stretched and empowered
Composable systems distribute responsibility. Editors manage content, product managers oversee ecosystems, developers maintain systems. By 2026, most low-code and no-code users will sit outside IT.
“A composable system cannot function if only a small group understands it well enough to make changes.”
Clear guardrails and defined ownership enable independence without chaos.
Reinvesting in creativity
Automation freed time but also removed tasks teams enjoyed such as the first draft, rough sketches, or early outlines. Forward-thinking organisations reinvest this time in experimentation and originality.
“The tasks that disappeared were not always the dull ones. Sometimes they were the enjoyable parts of the craft.”
Security and sustainability as design principles
Composable systems bring more endpoints and more risk. Security must be built into architecture not layered on top. Similarly, lean content models, efficient caching, and smaller payloads support sustainability.
“In 2026, security becomes inseparable from architecture.”
Good digital design increasingly aligns with sustainable digital practice.
What digital leaders need to focus on in 2026
Digital leaders won’t navigate 2026 by collecting more tools, but by refining how teams, systems and structures work together. The organisations moving fastest are already shifting from “build mode” to “operate with intent.” They:
Understand how their platforms behave in practice
Clarify ownership across the system
Use AI to augment, not replace, human decision-making
Keep governance lightweight, but meaningful
Enable non-technical teams without destabilising the architecture
Treat documentation as shared clarity, not a checkbox
"These systems can do a lot, but only when the people around them actually pull in the same direction."
2026 offers a chance to stabilise composable ecosystems and turn them into engines of continuous improvement, delivering digital experiences that are faster, smarter and more human.