Forms

What are forms?

Forms are interactive elements on a website that allow users to input and submit data. They capture information such as contact details, preferences, survey responses, registrations, and transactions. In digital experience platforms, forms serve as the primary connection between visitors and backend systems. They initiate workflows, store contact data, support compliance, and act as foundational triggers for marketing automation and CRM processes. 

Why are forms important?

Forms are often the final step before a visitor converts. They transform anonymous traffic into known contacts and actionable data. Whether used for lead generation, onboarding, self-service, or transactions, forms directly influence conversion rates, data quality, and downstream marketing and sales effectiveness. Well-designed forms reduce friction, improve user trust, and enable personalization and automation across the entire digital experience. 

What are the most common types of forms?

Typical types of web forms include: 

• Contact forms for basic inquiries.
• Newsletter signups, often limited to name and email.
• Lead generation forms used for gated content such asebooks.
• Surveys and feedback forms.
• Event registrations and RSVPs.
• Multi-step forms for onboarding or quote requests.
• Checkout forms for e-commerce, including shipping and payment details.

How do forms work, and why does it matter?

Web forms are built using standard HTML elements such as input fields for text, numbers, and dates, text areas for longer responses, select dropdowns, and buttons for submission. When a user submits a form, the data is sent to a server-side process that stores the information, triggers workflows, or passes it to external systems such as CRMs or marketing automation tools. 

Behind the scenes, modern platforms add validation, spam protection, real-time error handling, and security layers to ensure forms are reliable and compliant. How forms work matters because even small issues, confusing fields, slow validation, or unclear confirmation, can significantly reduce completion rates and data accuracy. 

What is a smart form?

A smart form dynamically adapts based on who is filling it out or how they interact with it. Smart forms can show or hide fields based on previous answers, autofill known information for returning users, support progressive profiling by asking different questions over time, and personalize content based on location, device, or profile data. 

Smart forms improve user experience and increase conversions by removing unnecessary friction. They also help marketers collect richer data without overwhelming users upfront. In Xperience by Kentico, this approach is achieved through smart fields that enable progressive data capture. 

What is a form builder?

A form builder is a visual interface for creating web forms without coding. It allows marketers and content editors to add, remove, and reorder fields, define validation rules, style forms to match branding, configure submission behavior, and integrate forms with external systems such as CRMs or email platforms. 

In Xperience by Kentico, the form builder is tightly integrated with content, contact management, and marketing automation. This allows teams to create, publish, and optimize forms using the same environment they use for pages, email campaigns, and automation workflows. 

How does Xperience by Kentico support forms and smart forms?

Xperience by Kentico includes a fully integrated form builder as part of the platform, with no plugins required. Key capabilities include drag-and-drop form creation, smart fields with conditional visibility, multi-step and wizard-style forms, integration with consent and contact management, and native connections to marketing automation, lead scoring, personalization, and reporting. 

Because forms are part of the DXP, marketers can use familiar workflows while developers retain the flexibility to extend forms through custom components. Forms can also be delivered in headless scenarios, including mobile applications, while maintaining centralized data governance. 

How do companies benefit from forms and smart forms?

Organizations use forms in Xperience by Kentico as secure, high-impact touchpoints for transactions, onboarding, and engagement.

United Federal Credit Union 

• Industry: Financial Services
• Secure loan and service forms integrated with backend workflows.

Bonvenu Bank 

• Industry: Financial Services
• Simplified account opening and service forms improved onboarding conversion.

Berkshire Bank 

• Industry: Financial Services
• Reusable, personalized forms scaled lead capture and self-service.

Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau 

• Industry: Travel & Tourism
• Lead and inquiry forms support trip planning and demand generation.

Visit New Hampshire 

• Industry: Travel & Tourism
• Simple signup and inquiry forms drive engagement and subscriptions.

What is conditional logic in forms, and why is it useful?

Conditional logic allows forms to change dynamically based on user input. For example, selecting “Yes” to attending an event can reveal date fields, or choosing “Company” as a contact type can display B2B-specific questions. 

This capability simplifies forms by showing only relevant fields, improves conversion rates by keeping forms shorter, enables personalization at the form level, and reduces user confusion. In Xperience by Kentico, conditional logic can be applied directly within the form builder without developer involvement. 

How do forms connect to CRMs and marketing automation? 

When a form is submitted, its data can be routed to external systems using built-in connectors, APIs, webhooks, or middleware platforms. This enables contact creation or enrichment in CRM systems, lead scoring and segmentation, triggering automation workflows, storing consent preferences, and tracking engagement over time. 

In Xperience by Kentico, form submissions are automatically tied to contact profiles and can trigger marketing automation, email journeys, or personalized content without complex synchronization logic.