It is easier than ever to build a website using tools known as content management systems. In many cases, it is as simple as dragging and dropping elements into place to create a website. However, while these platforms might work for a basic site, you will likely need to pay for software like Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) if you want more customized content.
AEM is an enterprise content management system that offers a host of features. Perhaps most importantly, AEM allows companies to provide more tailored content across brands and locations. Many well-known websites are run on AEM, and significant returns on investment have been seen by using this and related products from Adobe.
Inclind offers website development, design, and maintenance and support services to clients throughout the United States. We have experience with all types of content management systems, including Adobe Experience Manager, WordPress, and Drupal. If you’re interested in learning more, reach out to us to speak with a member of our team.
What is AEM?
Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) is a content management system (CMS). Like other CMS, AEM can be used to build and run a website even if you don’t have any coding experience. Unlike other CMS platforms like WordPress and Drupal that offer free and low-cost options, AEM is an enterprise-level CMS. While the cost is higher, it provides a range of other features like digital asset management and a cloud service.
With AEM, businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations can manage content-specific messages, personalize content, and more. This empowers organizations to create unique digital experiences based on the country, products, services, and even companies.
Some features of AEM include:
- A content management system
- Component-based editing
- Digital forms with built-in security features
- A digital asset management system that makes it easier to access, retrieve, and use assets
- Integrated A/B testing
- Cloud service, with the content and all assets being hosted in the cloud
- A centralized dashboard where all projects can be managed in one place
Pricing for AEM depends on factors such as workflow complexity, bandwidth used, traffic volume, and integrations with other systems. It isn’t unusual for it to cost over $100,000 annually.
21 Examples of Websites Built on AEM
While AEM is pricey, the money spent is often well worth it - especially for larger corporations and organizations. AEM can help businesses improve customer experiences, increase sales, and enhance their online presence.
Crate & Barrel
Crate & Barrel is a furniture and home decor brand. Its website was built using AEM, which has allowed it to provide a more personalized shopping experience for customers. For example, when customers search for a particular item - such as a duvet cover - the site will suggest not only that item but coordinating items. It can also customize the shopping journey based on location.
Design Strengths
- Elegant visual hierarchy: clean whitespace, large photography, and balanced typography that guide the eye naturally from hero offers to featured collections.
- Seasonal and promotional clarity: uses bold banner messaging and imagery to highlight timely sales without feeling cluttered.
- Category-driven navigation: “Shop by Room” and “Shop the Room” make it intuitive to browse by intent rather than product type, which is ideal for conversion.
- Lifestyle integration: “Get the Look” and editorial content help inspire purchase decisions and keep users engaged longer.
- Strong trust and convenience signals: free design services, in-stock delivery timelines, and clear shipping info reinforce confidence to buy.
Best Western International
Best Western, a hotel chain, uses AEM for its mobile-responsive website. This CMS is a great idea for brands that operate across states and countries. With AEM, Best Western can provide a customized experience based on location.
Design Strengths
- Immediate booking interface: Prominent, above-the-fold booking widget prioritizes direct conversions.
- Consistency with brand tiering: Distinct color cues for “Plus,” “Premier,” and “Signature” properties help users quickly differentiate offerings.
- Visual reassurance: Professional photography and badge elements (“Clean Hotel Certified”) enhance credibility.
- Regional personalization: Automatically populates nearby destinations and deals based on user location.
- Strong loyalty focus: “Best Western Rewards” banners and persistent calls-to-join support long-term retention.
Discount Tire Supply
An automotive supply company, Discount Tire Supply made excellent use of AEM during the pandemic. Customers could make appointments and enter information online so that they could stay in their vehicle. They could also get real-time updates on store closures and safety precautions, as Discount Tire was able to personalize its website based on location with up-to-date information. Today, the site offers offers and specials based on location and has an easy shopping experience for customers.
Design Strengths
- Utility-first layout: Prominent “Find Tires” search box meets the core intent right at the top.
- Confidence-building design: Clear tire imagery, fit guarantees, and installation options reinforce reliability.
- Local store integration: Geolocation automatically highlights nearby stores, simplifying purchase and appointment setup.
- Clear price presentation: Displays “Out the Door” pricing to minimize surprise costs and build trust.
- Fast, frictionless checkout: Streamlined steps and minimal form fields create a quick path from search to purchase.
Virgin Atlantic
Airline Virgin Atlantic used AEM to build its site and provide a more personalized experience for fliers. In addition to customizing its website, Virgin Atlantic uses AEM to check in on passengers before they fly—sending reminders to check their passports and visa experiences, for example.
Design Strengths
- Hero-centered booking tool: The flight search form dominates the homepage, immediately guiding users to the main conversion action.
- Vibrant brand personality: Bold red accents, lively photography, and playful copy (“Book it now. Brag about it later.”) reflect Virgin’s fun, premium vibe.
- Layered promotions: Dynamic banners showcase deals and upgrades without overwhelming the user, thanks to clear hierarchy and spacing.
- Aspirational visuals: Uses real travel imagery and lifestyle content to inspire emotional engagement.
- Streamlined global nav: Simple, task-oriented menu groups key actions (Book, Manage, Flying Club) to minimize decision friction.
Dick’s Sporting Goods
Dick’s, a sporting goods supply store, is one of the most popular retailers of sport and recreation gear in the country. It uses AEM in various ways to offer shoppers a more customized experience. For example, a patron who buys tennis balls might get emails for related equipment - like tennis rackets - instead of more generalized emails.
Design Strengths
- Athletic visual identity: High-contrast photography and dynamic angles evoke movement and energy, connecting emotionally with athletes.
- Streamlined mega-menu: Clear categories for Men, Women, Kids, and Sports ensure quick discovery despite a huge product range.
- Urgency cues: “Today Only” or “Limited-Time Offer” banners are prominent yet tastefully integrated.
- Strong mobile usability: Sticky header, collapsible filters, and full-width images keep the experience fluid on all devices.
- Personalization: The homepage adapts dynamically to recent searches or browsing behavior, encouraging return visits.
Tractor Supply
Tractor Supply sells farm and outdoor items. It uses AEM to provide a seamless, personalized experience across all channels, including desktop and mobile. Through its AEM platform, it also offers targeted offers and services like curbside pickup.
Design Strengths
- Practical, utility-driven layout: Clear product grid with strong image-to-text ratio aligns with the brand’s straightforward audience.
- Strong omni-channel CTAs: Consistent “Pick Up in Store” and “Same Day Delivery” badges emphasize convenience.
- Trust-building visuals: “Family-owned since 1938” and community imagery reinforce authenticity and reliability.
- Search refinement tools: Filters by brand, category, and availability make large inventories easy to sort.
- Seasonal promotion zones: Homepage regularly refreshes with timely agricultural or outdoor themes, boosting engagement.
L'Occitane
L’Occitane, a beauty company based in France, uses AEM on its website to offer a more personalized experience based on the country right off the bat. It also uses data gleaned from its site to better understand customer interests so that it can deliver content tailored to those preferences. This has resulted in more site visits, clicks, and engagement.
Design Strengths
- Sensory storytelling: Photography and video evoke textures, scents, and landscapes, immersing users in the brand’s origins.
- Elegant minimalism: Soft neutral tones and high-end typography mirror the brand’s luxury skincare identity.
- Localized content blocks: Dynamic banners highlight regional bestsellers and offers, adding relevance for each visitor.
- Loyalty and gifting integration: “Join Our Rewards Program” and “Gift Finder” act as conversion and retention tools.
- Product discovery emphasis: Curated collections (“Bestsellers,” “New Arrivals”) simplify browsing and promote cross-selling.
Home Depot
Hardware giant Home Depot uses AEM and related Adobe products to create a unified shopping experience. For example, shoppers searching for a particular item can order it online - or quickly find the aisle and bin number for the product at their local store.
Design Strengths
- Powerful search-first interface: The large predictive search bar dominates the header, reflecting user behavior for large catalogs.
- Task-oriented design: “Shop by Project,” “DIY Ideas,” and “Pro Services” help users self-identify their goals, simplifying navigation.
- Prominent availability signals: Real-time stock indicators (“Available today,” “Pickup nearby”) boost purchase confidence.
- Smart use of visual hierarchy: Bold orange CTAs and clear product card layouts make complex content scannable.
- Trust through user content: Verified reviews, Q&A sections, and comparison tools reinforce credibility at the point of decision.
Phillips
Technology company Phillips operates in nearly 80 markets worldwide. To ensure that customers get a unique experience based on where they live, Phillips used AEM to create a digital platform that would provide a personalized experience based on audience data from both web and mobile sites.
Design Strengths
- Immersive product storytelling: Uses lifestyle videos and ambient lighting effects to demonstrate product value visually.
- Interactive customization tools: “Explore Scenes” and product configurators encourage hands-on exploration, increasing engagement.
- Unified design system: Consistent rounded buttons, soft gradients, and intuitive icons reinforce brand identity across pages.
- Conversion emphasis: “Shop Now” and “Build Your Setup” buttons appear frequently and are color-contrasted for visibility.
- Educational support integration: Tips, setup guides, and “How It Works” videos appear within the shopping flow to help first-time buyers convert.
Pitney Bowes
Pitney Bowes is a shipping solutions company that operates worldwide. To deliver a more compelling personalized experience, they utilized Adobe Experience Manager to streamline content creation and increase user satisfaction. Pitney Bowes could also offer more personalized digital services by using data from AEM.
Design Strengths
- Business segmentation clarity: The homepage clearly separates solutions for “Small Business,” “Enterprise,” and “Ecommerce,” guiding visitors by audience type.
- Professional visual language: Neutral colors and geometric patterns communicate reliability and enterprise authority.
- Prominent CTA placement: Each section ends with “Learn More” or “Get Started,” gently pushing users deeper into conversion paths.
- Icon-based navigation: Simplifies complex logistics services by pairing concise labels with recognizable icons.
- Modern B2B balance: Maintains a corporate tone without feeling dated, using motion cues and clean typography.
Western Digital
Western Digital is a technology company that offers a variety of products and solutions for both individuals and businesses. It used AEM to create a unified platform that would allow them to target, segment, automate campaigns, and develop content. They also use AI to provide online recommendations for buyers based on their history and what is currently in their shopping cart.
Design Strengths
- Product-driven homepage: Hero modules quickly segment users by intent (personal, business, gaming), streamlining navigation.
- Technical credibility through design: Dark color palette and clean sans-serif type evoke innovation and reliability.
- Interactive product showcases: Animated product rotations and hover states increase engagement and highlight detail.
- Conversion-oriented layout: “Buy Now” and “Where to Buy” buttons are strategically placed and visually consistent.
- Support-focused UX: Prominent knowledge base and warranty tools create confidence for higher-ticket hardware purchases.
Swisscom
Swisscom, a telecommunications company, uses AEM to interact with customers in their native language across any device and platform. They also deliver personalized experiences to visitors, such as recommendations and relevant news.
Design Strengths
- Highly visual product navigation: Product categories (Internet, TV, Mobile, etc.) use icon cards with color cues to aid quick identification.
- Modern, Swiss minimalism: Clean lines, ample whitespace, and crisp imagery align with the nation’s design aesthetic and brand precision.
- Persistent CTAs: Floating or sticky elements (“Shop,” “My Swisscom”) ensure constant access to conversion options.
- Effective microinteractions: Subtle hover animations and icon changes reinforce feedback and polish.
- Integrated support content: Help articles and product info appear inline, reducing the need to navigate away from the buying flow.
BBVA
Banking company BBVA uses multiple Adobe products to provide a more tailored experience. This includes using AEM’s A/B test feature to discover that customers were dropping out of the sales funnel due to a bug - which allowed BBVA to fix it. They also communicate more consistently and personally based on data gleaned from AEM.
Design Strengths
- Editorial storytelling: The site mixes corporate information with magazine-style articles, giving depth to the brand narrative.
- Vibrant accent colors: The use of blue gradients and bright iconography draws attention without overwhelming.
- Consistent design language: Icon sets, grid alignment, and button styling unify a wide range of content types.
- Readable typography: Large font sizing and generous line spacing enhance comprehension across global audiences.
- Global clarity: Language selector and regional personalization help international visitors feel instantly oriented.
CIBC
Canadian banking company CIBC used AEM to increase customer engagement and relationships by taking personalization further. It uses behavioral data from its website to target messages to customers that adapt in real-time based on their profiles and requirements. For example, customers with extra money in their accounts may get ads about savings accounts.
Design Strengths
- Streamlined banking actions: Quick-access tiles (“Sign On,” “Open an Account,” “Find a Branch”) surface the top conversion points immediately.
- Approachable imagery: Friendly, human-focused photos help soften what could feel like a cold financial interface.
- Strong visual rhythm: Alternating background colors and well-spaced sections make long pages easy to skim and digest.
- Reassuring copy tone: Conversational, supportive language (“We’re here to help you reach your goals”) builds user confidence.
- Mobile-first responsiveness: Menus and CTAs reformat intuitively on smaller screens, maintaining hierarchy and legibility.
US Census Bureau
US Census Bureau has an enormous task: getting hundreds of millions of Americans to participate in the census. This job was particularly challenging in 2020 when the census offered an online option. Using AEM, the Census Bureau was able to modernize its website to handle the surge in traffic. They could also make real-time decisions about content using analytics to improve ads and increase participation.
Design Strengths
- Information hierarchy clarity: The homepage cleanly separates sections for data, surveys, and news—crucial for a content-heavy government site.
- Prominent search bar: Recognizing that users often come for specific datasets, the large, centered search tool helps them find information quickly.
- Color-coded data visuals: Consistent use of blue, gray, and accent colors improves scanability across complex charts and infographics.
- Accessibility and readability: Large fonts, high contrast, and clear focus states reflect strong compliance with WCAG standards.
- Trust through design simplicity: Minimal styling and authoritative typography give credibility to statistical data and reinforce transparency.
Lacoste
Clothing brand Lacoste used AEM to create and maintain a highly usable, sharply designed website. It uses a unique strategy, such as routing users to “about us” content - to strengthen purchasing intent. As a global brand, it also provides location-specific content.
Design Strengths
- Immersive scrolling narrative: The page uses dynamic horizontal and vertical scroll transitions to guide users through Lacoste’s story.
- Seamless motion design: Animated logo transitions and timeline reveals add polish and brand sophistication.
- Editorial-style layout: Large typography and magazine-inspired grids present the brand’s heritage like a high-end publication.
- Consistency with product identity: The design mirrors Lacoste’s balance of sport and elegance in a minimal yet expressive way.
RCA Records
RCA Records is an iconic recording company. Its recently overhauled website uses AEM to create a dynamic, interactive website. Content such as music videos, articles, and a beat sampler keep users engaged.
Design Strengths
- Bold artistic layout: Grid-breaking design, overlapping imagery, and variable typography convey creativity and rebellion.
- Interactive motion elements: Subtle parallax and hover effects keep users engaged while exploring artists and releases.
- Strong visual storytelling: Uses photography and video loops to immerse visitors in the music culture rather than corporate messaging.
- High contrast for clarity: Black-and-white backgrounds with sharp accent colors draw attention to album covers and artist profiles.
- Artist-first experience: The homepage immediately showcases new releases and talent, aligning perfectly with audience intent.
Hyer
Hyer is a personalized aviation company with shared flights and aircraft booking options. It would make sense, then, that the company would use AEM to create a highly personalized website. It features crisp imagery and easy-to-use navigation to help get patrons from the “just looking” stage to booking a flight.
Design Strengths
- Luxury minimalism: Clean, high-end typography and generous white space match the expectations of private jet clientele.
- Aspirational imagery: Uses full-bleed destination visuals to evoke emotion and motivate high-value conversions.
- Smooth scroll and motion transitions: Subtle animations enhance flow without being flashy, reinforcing a sense of sophistication.
- Concise copywriting: Short, direct statements (“Elevate your travel”) keep focus on brand value rather than clutter.
- Clear conversion funnel: Primary “Book a Flight” CTA remains visible and consistent across pages.
Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts is perhaps the most famous global nonprofit organization for its yearly cookie sale. Its website, powered by AEM, is an excellent example of personalized content. You can click to buy cookies online, learn more about cookies, find out which troop you will be supporting, and even locate a local store selling the cookies.
Design Strengths
- Segmented navigation: Clearly distinguishes paths for “Parents,” “Volunteers,” and “Alumnae,” which reduces friction and cognitive load.
- Warm, inclusive imagery: Photography of real scouts and diverse groups builds emotional connection and trust.
- Vibrant, youthful color palette: Modernized greens and secondary pastels make the site feel fresh and engaging for younger audiences.
- Mission-driven CTAs: “Join,” “Volunteer,” and “Donate” buttons stand out through consistent placement and bright color contrast.
- Community storytelling: Success stories, achievements, and badges help turn the organization’s mission into tangible impact.
Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways is an airline company based in the Middle East. It uses AEM to run its website, which offers personalized content based on location. It also will provide relevant news and content to visitors based on their history, including location and booked flights.
Design Strengths
- Prominent booking form: The flight search bar is hero-centered with minimal distractions, ensuring the most important user action is immediately visible.
- Luxury visual style: Deep burgundy tones, clean sans-serif type, and cinematic imagery reinforce the airline’s premium brand positioning.
- Strong use of whitespace: Keeps dense information (like destinations, offers, and loyalty programs) feeling spacious and readable.
- Localized personalization: Dynamic homepage content adapts by region, creating a more tailored feel for users.
- Trust and prestige signals: Frequent “World’s Best Airline” badges and customer service awards establish credibility instantly.
Cigna Healthcare
Cigna is one of the largest global health insurance companies serving individuals, families, employers, and government programs. Adobe Experience Manager is a natural fit for an organization of this size, where reliable and scalable site architecture is needed. The Cigna site is very easy to navigate with a streamlined menu broken down by customer profile and a very prominent search bar. A form is positioned right below the hero to allow users to explore plans quickly. The design creatively works the leaves from the logo into the page with images masked into leaf shapes.
Design Strengths
- Clear audience segmentation: The homepage immediately offers pathways such as “Individuals & Families,” “Medicare,” “Employers,” and “Brokers,” making it easy for different visitor types to self-select their route.
- Prominent conversion point for core action: “Shop for Plans” and “Log in to myCigna” are positioned near the top, so the primary visitor intent (coverage or member account access) is addressed upfront.
- Strong readability and accessibility focus: The site has a clean layout, generous whitespace, high contrast text, and explicit mention of accessibility commitments in its digital design.
- Trust and clarity in messaging: The language addresses real concerns (“Open Enrollment Is Here,” “Digital ID Cards – Access Any Time, Any Where”), helping reassure and direct users.
- Support-driven design elements: Rather than purely sales-driven, the site includes tools and help cues (“Find a Doctor,” “View Claims,” “Search RX List”), which reinforce usability and reduce friction for current members.
Looking to Build a High-Performing Website Using AEM? Reach out to Inclind
Adobe Experience Manager is an enterprise CMS that offers a lot of bang for the buck. With AEM, you aren’t just creating a basic, static website. You can build a dynamic, interactive site that helps you increase customer engagement and drive sales. The talented designers and developers at Inclind can help you create a new AEM website for your organization.
Inclind is comprised of a team of long-term collaborators that services businesses, healthcare organizations, membership organizations, nonprofits, and other entities to help them create smartly designed, highly functional websites. Our services include website design and redesign, conversion optimization, automation, custom integrations, accessibility audits, and support and maintenance. We bring creativity, technical know-how, and an analytical mindset to each project to solve complex web problems.
We are here to talk if you want to explore website and CMS options. Fill out our online contact form or hit the live chat button to chat with one of our team members about your website.