ArtVersion is platform agnostic. In fact, we’ve been platform agnostic for 26 years. Platforms, for us, are tools that allow for creativity—not constraints. We don’t like to design or build websites that limit us during the development process, or worse, introduce limitations for the client once everything is launched. Every organization is different, and so is their ecosystem. That’s why our approach begins with understanding the user, the brand, and the goals—then selecting the technology that enables all three to thrive. From enterprise content governance to scalable eCommerce and inbound marketing engines, the platform decision should empower—not define—the experience.
Whether you’re overseeing a global brand refresh, launching a new customer experience initiative, or expanding into new markets, the platform you choose becomes the foundation for every digital interaction.
CMS Platforms
From dynamic content management to scalable eCommerce, each system—WordPress, Drupal, Adobe Commerce, AEM, Shopify, BigCommerce, and HubSpot CMS—offers distinct advantages depending on the structure and goals of your organization. For CMOs, brand managers, and digital leaders, understanding the capabilities and limitations of each is essential to building a digital presence that’s consistent, compliant, and conversion-focused.
WordPress: Agility at Scale with Enterprise Control
WordPress VIP is the enterprise-grade version of WordPress, backed by Automattic. It offers fully managed hosting, advanced security, performance at scale, and governance tools—all tailored for high-traffic, content-driven organizations. It’s trusted by global brands and publishers that need speed, flexibility, and editorial control without compromising compliance.
WordPress Open Source is free to use under the GPL license, making it one of the most accessible and widely adopted CMS platforms in the world. Its license-free model allows businesses to build and scale without recurring platform fees, offering full control over customization, hosting, and data ownership. With a massive global developer community, thousands of plugins, and theme options, it empowers brands to create powerful digital experiences without being locked into proprietary systems—making it especially attractive to startups, nonprofits, and growing businesses looking for flexibility on a budget.
Anecdote:
One of our standout WordPress projects involved a global enterprise brand undergoing a full digital transformation. They had a decentralized digital presence across multiple regions and sub-brands, resulting in inconsistent messaging, fragmented design, and a lack of governance. We leveraged WordPress VIP to centralize their publishing ecosystem, streamline workflows, and bring their brand identity into one unified, scalable experience. With built-in security, performance at scale, and editorial flexibility, the deployment empowered their global marketing teams to launch localized campaigns faster—without compromising compliance or brand integrity.
Why It Matters:
WordPress VIP elevates the world’s most-used CMS into an enterprise-grade content platform. It supports rapid publishing, brand governance, and multi-site deployment while staying developer- and marketer-friendly.
Strategic Considerations:
Global marketing teams benefit from streamlined workflows and localization tools. Component libraries enable reuse across campaigns and properties. Security and compliance features meet enterprise IT standards.
WP CMS platform is ideal for marketing leaders who need agility, consistency, and control across multiple markets.
Drupal: Content Governance for Complex Structures
Acquia is the enterprise company founded by Drupal’s creator, Dries Buytaert, to support and extend the platform for large-scale organizations. It offers a cloud-based ecosystem that enhances Drupal with tools for hosting, content governance, personalization, and digital asset management. For enterprise teams, Acquia makes Drupal deployments more secure, scalable, and marketer-friendly—bridging the gap between open-source flexibility and enterprise-level performance.
Anecdote:
We were tasked with rearchitecting a digital platform for a national healthcare organization that operated across regions, languages, and departments. The project required fine-grained permission structures, scalable taxonomy, and a clear audit trail for every piece of content. Drupal enabled us to deliver all of that—empowering internal teams to manage content independently, while ensuring brand alignment and compliance with accessibility and legal standards.
Why It Matters:
Drupal is best suited for organizations with layered content, regional teams, and complex governance requirements. It enables structured content models that scale seamlessly, from public websites to intranets and knowledge bases.
Strategic Considerations:
Ideal for regulated industries like healthcare, education, and government. Enables personalization while maintaining backend structure and security. Highly configurable permissions support distributed authoring.
For marketing leaders focused on structure, oversight, and long-term scale, Drupal offers unmatched content governance.
Adobe Commerce (aka Magento): Commerce Flexibility for Brand-Centric Retail
Adobe officially rebranded Magento Commerce to Adobe Commerce in April 2021. The change marked a strategic move to unify the product under the Adobe Experience Cloud umbrella, highlighting tighter integrations with Adobe’s suite of marketing, analytics, and personalization tools, while Magento Open Source continues to exist as a standalone community-driven platform.
Did You Know?
Magento still offers an open-source version of its platform—now called Magento Open Source—which is free to download and self-host. While Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento Enterprise) includes advanced features like AI personalization, cloud hosting, and integrated analytics, the open-source edition remains a powerful option for developers and mid-sized brands that want full control over their eCommerce architecture without the licensing costs. However, it does require a skilled development team to unlock its full potential and maintain long-term performance.
Why It Matters:
Magento—now Adobe Commerce—is the preferred platform for retailers that require customized product architectures, advanced pricing models, and omnichannel integration. It’s used by brands that want to design not just a store, but an experience that aligns deeply with their product strategy and brand voice.
Strategic Considerations:
Full control over product relationships and merchandising. Supports headless commerce and PWA integrations. Seamless integration with ERP, CRM, and other systems.
Magento is best suited for enterprise retailers with internal teams to manage the technical complexity and the desire to create tailored digital commerce journeys.
Adobe Experience Manager (AEM): Unified Experience Across the Enterprise
Many companies choose Adobe Experience Manager not despite its high price point—but because of what that investment unlocks. For global brands managing multiple sites, languages, campaigns, and user segments, AEM offers an unmatched combination of enterprise-grade scalability, content governance, and native integration with Adobe’s powerful marketing suite (including Analytics, Target, and Campaign). Its ability to centralize digital experiences across business units and geographies makes it especially attractive to companies prioritizing personalization, brand consistency, and omnichannel delivery. Simply put, AEM is chosen when digital experience is a strategic growth driver—not just a marketing function.
Why It Matters:
AEM is designed for global enterprises that operate across touchpoints—web, mobile, apps, and more. It integrates content, data, and personalization into a single ecosystem, often tied into Adobe Analytics, Target, and Campaign. AEM supports omnichannel content delivery at scale, enabling teams to reuse assets and personalize messaging based on user behavior and segmentation.
Strategic Considerations:
Supports omnichannel and multilingual experience delivery. Ideal for centralizing content across regions and teams. Ties directly into Adobe’s marketing cloud for advanced targeting.
For CMOs leading digital transformation across departments or regions, AEM provides control, insight, and seamless orchestration of content across every channel.
Shopify: Direct-to-Consumer Speed and Simplicity
While open platforms offer deep flexibility, sometimes a closed platform like Shopify is exactly the right choice—especially for teams prioritizing speed, stability, and ease of use. Shopify handles the heavy lifting: hosting, security, updates, and scalability are all baked in. This allows brand and marketing teams to focus on what matters most—storytelling, merchandising, and customer engagement—without getting bogged down in technical upkeep. Its curated ecosystem ensures plugins and themes are reliable, while its intuitive admin panel empowers non-technical users to launch products, update content, and manage promotions with confidence. It’s no surprise so many brands love Shopify—because it just works.
Why It Matters:
Shopify is a standout for direct-to-consumer brands that prioritize speed to market, creative flexibility, and scalability. It allows teams to move fast—launching campaigns, drops, or full storefronts without developer bottlenecks.
Strategic Considerations:
Perfect for high-velocity marketing teams in fast-moving industries. Extensive app ecosystem for marketing automation, reviews, and fulfillment. Shopify Plus unlocks more control over checkout and workflows.
For brand managers focused on performance and agility—especially in consumer markets—Shopify provides a low-friction path from idea to revenue.
BigCommerce: API-First Flexibility for B2C and B2B
From a development perspective, BigCommerce stands out for its flexibility and modern architecture. Unlike more restrictive hosted platforms, it allows developers to build custom frontends using any framework—React, Next.js, or even traditional theming—thanks to its robust APIs and headless capabilities. This means brands aren’t locked into a templated look or limited user experience. Design teams can create highly tailored, branded storefronts while development teams maintain performance and scalability. For marketing leaders, this translates into faster rollouts, more creative freedom, and easier alignment with broader brand experiences across digital touchpoints.
Why It Matters:
BigCommerce is a modern eCommerce solution designed for growth. It caters to both B2C and B2B use cases and provides an open API architecture ideal for headless commerce strategies. For marketing teams that want flexibility in frontend design without sacrificing backend commerce power, BigCommerce delivers.
Strategic Considerations:
Built-in features for B2B including customer groups and pricing tiers. Headless-ready architecture supports modern UX/UI design. Easy integration with CMS, ERP, and analytics tools.
For digital leaders balancing brand storytelling with scalable commerce operations, BigCommerce offers a smart middle ground.
HubSpot CMS: Inbound Marketing Engine Meets Web Platform
Anecdote:
A high-growth B2B SaaS company approached us with a clear mandate: unify their content marketing, lead capture, and CRM strategy under one roof. They were producing great thought leadership content but lacked a cohesive way to track engagement and nurture prospects. Rebuilding their website on HubSpot CMS allowed us to align their web experience with automation, lead scoring, and CRM workflows—turning the site into a true marketing engine.
Why It Matters:
HubSpot CMS is deeply tied to inbound marketing and CRM, making it an excellent choice for companies that want their website to drive growth—not just serve as a brochure.
Strategic Considerations:
Personalization and smart content built in. Seamless integration with CRM, email, and sales tools. Intuitive editing tools empower marketing teams directly.
For marketing leads focused on demand generation, content ROI, and marketing-sales alignment, HubSpot CMS offers a seamless, scalable platform.
Choosing a Platform with Brand Vision in Mind
Selecting the right platform isn’t about checking boxes—it’s about aligning digital infrastructure with your brand’s mission, audience needs, and organizational readiness. A brand operating across regions needs governance. A team focused on inbound growth needs integration. A fast-moving retailer needs agility. A global enterprise needs orchestration and scale.
More than ever, platform choice must be made with the full marketing lifecycle in mind—from storytelling and personalization to backend efficiency and frontend flexibility.
At ArtVersion, we approach every platform decision not just as technologists—but as brand builders. We look at the full picture: user experience, speed, governance, compliance, integration, and most importantly—how well the platform supports your brand’s long-term goals.