AEM Market Maturity Forces a Decline in Agency Rates

As the AEM market matures, agency rate sticker shock has Adobe’s clients pivoting from premium pricing to more reasonable development and maintenance strategies.

This is good news for Adobe’s AEM customers. While some clients can still afford to pay $300-400/hr for teams of onsite developers, many have been able to take advantage of the market’s maturity, and pursue more sensibly priced long-term solutions and partnerships.

The market has shifted, but don’t try to save money so much that you resent the journey.

Some clients—and many agencies—have chased the lowest bidder, only to find themselves burdened with poorly written code and no support. But for many, the maturity of the market is a welcome relief from its frenzied peak just a few years ago, when many agencies sold premium AEM packages staffed with junior developers. This led to broken projects and unhappy clients. No surprise there.

In the last 6-9 months, we have received a dozen calls from clients and agencies, asking us to step in and save projects mid-stream. We recognize this as a shift in the marketplace, as clients seek long-term solutions for AEM development and maintenance. The market no longer supports paying a premium for large quantities of inexperienced developers learning on the job, but has shifted to a model of lower cost for higher quality and seasoned developers.

Many have been able to take advantage of the market’s maturity, and pursue more sensibly priced solutions and partnerships.

We are in the business of solving technical challenges, not political ones. We welcome clients that want an honest assessment of their AEM codebase, and a professional assessment of their team. Our priority is to protect and reinforce our clients' brand strategies, and we are brutally honest about gaps and opportunities.

We love clients that are interested in long-term partnerships. We love clients that ask us to lead projects, establish best practices, and work with talented third party developers. Bring it on. But if you ask us to burn out our team to salvage a tarnished reputation—thanks, but no thanks.

For many, the maturity of the AEM market is a welcome relief from its frenzied peak.

The Takeaway: When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. The market has shifted in favor of less expensive resources, but don’t try to save money so much that you resent the tools and the journey. Make the hard decisions, and invest in partnerships that will protect your brand as well as your bank account.

Jeremy Conescu is the Founder and CEO of Sibling Technologies, a group of highly specialized Senior AEM Consultants that lead federal and commercial projects for Adobe.