1. Why compromise on a solution that does not meet all the requirements?
The finished solutions are often very generic and of course, have a basic set of functionality. If that functionality is enough, a standard solution is probably “the way to go”. But remember that a hat that suits everyone usually doesn’t fit anyone.
Many (if not all) businesses consist of some segments that are unique to that particular business. This means that the generic systems require one or more adaptations, which are often done through integrations. If you include the costs in the calculation, the quick and cheap standard solutions often become much more costly both in terms of time and money.
If you have decided on a customized application, you must also decide what functionality you actually use. Here you can choose a well-developed e-commerce platform where you get the functionality for everything from advanced user management to campaign management and order placement.
However, what comes with such a solution is an integration that can become quite complex (if the complex features of the e-commerce platform are also used). It is then required to integrate the orders placed in the webshop into your existing business system. If, on the other hand, you have the opportunity to compromise a little with the functionality and only develop what you really need directly to your business system, you can instead get a much more cost-effective application that fits you and your needs.
2. Adapt the system to your business, not the business to the system
In a pre-packaged solution, there is always a predetermined way to handle what is included in the system. It can be anything from customer registers and price logic to user management and everything in between. But even here, there is rarely “a hat that fits everyone”. To manage it in their own business, there are different ways to go.
Either you can adapt your business and the existing IT systems to the webshop you implement. This has a tendency to meet quite a lot of resistance within the organization as change can be difficult.
If there are initially no systems involved or you do not really care how it is done, the standard solution is a good alternative. Another alternative is that integration is built between the existing systems and the webshop so that the data managed in the webshop is converted to fit the existing systems. This way everything happens “under the hood” and the user notices nothing. The problem is that it often gets pretty messy and for every small change you have to make sure that the integration also stays up to date.
If you build your own solution instead, you can link the data to be displayed in the webshop directly to any data source. Examples of data source may be your business system where much of your business logic already lies. Updates are also made directly into the business system, and thus not through any intermediary (integration). With this approach you can say that you use your own business system as an e-commerce platform and thus the flow of data is adapted to your particular business and you do not need to adapt to the system yourself, so you can continue to use the system as usual.
3. Get the webshop to follow your graphic profile
To give your customers an experience of first-class service even on the web, the webshop needs to feel like a natural part of your organization. The feeling of what is being sold and the confidence in your belief in the goods is dropping if the customer immediately gets a feeling that the webshop is too general or does not match with the rest of your brand; If the hat is wrong, it will not fit your pants or shirt, no matter how nice. To avoid this, the website’s graphic profile needs to be well-conceived and carefully adapted.
You should consider how much you care about the organization’s presentation and understand the needs your customers have. Are your customers keen on how they present themselves? How much trust do they have for your organization? A webshop’s design can be a tool for getting closer to your customers or helping your customers to more easily access your range. Many standard solutions can take you far but rarely all the way.
4. Your webshop – your project
One of the weighty arguments for choosing a standard solution is that it is very easy to see what you get for your money and thus take a lesser risk.
One of the absolute benefits of a tailor-made solution, besides making it look and work exactly the way you want it, is that you get full control over the project, eg. its scope. Together with the supplier, you identify exactly what your webshop needs so that you do not have to pay for items that will not be used. Together, priority is given to what needs to be clear first and what can be expected. If the scope of the project needs to be changed, new frameworks will be found to be able to run the project in port. The conditions for the webshop simply change the webshop. The important thing is the opportunity to have close contact between developers and customers throughout the development process, so that you as a customer feel that you are up to date on what is happening and that the end product will be exactly what you want.
Finally, when the system is fully developed, you have a site that suits your business perfectly.
