What does it mean to tailor a web solution?
At Increo, we develop tailor-made solutions. It may sound obvious, but what does it really mean in practice? Sebastian Krohn, head of our Oslo office, explains the difference between tailoring and shelving — and when you should choose what.
What needs does your company have?
Let's say you lead a business that is going to bet heavily on e-commerce. Today, you do not have a proper e-commerce solution, but have decided to acquire one. What are you guys doing? Do you buy a ready-made shelf store from Mystore or Shopify, or do you go to a digital agency and have a solution tailored to your business and customers?
“There is no fixed answer here, since no company has exactly the same needs. But then this is also precisely why tailoring often ends up being the smartest choice, says Sebastian.
When Cheap Becomes Expensive
There are certainly situations where an affordable off-the-shelf product solution may be the right thing. Maybe you're a startup that just needs an MVP, or you want to test if your business model is up to scratch.
“If you have a really tight budget, an out-of-the-box solution will be better than no solution at all. But you should be aware that it is not a long-term solution, and perhaps it is also not as cheap and easy as you think.
Too cheap can quickly become expensive. Even if the product works fine every now and then, I am happy to report the problems a little later.
We often see this. Suddenly one day the system doesn't do what you want, or your needs change, and you want a new feature. Then you may be told that this is not “standard”. That usually means that the provider either can't help you, or you have to pay in expensive judgments for them to do so, explains Sebastian.
Avoiding Frankenstein's solution
The result, if you choose to “piecemeal” build on your shelving solution, is often an inefficient patchwork of a system.
Not only will it be expensive, it's terribly scalable. These monstrosities of some solutions, with lots of increments that don't get updated, usually end up being abandoned because the customer outgrows them. And then it's back to square one.
So what's the alternative? To pick up where we started: What will a bespoke solution really look like?
In short, it is about creating something that is adapted to the company and their needs, rather than the company having to compromise its needs in order to adapt to a finished product
With you all the way
That means mapping and insight are crucial. Yes, in fact that's exactly what tailoring is all about. To take precise measurements so that you get a product that is not too small - and not too much.
“When we know what kind of expertise the customer has, how they work and how they deliver value, we can create something that suits them perfectly. The result will be both fast and “lean” code, while getting just as much functionality as they can benefit from.
Nor is it the case that all tailor-made solutions are equally flexible. In Sebastian and Increo's solar system, everything revolves around scalability — the suit pants must have stretch.
“The great thing about a really well-customized solution is that it's perfectly fine if you don't know where your company will be in 3 years. You don't have to think about what you need ahead of time, we just create exactly what you need right here and now. The rest we can always add when the time is right.
A good digital partner creates solutions that growing with you.
