Off-the-shelf solutions for your business

If you are a business owner or just going to become one, the first thing that bothers you is where to look for customers. Nowadays the Internet is one of the best tools for the searching for clients.

Search engine traffic, contextual and media ads, social networks, and mass mailing will help you to create a steady stream of website visitors. If you do not have a website, then you definitely need to develop it.

There are several ways to get your own website:

• Make it by yourself;
• Order a website in the web-studio;
• Find an off-the-shelf solution and customize it to your needs.

Let’s take a detailed look at these options

Creating website by yoursel.

It is possible only if you are a young, talented and hard-working man, or an experienced developer or website designer. Otherwise, you’d better give up this decision.

Website development by web-studio is undoubtedly a very good option

If you find a responsible contractor, make competent and complete terms of reference, prepare and provide the content in advance, then it is very likely that you will receive an exclusive, high-quality website. Disadvantages of this option include the high cost of development (about 2300 USD for the landing page and about 6950 USD for the eCommerce website) and long terms of development. In addition, you have to describe your goals and requirements clearly and provide content. Also, you need to have enough time to participate in the project.

The off-the-shelf solution is the fastest way to launch your representation on the Internet

This way has several outstanding features such as its low price (eCommerce website will cost you about 620 USD), fast speed of development (your website can be done by 3-5 working days), outcome predictability (most off-the-shelves has demo versions). Concerning its disadvantages we can notice design non-unique.

So, if you know what you need, but you have account or time restrictions, the off-the-shelf solution is the best option for you. Let’s get a view of website launching using the off-the-shelf solution as in the case of “1C-Bitrix” platform and off-the-shelf catalog “MarketPlace”.

The off-the-shelf catalog is available at http://marketplace.1c-bitrix.ru/. It contains about 2500 solutions, divided into different sections. The off-the-shelf solution could be not just a website but also a plug-in which you can install on the existed website running on “Bitrix” CMS. Marketplace works since 2011 and there are more than 600 authors publishing their solutions regularly.

To find an off-the-shelf solution you need to go to the section you are interested in, for example - "Off-the-shelves / LandingPage / Restaurant business". If there are a few solutions you can go to the page of a particular solution and get acquainted with its description, possibilities and customer reviews. In another case, it’s better to use filters. Also, it’s better to put a mark against "Adaptability" (nowadays the mobile traffic share is quite significant) and "Demo version existence" (be sure to try the solution before you buy it).

The things you’d better to draw attention to choosing an off-the-shelf solution:

1. Description.
   Read it carefully. The description should be written in accessible language and it should be free of syntax and spelling errors. It means that the company pays attention to details more likely produces a quality product.
2. The list of suitable editions.
   Other things being equal choose the solution that allows operation at the cheaper edition. So you can save a little.
3. The author of the solution.
   Be sure to go to the partner‘s profile to check his portfolio, status, and website. Representative portfolio, high-profile and high-quality website is undoubtedly an important factor when choosing a solution.
4. A number of installations.
   A large number of installations shows that the solution is popular. But on the other hand, you risk being the 965th owner of the off-the-shelf solution with the same design and functionality. If the solution is fresh, then you don’t need to go by this characteristic. Moreover cheap and free solutions can have a lot of installations, but it doesn’t show their quality.
5. Reviews.
   Check it out, but be aware that reviews can be written by both competitors and employees of the company-developer.
6. Discussions.
   Pay attention to the efficiency of developer’s feedback and completeness of his replies. It also shows the overall quality of the provision of services by the company. You may need support after solution’s purchasing in case problems during installation or operation occur or to improve the solution to fit your needs.

Explore demo version before purchasing. You can ask the author of the solution any questions on the tab "Talk".

Usage of the off-the-shelf solution is a good way to meet the requirements of your business under the conditions of account or time restrictions.