When managing promotional campaigns, businesses often face a key question: Should we build our own promotion engine or opt for an off-the-shelf solution?
This decision can significantly impact your marketing efficiency, scalability, and overall customer experience.
In this blog, we’ll break down the pros and cons of each approach to help you make the smartest choice for your business. Let’s begin!
The Case for Building In-House 🛠️
Building an in-house promotion engine might sound like the dream solution. You can design a system that perfectly meets your business needs and integrates seamlessly with your existing platforms. Plus, having full control means you can tweak and evolve the system as you see fit. Sounds perfect, right?
But there’s a catch… it’s a BIG commitment. Building in-house can mean:
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High costs 💸 (dedicated engineers, designers, and testers don’t come cheap!).
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Time-consuming development; which can delay campaign launches, promotions and other marketing plans.
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Ongoing maintenance that eats into your budget and resources.
For example, a retailer like John Lewis might create an in-house solution for its specific needs. But scaling this system for peak seasons, like Christmas, could pose serious challenges. What started as a tailored dream quickly becomes a logistical nightmare.
Want to learn more about the challenges of building your own? Check out our blog: Building Your Own Promotional Infrastructure here.
Why Off-the-Shelf Solutions Lead the Pack 🥇
Off-the-shelf promotion engines, like Uniqodo, take the hassle out of running effective campaigns. They’re ready to go and designed for fast deployment, allowing you to launch campaigns in no time without technical headaches. Plus, they come with ongoing support and updates to keep your promotions running smoothly.
Let’s look at some success stories to help convince you:
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Boots UK ran a 10% Student Discount campaign with Uniqodo and achieved an incredible ROI of 8,116% over eight months!
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Samsung’s ‘Early Bird’ Black Friday campaign generated an ROI of 6,160% in just six weeks! By leveraging bespoke codes and a customised campaign page, Samsung achieved fast and scalable results.
Off-the-shelf solutions are incredibly cost-efficient. By sharing development and maintenance costs across multiple businesses, these platforms offer high-quality features without the price tag of building in-house. They’re also scalable, meaning you can easily run small or large campaigns without breaking a sweat!
Considerations for Your Final Decision ⚖️
Here’s the deal:
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Build in-house if you have unique needs, a big budget, and a skilled team to handle development and maintenance.
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Choose off-the-shelf if you want a quick, cost-effective, and scalable solution with minimal risk.
Not sure which way to go? 🤷♂️
You could also try a hybrid approach: start with an off-the-shelf platform and customise it as your needs evolve.
Making the Smart Choice 🎯
At the end of the day, your decision boils down to what works best for your business. While building in-house gives you control, the time, costs, and resources involved can be overwhelming. Off-the-shelf solutions provide a smarter, faster, and more efficient alternative for most businesses.
Pros and Cons Summary
Building In-House
Pros:
- Full control over development
- Seamless integration with existing systems
- Tailored to unique needs
Cons:
- High costs
- Requires a skilled, dedicated team all-year-round
- Time-intensive to build and scale
- Risk of delays in campaign launches
Off-the-Shelf Solutions
Pros:
- Faster implementation
- Cost-efficient and scalable
- Ongoing updates and support
- Pre-built integrations reduce risks
Cons:
- Less customisation compared to in-house
- May require process adjustments
Are you ready to transform your promotions?
Uniqodo is here to help! Book a call today and see how we can make your campaigns more successful than ever.
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