Compared

What you use today, and where Specify fits beside it.

You may already sell with a store, a configurator or a marketplace. Each one is good at something real. This page says what. It says where a request goes when it does not fit. And it says when you should stay where you are.

We compare kinds of tool, not brands

A table of brand names would make claims about other firms' products. Those products change. The table would not, and it would soon be wrong.

So this page compares three kinds of tool. Each kind has many brands. What we say holds for most of them. Some brands do more than we describe here.

The step from standard to custom

Most shoppers start with a product that is already listed. Some then need it a bit different.

A size that is not on the page. A finish you can do but never listed. A part swapped for another.

That step is where most tools hand the shopper off. One tool sells the listed half. Another sells the custom half. Few join the two.

Specify is built so the shopper can take that step in the same store. They say what they need. You check it against what you can make. Then you decide the answer.

Three alternatives, one at a time

For each one: what it does well and where an odd request ends up. Then when to choose it over Specify.

  1. A catalogue platform

    An online store built around a list of products. Most stores on the web run on one.

    What it does well
    Selling products that are the same for every buyer. Discount codes, shopper accounts and add-ons are well worn. Many people already know how to run one.
    Where an unusual request goes
    A request that is not on the list has no place in the store. It goes to a contact form or an email. There it waits for someone to read it.
    When it is the better choice
    Nearly all you sell is standard, and custom requests are rare. Then an older store does more of the everyday work than Specify does today.
    What Specify does instead
    Specify runs the everyday store too: products, cart and checkout. A custom request reaches you as a clear request, not a loose email.

  2. A product configurator

    A tool where a shopper picks from options you set up first. It often sits inside another store.

    What it does well
    Showing a product that changes as the shopper picks, sometimes in 3D. Each choice has a known price, because you set it up in advance.
    Where an unusual request goes
    A request outside the options cannot be made. The shopper picks the closest option or leaves. Often the store never learns what they wanted.
    When it is the better choice
    Your options are fixed and rarely change, and you like the store you have. Then a configurator added to it may be all you need.
    What Specify does instead
    Specify has options too. A request past them is not turned away on the spot. It becomes a question your team can answer.

  3. A marketplace

    One large site where many sellers list their products. Shoppers go there to look and compare.

    What it does well
    Bringing shoppers. People already search there, so many buyers can see a listing from day one.
    Where an unusual request goes
    A request is usually a message to the seller, outside the listing. The marketplace sets the page, the rules and who owns the buyer.
    When it is the better choice
    You need new buyers more than you need custom work. Specify does not bring shoppers to your store. You bring them.
    What Specify does instead
    Your store and your buyers stay yours. Specify is not the seller, and it takes no share of a sale today.

Where Specify is the weaker choice today

Specify is new. It has no paying customers yet. A store on it has less around it than a store on an older platform.

Things a store may expect that Specify does not have yet

  • Return labels and credit notes
  • Shipping rates by weight or by zone
  • A store of add-ons built by others

If you need one of these today, an older platform is the better answer. We would rather tell you now than after you move.

See the step with your own products

Create a store and add one product you sell. Or try a demo store first, as a shopper would.

Create your store Try the demo

To sign up, we ask for your work email and your company name.