Today’s article is about how much it costs to develop a marketplace in 2024. Those readers who were already looking for offers might be surprised by the range of price tags, because there are options for both 200 thousand and 10+ million. Let's figure out why.
You are the initiator of the development and you tell the developer what you want to get as a result, and depending on your expectations, the implementation price fluctuates by about plus/minus 150 thousand rubles.
Key stages of such an approach
Formation of technical specifications for improvements. You get acquainted with what is in the core (for example, during an online demonstration or on the website of the most ready-made solution) and write to the developer what exactly you want to do for your area.
The developer assembles a marketplace to suit your requirements.
The customer is given the finished result.
An important point in such proposals: all responsibility for the development of a boxed solution lies with the customer. It is assumed that he knows his idea, understands the industry for which it is designed, understands the nuances of its further promotion, etc.
Key stages of such an approach
Formation of technical specifications for improvements. You get acquainted with what is in the core (for example, during an online demonstration or on the website of the most ready-made solution) and write to the developer what exactly you want to do for your area.
The developer assembles a marketplace to suit your requirements.
The customer is given the finished result.
An important point in such proposals: all responsibility for the development of a boxed solution lies with the customer. It is assumed that he knows his idea, understands the industry for which it is designed, understands the nuances of its further promotion, etc.
The developer’s function is exclusively to select the most suitable solution for the client’s requirements (most often such a developer is a freelancer), and delivery of the project. The developer is not part of your team: he is a one-time employee who implements the first version, with which you are then left alone.
It is this moment that most often confuses customers. This is due to the fact that, firstly, few people launch marketplaces with experience from previous launches - either a person develops a successful startup, or immediately assembles a team for a new project.
Therefore, when they receive a product that formally meets their expectations, they are left with the same questions and simply do not know what to do next. As a result, many marketplaces developed in this segment are closing: there may be money for promotion, but there is no correct strategy. You can contact an advertising agency, spend a certain amount of money and not get results: I have rarely seen an advertising campaign satisfy all the founder’s requests the first time. As a result, he gets upset and simply “gives up.” Although it is quite possible that with the right approach his idea would have become successful.
Team for 0.7 - 2 million rubles.
The fundamental difference between this segment is that it involves significantly more manual labor. Most often, a team of web and/or mobile development is involved here, including at least a designer, layout designer and programmer, and possibly several more developers and a PM (here everything depends on the size of your project, expectations for the launch time and the qualifications of the developers).
Key stages:
Development of prototypes.
Creation of a design coordinated individually with the customer.
Layout/assembly (at the output you get the final result in the marketplace format).
Making modifications as necessary. Improvements include everything that might have occurred to you or the developers during the implementation of the project; each is written down in a checklist and implemented upon completion of the main work.
Primary SEO preparation.
Support.
Formation of ideas for development.
It is this moment that most often confuses customers. This is due to the fact that, firstly, few people launch marketplaces with experience from previous launches - either a person develops a successful startup, or immediately assembles a team for a new project.
Therefore, when they receive a product that formally meets their expectations, they are left with the same questions and simply do not know what to do next. As a result, many marketplaces developed in this segment are closing: there may be money for promotion, but there is no correct strategy. You can contact an advertising agency, spend a certain amount of money and not get results: I have rarely seen an advertising campaign satisfy all the founder’s requests the first time. As a result, he gets upset and simply “gives up.” Although it is quite possible that with the right approach his idea would have become successful.
Team for 0.7 - 2 million rubles.
The fundamental difference between this segment is that it involves significantly more manual labor. Most often, a team of web and/or mobile development is involved here, including at least a designer, layout designer and programmer, and possibly several more developers and a PM (here everything depends on the size of your project, expectations for the launch time and the qualifications of the developers).
Key stages:
Development of prototypes.
Creation of a design coordinated individually with the customer.
Layout/assembly (at the output you get the final result in the marketplace format).
Making modifications as necessary. Improvements include everything that might have occurred to you or the developers during the implementation of the project; each is written down in a checklist and implemented upon completion of the main work.
Primary SEO preparation.
Support.
Formation of ideas for development.
The last point means that upon completion of the work, in most cases you are not left alone with the project, but are helped with SEO and supported by the technical part if something suddenly breaks. And if the team is adequate, then, based on its experience, it will also suggest how you can further develop.
However, the leading generator of ideas is still the founder: you determine the development strategy, and the team works only in the “supporting process” format. So the success of a startup will still largely depend on your experience in and in promotion - as well as on your understanding of what you expect from your service.
Studios with a budget of 3-7 million rubles.
In this case, the situation changes to the fact that the development company de facto has sufficient experience in developing projects similar to yours, and also plays a “leading” role. This means that before development, pre-design work is carried out, including the following points:
1. Market analysis. Is there any demand in your segment at all?
2. Working with the target audience (defining client profiles and expectations).
3. Testing hypotheses. Here the target action is checked using a minimal landing page or a small application, an advertising campaign is launched, traffic flows in and it is analyzed how adequately the conversion is proceeding. The simplest example is to launch a template online store on the same WordPress with a beautiful template theme for 50-100 thousand and create key product positions.
If the test is successful, it means the target action is working correctly, and the product can be based on it. If the test fails and the target audience doesn’t need the products, then you need to go back and study what’s wrong with the idea, refine it, then test it again - and so on until a successful result is achieved.
The pre-project period can last quite a long time: a project under fake brands can be tested for six months: the price tag for development is so high because it initially includes testing hypotheses. And only then, when the main idea is found, the team moves on to the next stage.
4. Development of the first version. It roughly coincides with what was in the previous format (prototype, design, etc.), but in this case, a product is launched that already has everything that the target audience needs and, most importantly, has been successfully tested on it. A proven advertising campaign is underway (it is also tested throughout the testing of hypotheses), and traffic is being driven into the first version through already developed channels.
5. Advertising campaign, already tested on the masses.
6. Formation of a backlog - a list of tasks that are set for the future. As a rule, the main task of a marketplace is scaling. Here the task is to find out what to do in the product and the advertising campaign in order to enter a wide market.
3-7 million usually goes into the first year of development; if the product is successful, the marketplace begins to generate revenue. Its further development of the service is carried out in the format of “partial co-investment”, that is, both at the expense of revenue and at the expense of attracted investment funds.
Premium for 7+ million
Usually the development process here is the same as in the previous paragraph, the only difference is in volume, i.e. the number of hours allocated to your project, and the brand: the more regalia a team has, the more expensive it values its developers and the more expensive the final result is for you.
Of course, you should focus on teams that have relevant experience in similar products, which they can transfer to the development of yours.
How much money should you spend testing an idea right now?
A pressing question for many: it would be a pity to spend 3-7 million, but I would still like to do everything wisely. What should I do? For me, as the head of the development team.
The emphasis from creating the cheapest possible product with suitable quality has shifted to implementing the most survivable and successful service. Therefore, the key question is how we can test the idea and make the highest quality product according to a proven scheme.
Product approach with a budget of 0.7-2 million: how to develop?
I have prepared a number of theses that we use at Bright Mobile, please respond in the comments and express your opinion on each of them.
The goal of the product approach is to generate revenue.
However, the leading generator of ideas is still the founder: you determine the development strategy, and the team works only in the “supporting process” format. So the success of a startup will still largely depend on your experience in and in promotion - as well as on your understanding of what you expect from your service.
Studios with a budget of 3-7 million rubles.
In this case, the situation changes to the fact that the development company de facto has sufficient experience in developing projects similar to yours, and also plays a “leading” role. This means that before development, pre-design work is carried out, including the following points:
1. Market analysis. Is there any demand in your segment at all?
2. Working with the target audience (defining client profiles and expectations).
3. Testing hypotheses. Here the target action is checked using a minimal landing page or a small application, an advertising campaign is launched, traffic flows in and it is analyzed how adequately the conversion is proceeding. The simplest example is to launch a template online store on the same WordPress with a beautiful template theme for 50-100 thousand and create key product positions.
If the test is successful, it means the target action is working correctly, and the product can be based on it. If the test fails and the target audience doesn’t need the products, then you need to go back and study what’s wrong with the idea, refine it, then test it again - and so on until a successful result is achieved.
The pre-project period can last quite a long time: a project under fake brands can be tested for six months: the price tag for development is so high because it initially includes testing hypotheses. And only then, when the main idea is found, the team moves on to the next stage.
4. Development of the first version. It roughly coincides with what was in the previous format (prototype, design, etc.), but in this case, a product is launched that already has everything that the target audience needs and, most importantly, has been successfully tested on it. A proven advertising campaign is underway (it is also tested throughout the testing of hypotheses), and traffic is being driven into the first version through already developed channels.
5. Advertising campaign, already tested on the masses.
6. Formation of a backlog - a list of tasks that are set for the future. As a rule, the main task of a marketplace is scaling. Here the task is to find out what to do in the product and the advertising campaign in order to enter a wide market.
3-7 million usually goes into the first year of development; if the product is successful, the marketplace begins to generate revenue. Its further development of the service is carried out in the format of “partial co-investment”, that is, both at the expense of revenue and at the expense of attracted investment funds.
Premium for 7+ million
Usually the development process here is the same as in the previous paragraph, the only difference is in volume, i.e. the number of hours allocated to your project, and the brand: the more regalia a team has, the more expensive it values its developers and the more expensive the final result is for you.
Of course, you should focus on teams that have relevant experience in similar products, which they can transfer to the development of yours.
How much money should you spend testing an idea right now?
A pressing question for many: it would be a pity to spend 3-7 million, but I would still like to do everything wisely. What should I do? For me, as the head of the development team.
The emphasis from creating the cheapest possible product with suitable quality has shifted to implementing the most survivable and successful service. Therefore, the key question is how we can test the idea and make the highest quality product according to a proven scheme.
Product approach with a budget of 0.7-2 million: how to develop?
I have prepared a number of theses that we use at Bright Mobile, please respond in the comments and express your opinion on each of them.
The goal of the product approach is to generate revenue.
