Custom Application
Custom Application
Software Built around How You Work
An application made for one business: yours, from the way orders reach your WhatsApp to the way stock is counted at closing.
Systems built to one client's order.
For businesses of about 2 to 50 people whose work no longer fits a cash book, a spreadsheet and a WhatsApp group.
If one ready-made app already does what you need, we will tell you, and point you to it in Free Apps and Free SaaS.
At a Glance
- You Get
- a working app, your data moved in
- Time
- a dated plan in your quote
- You Own
- code, designs and data
- Start
- a free first chat
What You Receive, Stage by Stage
These follow the five steps of the Development Phase. See the five steps
Custom Application in Depth
Where the Work Gets Stuck
Most sellers already sell through chat; what they lack is a record of orders and customers.
- Orders arrive by chat and get lost.Nobody can see in one place what was ordered, paid and sent.
- Money and stock live in notebooks.The owner learns about a shortfall when it is already too late.
- The same sale is typed three times.In the chat, in the cash book, in a spreadsheet for the accountant, and each copy differs.
- Approvals wait for one person.Discounts, purchases and refunds stop until the owner reads a message.
- A ready-made app almost fits.It covers most of the work, and staff run the rest on paper beside it.
- Records are asked for and cannot be found.A bank, a corporate buyer or the tax office wants a sales history, and it takes a week to put together.
Does One of These Look Like Your Business?
Example: A Batik Seller in Pekalongan
- The Situation
- Six people sell batik stamped by hand through WhatsApp, Shopee and a weekly live session; orders are copied into a notebook at night, and sizes sell out without anyone noticing.
- What We Would Build
- One order list that collects every channel, stock by motif and size, and a daily summary sent to the owner's WhatsApp.
- What Would Change
- One person checks orders in the morning instead of three people matching them at night.
Uses: Order and Customer RecordsStock and Outlet SystemsConnections Between Systems
Example: A Coffee Shop with Three Outlets in Bandung
- The Situation
- Each outlet uses a different cashier app, and the owner adds up sales from three phones every evening.
- What We Would Build
- A back office web app that pulls sales from all three, tracks milk, beans and cups by outlet, and flags waste.
- What Would Change
- The owner sees all three outlets on one screen and orders supplies per outlet.
Example: A Building Supplies Distributor in Surabaya
- The Situation
- Twelve sales staff take orders from shops by phone and WhatsApp, and the office types them in again.
- What We Would Build
- A mobile app for sales staff that checks each shop's credit limit, and a web app for the office to approve and invoice.
- What Would Change
- Orders reach the warehouse within the hour, with the credit check already done.
Example: A Furniture Workshop in Jepara Selling Abroad
- The Situation
- Quotes go to overseas buyers as photos and spreadsheets, and each one looks different.
- What We Would Build
- A bilingual online catalogue with USD price lists and a quote form that keeps every quote and order on record.
- What Would Change
- A buyer receives a consistent quote in English the same day.
Examples to show what is possible. They are not Gravita clients.
What We Build
Micro firms run their business on a phone. Web matters for back offices, tax and government portals.
- Order and Customer RecordsOne place where chat, marketplace and shop orders become records with status, payment and customer history.
- Stock and Outlet SystemsStock by item, size and colour across outlets and channels, with a warning before it runs out.
- Back Office Web AppsThe screens your admin, finance and warehouse staff work in every day, including the sales reports your accountant and the tax office ask for.
- Mobile AppsAn Android or iPhone app for sales staff taking orders at a shop counter, drivers on delivery, or your own customers.
- Customer and Partner PortalsA page where buyers, resellers or members check their own orders, invoices and documents.
- Connections Between SystemsLinking what you already use, such as WhatsApp Business, payments, marketplaces and accounting software, so data is entered once.
Not sure whether you need custom or ready-made? Read Custom or Ready-Made: How to Decide.
Sample: How Your Quote Is Itemised
A quote is only useful if you can see what each part costs and remove what you do not need. This is the layout every Gravita quote follows.
- A. The Need
What the app must do: collect orders from WhatsApp, Shopee and the live session into one list; keep stock by motif and size; send the owner a daily summary. What it will not do: accounting, payroll.
- B. Line Items
- Screens (order list, stock, daily summary)
- User roles (owner, admin, packing staff)
- Connections (marketplace order import, where partner access is allowed)
- Moving existing records
- Warranty period
- Optional: support plan.
- C. Stages and Payment
Stage 1: screen plan approved, payment 1 of 3. Stage 2: working order list and stock, payment 2 of 3. Stage 3: acceptance signed (BAST), payment 3 of 3. Each stage has a date.
- D. Ownership
Code, design files and data belong to the client from payment 3.
Each line ends: Price: set after the first conversation.
Examples to show what is possible. They are not Gravita clients.
Where Your App Runs and Who Can See the Data
- Hosting
- Your app runs on a server in Indonesia unless you choose otherwise, with backups kept in a separate location.
- Roles
- You are the data controller. When we host or maintain the app, we act as your data processor under a written agreement.
- Specific Data
- We flag specific personal data, such as health records, children's data or personal financial data, from the design stage.
What the law asks of your business: Personal Data Duties for a Small Business.
Who looks after each layer of an app: Hosting, SaaS and Cloud.
This is a summary, not legal advice.
Questions before You Start
How much does it cost?
It depends on the number of screens and user roles, the systems it must connect to, and whether you need a phone app as well as a web app. You receive an itemised quote after the first conversation.
Why pay for this when an app costs Rp299,000 a month?
Often you should not. If a ready-made app fits, it is cheaper and we will say so. Custom work pays off when staff spend time every day working around an app that almost fits.
How long does it take?
The quote gives a date for each stage, and you see the work at each one.
What if my business changes after launch?
Small changes are part of a support plan; larger ones get their own quote. Because you own the code, someone else can also make them.
Will my staff be able to use it?
We design with the people who will use it and test with them before launch. Screens are in Bahasa Indonesia unless you ask otherwise.
Can it work with WhatsApp, QRIS and my marketplace?
Yes for WhatsApp through its official business connection, QRIS through a payment provider, and marketplaces through partner access where the marketplace allows it. Some charge per message or per transaction; those costs are in the quote.
Tell Us How Your Business Runs Today
Tell us what you sell and where your orders come in. If a free or ready-made app is enough, that is the answer you will get.
The first conversation is free and there is no obligation.
This message opens ready to send:
Hello Gravita, I found your website and would like to talk about a custom application. Our business sells:
The Eight Needs That Rank Highest
Ranked on three lenses: what owners say hurts, how many lack the tool, and how much money moves through it.
58.22% of 304 UMKM surveyed by Bank Indonesia in 2023 keep no formal financial records.
Source: Bank Indonesia survey, July to September 2023. A small sample, not a national estimate.
Applications and AI Explained
Kinds of Applications1 / 9
What Is an Application
An application is a program that helps you do one kind of job, such as keeping accounts, taking orders or chatting with customers.
- You open the app by tapping its icon or typing its web address.
- You tell it what you want, for example by pressing a button or typing a number.
- The app follows its built-in instructions to work out what to do.
- If needed, it reads or saves data, such as your list of orders.
- The app shows the result on your screen.
You open the app by tapping its icon or typing its web address.
Next in This PathDefinition
An application is a program that helps you do one kind of job, such as keeping accounts, taking orders or chatting with customers.
Everyday Comparison
An application is like a tool in your kitchen. The rice cooker cooks rice and the blender makes juice, and each does its own job. Apps work the same way: one for chat, one for the books, one for the cashier.
What It Means for Your Business
Each task your business repeats, such as recording sales or answering the same questions, can be handled by an app. A ready-made app fits common needs. A custom app fits the way your business works. Knowing which kind you need saves money.
Examples
- Chat apps for talking to customers (for example WhatsApp)
- Cashier and bookkeeping apps for a small shop
- Office apps for documents and spreadsheets
Kinds of Applications2 / 9
Web, Mobile or Desktop
Web, mobile and desktop apps are three ways to reach software: through a browser link, an icon installed on a phone, or a program installed on a PC.
- You place the same customer order across all three lanes: Lane 1 Browser, Lane 2 Phone App, and Lane 3 PC Program.
- Lane 1 Browser opens a web link straight from the server, with nothing to install on the device.
- Lane 2 Phone App opens from the home screen and uses the phone's camera, location, and saved pocket data.
- Lane 3 PC Program runs in a desktop window, connected directly to local files and the counter receipt printer.
- Switch 1 (Internet Drops) dims Lane 1 while Lanes 2 and 3 keep working; Switch 2 (Update Released) updates Lane 1 at once.
You place the same customer order across all three lanes: Lane 1 Browser, Lane 2 Phone App, and Lane 3 PC Program.
Next in This PathDefinition
Web, mobile and desktop apps are three ways to reach software: through a browser link, an icon installed on a phone, or a program installed on a PC.
Everyday Comparison
Choosing between them is like choosing how customers reach your shop. A web app is a warung on the main road that anyone can enter from a browser. A mobile app is a small stall carried in your pocket, with the phone's camera and location ready. A desktop app is a heavy machine bolted to the workshop table, working fast with your printer and local files even when the street outside is quiet.
What It Means for Your Business
Start with the device your staff and customers already hold during the task: a browser for shared office desks, a phone app for field staff using cameras and GPS, or a desktop app for a wired cashier counter. Building for several platforms at once costs more than starting with one, so pick the lane that solves today's bottleneck first. If one of these should be built for your business, see What We Build in [Custom Application](#custom-application-kinds).
Examples
- A browser dashboard where office staff check daily sales from any laptop
- An Android app for couriers who scan parcels and record delivery photos on the road
- A Windows cashier program wired to a thermal receipt printer and barcode scanner at the counter
Kinds of Applications3 / 9
Web App
- You type the web address or tap a link.
- Your browser asks the server that holds the app for its pages.
- The server sends the page and its code back to your browser.
- The browser shows the app and you use it.
- When you save something, the browser sends it to the server, which stores it.
- Some web apps can be added to your phone's home screen, where they open like an app and keep a saved copy for weak connections.
You type the web address or tap a link.
Next in This PathDefinition
A web app is an application you open in a browser such as Chrome, with nothing to install from an app store.
Everyday Comparison
A web app is like a warung with its door open on the main road. Anyone who knows the address can walk in from any phone or computer, and the owner can change the menu at any time without the visitors doing anything.
What It Means for Your Business
A web app works on any phone or laptop that has a browser, and an update reaches every user at once. It needs an internet connection and a server that someone keeps running. Web apps suit back-office tools, order tracking and dashboards. Some can be installed on the home screen and work offline when built as a progressive web app.
Examples
- Online document and spreadsheet editors
- Seller dashboards on marketplaces
- Government portals such as the OSS licensing site
Kinds of Applications4 / 9
Mobile App
- You install the app from the store.
- The phone places the app in its own protected space, apart from other apps.
- When you open it, the app may ask your permission to use the camera, location or contacts.
- The app uses those phone features and, when online, talks to a server.
- The app shows the result, and the store delivers new versions as updates.
You install the app from the store.
Next in This PathDefinition
A mobile app is an application installed on your phone, usually from an app store such as Google Play.
Everyday Comparison
A mobile app is like a small stall you carry in your pocket. One tap opens it, it is always with you, and with your permission it can use the phone's camera, location and contacts.
What It Means for Your Business
Many Indonesian micro businesses already run on a phone, so a mobile app meets customers and staff where they are. A mobile app can use the camera for scanning and the location for deliveries. Building for Android and iPhone takes more work than a web page, so decide who needs it first.
Examples
- Messaging apps such as WhatsApp
- Marketplace apps for buyers and sellers
- Mobile banking and e-wallet apps
Sources and Related Topics
Sources
- Android Developers, Application fundamentals
- MDN, What is a progressive web app?
- Gravita Technology research: Indonesian SME app needs, section 2.01
Kinds of Applications5 / 9
Desktop App
- You download the installer, or get the app from a store such as the Microsoft Store.
- You run the installer, which copies the app onto your computer.
- When you open the app, the operating system starts it in its own window.
- The app uses the computer's files, printer and memory directly.
- Your work is saved on that computer, so back it up.
You download the installer, or get the app from a store such as the Microsoft Store.
Next in This PathDefinition
A desktop app is an application installed on a laptop or PC, for example one running Windows, and it runs on that computer.
Everyday Comparison
A desktop app is like a sewing machine in your own workshop. It sits where you work, keeps running even when the street outside is closed, and it works only on that one machine.
What It Means for Your Business
Desktop apps suit work done at a desk or counter with a printer, a scanner or large files, and they carry on when the internet is slow. Each computer needs the app installed and updated, and the data stays on that computer unless you copy it elsewhere. Plan backups from the first day.
Examples
- Office suites for documents and spreadsheets
- Accounting software that runs on a PC
- Photo and design editors
Sources and Related Topics
Custom or Ready-Made6 / 9
Custom or Ready-Made: How to Decide
Choosing between ready-made and custom software means weighing how closely a package fits your routine against the time and cost of building your own.
- Weight 1 (How Common Is Your Routine) tips the balance toward the Rack when your workflow matches standard shop rules.
- Weight 2 (How Fast You Need It) tips toward the Rack when you must start this week rather than after a build.
- Weight 3 (Upfront Budget vs Monthly Per-Seat Fees) compares the Tailor build price against recurring subscription fees as staff grow.
- Weight 4 (How Many Systems Must Connect) tips toward the Tailor when chat orders, stock and accounting must share one record.
- Weight 5 (Who Keeps It Running) weighs vendor-run SaaS on the Rack against owning your own code and server.
Weight 1 (How Common Is Your Routine) tips the balance toward the Rack when your workflow matches standard shop rules.
Next in This PathDefinition
Choosing between ready-made and custom software means weighing how closely a package fits your routine against the time and cost of building your own.
Everyday Comparison
A ready-made package is like a jacket from a shop rack, while a custom app is like a kebaya sewn to your measurements. If the jacket from the rack fits your shoulders and lets you work comfortably, you wear it home today for a small price. You only visit the tailor when the shop sizes pinch your arms or leave out pockets your daily work requires.
What It Means for Your Business
Most small businesses should check free tools and ready-made packages first, because standard bookkeeping, payroll or cashier work rarely needs custom code. Custom software earns its keep when your staff spend hours every day working around a package that almost fits, or retyping the same sale across three disconnected tools. If custom fits, see [Custom Application](#custom-application).
Examples
- Using a ready-made accounting package for standard monthly tax and ledger reports
- Building a custom order tracker when orders arrive through WhatsApp with custom sizing, split deposits and workshop stages
- Keeping a ready-made cashier app at the counter while connecting it to a custom warehouse dispatch tool
Sources and Related Topics
Related
Sources
- IBM, What is enterprise resource planning (ERP)?
- IBM, What is SaaS?
- MDN, Introduction to the server side
- Gravita Technology research: Indonesian SME app needs, section 2.01
Custom or Ready-Made7 / 9
Custom App
A custom app is an application built to the order of one business, around the way that business works.
- Understand the need: you and the builder agree what problem the app must solve.
- Design: the screens and rules are planned and agreed with you.
- Build and test: developers write the app and test it with examples from your business.
- Your approval: you review the result and approve it.
- Launch: the app goes live, and care continues after launch.
Understand the need: you and the builder agree what problem the app must solve.
Next in This PathDefinition
A custom app is an application built to the order of one business, around the way that business works.
Everyday Comparison
Ready-made apps are like clothes from the shop: they fit many people reasonably well. A custom app is like a kebaya sewn to your own measurements.
What It Means for Your Business
A custom app is worth considering when ready-made apps make you change your routine, or when several systems must work together. It takes more time and money than a ready-made app, so first check whether a ready-made one already does the job. Gravita builds custom software to one client's order.
Examples
- An ordering system for a restaurant group with its own menu rules
- A stock and delivery tracker for a distributor
- A booking system for a clinic
Custom or Ready-Made8 / 9
Ready-Made Enterprise Apps
- You choose the parts, called modules, that you need, such as accounting or stock.
- The provider sets up the system or gives you an account.
- You enter your own settings: products, taxes, staff.
- Your team uses the shared system every day.
- All modules read and write one common database, so a sale updates stock and accounts together.
You choose the parts, called modules, that you need, such as accounting or stock.
Next in This PathDefinition
A ready-made enterprise app is business software, often covering sales, stock, accounts and staff in one package, that many companies buy or subscribe to and adjust through settings.
Everyday Comparison
It is like renting a ready-built ruko. The layout is set, you move in quickly and arrange your own furniture, and the walls stay where they are.
What It Means for Your Business
Ready-made business software is quick to start and proven by other users, which suits a business whose routine is common. It may include features you never use, and changes beyond its settings can be limited or costly. If it fits most of your routine, ask what the rest would cost before deciding on a custom app.
Examples
- Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software covering finance, purchasing and manufacturing
- Customer relationship management (CRM) software for sales follow-up
- Human resources and payroll packages
Sources and Related Topics
Custom or Ready-Made9 / 9
Open Source Software
- A developer or team writes software and publishes its source code.
- The licence states what anyone may do with it: use, change and share.
- Others download it and use it, often free of charge.
- Some users improve it or find faults and send their changes back.
- The maintainers review the changes and release a new version.
A developer or team writes software and publishes its source code.
Next in This PathDefinition
Open source software is software whose code anyone may read, change and share under a licence that allows it.
Everyday Comparison
It is like a family recipe shared openly. Anyone can read it, cook it, adjust the spice and pass it on, as long as they follow the rules the original cook wrote down.
What It Means for Your Business
Open source can lower licence fees and lets you see what the software does. Free of charge covers the licence only. Setup, hosting, training and support still need someone, and the software needs regular updates. Before you choose a product, check its licence and whether the project is still actively maintained.
Examples
- LibreOffice, an office suite
- Linux, an operating system used on many servers
- WordPress, a website system